KULYGIN. She’s on the warpath again!
Offstage the music plays a march; everyone listens.
OLGA. They’re leaving.
Enter CHEBUTYKIN.
MASHA. Our boys are leaving. Well, that’s that . . . Happy journey to them! (To her husband.) We ought to go home . . . Where’s my hat and cape . . .
KULYGIN. I took them into the house . . . I’ll fetch ‘em right away. (Exits into the house.)
OLGA. Yes, now we can head for home. It’s time.
CHEBUTYKIN. Olga Sergeevna!
OLGA. What?
Pause.
What?
CHEBUTYKIN. Nothing . . . I don’t know how to tell you . . . (Whispers in her ear.)
OLGA (in shock). That’s impossible!
CHEBUTYKIN. Yes . . . what a fuss . . . I’m worn out, exhausted, that’s all I’ll say . . . (Annoyed.) Anyway, it doesn’t matter!
MASHA. What happened?
OLGA (embraces Irina). Today is a dreadful day . . . I don’t know how to tell you, my precious . . .
IRINA. What? Tell me quickly, what? For God’s sake! (Weeps.)
CHEBUTYKIN. The Baron was just killed in a duel.
IRINA. I knew it, I knew it . . .74
CHEBUTYKIN (sits far upstage on a bench). I’m worn out . . . (Pulls a newspaper out of his pocket.) Let ‘em have a good cry . . . (Sings quietly.) Tarara boom de-ay . . . I sit in gloom all day . . . What does it matter!
The three sisters stand, clutching one another.
MASHA. Oh, how the music plays! They’re leaving us, one of them has gone forever and ever, we’re left alone to begin our life anew. One has to go on living . . . One has to go on living . . .
IRINA (lays her head on Olga’s bosom). A time will come when everyone will realize why all this is, what these sufferings are for, there won’t be any mysteries, but in the meantime a person has to live . . . has to work, nothing but work! Tomorrow I’ll go away by myself, I’ll teach school and I’ll devote my whole life to anyone who may possibly need it. It’s autumn now, winter will be here soon, the snow will cover everything up, but I shall work, I shall work . . .
OLGA (embraces both sisters). The music is playing so gaily, cheerfully, and I feel like living! Oh, dear Lord! Time will pass, and we’ll be gone forever, people will forget us, they’ll forget our faces, voices and how many of us there were, but our suffering will turn to joy for those who live after us, happiness and peace will come into being on this earth, and those who live now will be remembered with a kind word and a blessing. Oh, dear sisters, this life of ours is not over yet. Let’s go on living! The music plays so gaily, so cheerfully, and it seems as if, just a little while longer and we shall learn why we’re alive, why we suffer . . . If only we knew, if only we knew!
The music plays ever more quietly; KULYGIN, smiling cheerfully, brings in the hat and cape, ANDREY wheels a different baby carriage, in which Bobik is sitting.
CHEBUTYKIN (sings quietly). Tara . . . ra . . . boom-de-ay . . . I sit in gloom all day . . . (Reads the paper.) Doesn’t matter! Doesn’t matter!
OLGA. If only we knew, if only we knew!
Curtain
VARIANTS TO
Three Sisters
Lines come from the censor’s copies (Cens.), the fair copy (A), the publication in Russian Thought (Russkaya Mysl) (RT), and separate publication as Three Sisters (1901) (TS).
ACT ONE
page 883 / Replace: you’re back to wearing white, your face is beaming.
with: you’re in white, there’s a smile on your face. (A)
page 885 / After: such thoughts! — I’m twenty, already grown up, how nice it is! (Cens.)
page 887 / Replace: from hard work. And they just about managed it, only just!. . .a bracing, mighty tempest
with: from hard work, but they haven’t protected us from the influence of this massive thing advancing on all of us, this glorious healthy tempest (Cens.)
page 887 / Before: In twenty-five years — No offense meant, (Cens.)
page 889 / Replace: If a man philosophizes . . . Polly want a cracker!
with: All this is philosophistics, it’s your sophistics, mystics, excuse me, not worth a tinker’s dam. It’s all crapistics. (Cens.)
page 894 / Replace: after a while.
SOLYONY (shrilly) . . . VERSHININ. Yes, yes, of course.
with: after a while.
SOLYONY. Suffering . . . For instance, bugs bite one another . . . (Gets embarrassed.)
OLGA (embarrassed, aside). He’s talking vulgarity.
VERSHININ (to Tusenbach). Of course, he may be right. (Cens.)
page 894 / Replace: Ah, the way she dresses! It’s not so much
with: You’re from Moscow, you understand. I can’t look at the way they dress here, the local fashionplates simply offend me. It’s not so much. (A, RT)
page 896 / Replace: Well, I’ll be! . . .I don’t think there is
with: Superfluous? Who knows! Who among us has a sufficiently accurate point of view to tell what’s superfluous from what’s necessary? I don’t think we do . . . (A, RT)
page 897 / After: even remotely — to look forward to it. (Cens.)
page 897 / After: that invariably smoke. — Never in my life have I had such flowers . . . (A)
page 899 / Replace: TUSENBACH. . . . I wouldn’t go . . . Don’t go, my lovely!
with: TUSENBACH. So don’t go.
CHEBUTYKIN. Certainly not. (Cens.)
page 900 / Replace: SOLYONY (crossing into the reception room). Cheep, cheep, cheep . . .
with: SOLYONY. You’re always singing, it’s business, well, now, let’s dance. (Goes in the reception room.) (Cens.)
ACT TWO
page 907 / Replace: Come back tomorrow morning . . . unhurriedly goes back into his room.)
with: I remember everything, I haven’t forgotten a thing. I have a phenomenal memory, with a memory like mine another man in my place would long ago have stretched himself and not a rope across all Moscow . . . Across all Russia . . . I don’t think anything can provide greater, sweeter pleasure than fame . . .
The doorbell rings.
Yes, business . . . Once I dreamed of fame . . . yes . . . (Stretches.) And it was so possible . . . (Unhurriedly goes into his room.) (Cens., A, RT)
page 909 / Replace: I pester you with. I escort you home every single night.