Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District-Act One Scene One

Katerina is lying on her bed yawning. KATERINA Oh, I don't feel like sleep any more, but I'll try. tries to sleep No, I can't sleep. Of course, I slept all night, then got up and drank tea with my husband, then went back to bed. After all, there's nothing else to do. O Lord, how boring it is! It was better when I was single, although we were poor, at least there was some freedom. But now, this depression's enough to make you hang yourself. I am a merchant's wife, married to the eminent merchant Zinoviy Borisovich Ismailov. The ant drags along its straw, the cow gives her milk, the farm-labourers pour out the flour, but I alone have nothing to do, I alone am depressed, to me alone life is unkind, me, the merchant's wife. Enter Boris. BORIS Will there be mushrooms today? KATERINA Yes, there will. BORIS There will? You know, I'm very fond of mushrooms, especially with buck wheat gruel. KATERINA Whether the sun's shining, or a storm is raging, it's all the same to me now. Oh! BORIS What are you singing for, have you nothing else to do? KATERINA What can I do? BORIS Why ever did we take the likes of you into our house? I kept saying to my son, don't marry Katerina, but he wouldn't listen. Fine sort of wife: over four years married and still not produced a child! KATERINA It's not my fault, it's not my fault. BORIS What! KATERINA It's not my fault, it's not my fault. BORIS Whose is it then? KATERINA Zinoviy is incapable of getting a child into my womb. BORIS So that's it! It all depends on the woman what sort of wife a man gets. Now if a fine woman had loved him and embraced him, a child would soon have arrived. But you're as cold as a fish, you don't encourage his embraces, you don't encourage his embraces. We've no heir to leave our fortune to, nor our renowned reputation as a merchant. You'd like to hook some youngster and make off with him and jeer at your husband. No, don't try that on, the fence is high, the dogs are loose, the workers trusty and I'm always on the alert. Get the poison ready for the rats, they've eaten all the flour again. Exit. KATERINA You're a rat yourself! You should have the poison! Prepares the rat poison. Enter Zinoviy, Boris, a messenger and other servants, including Sergey. ZINOVIY to the mill-hand Speak up! MILL-HAND The dam at the mill has burst and there's an enormous breach. What shall we do now, eh! ZINOVIY As if we hadn't enough work already. I'll have to go myself. BORIS Go, then! Without the master nothing'll get done. People can't be relied on! SERVANTS Ha, ha, ha! BORIS What are you sniggering about? Your master has to go away and you don't show any sign of grief or regret! LABOURERS We do! Why are you leaving us, master, why? why? To whom would you abandon us? To whom? To whom? Without the master life will be dreary, dreary, dull and joyless, home without you is not like home; work without you is not like work. Not like work, not like work. Pleasures without you are no real pleasures. Return as quickly as you can! Be quick! Zinoviy leads Sergey up to Boris. ZINOVIY Look, father: here's the new labourer I hired today. BORIS All right. Where did you work before? SERGEY At the Kalganov's. BORIS Why did they throw you out? Enter a labourer. COACHMAN The horses are ready. Boris breaks off his conversation with Sergey. BORIS Well, it can't be helped. Say goodbye to your wife. ZINOVIY takes leave of his wife Goodbye, Katerina. to his father Tell her to remain my obedient wife. BORIS Swear an oath! An oath! Get an oath from her that she'll remain faithful to you. ZINOVIY Whatever for? I'm not going for long, after all. BORIS You never know, do it just in case; young wives are all the same... "S'il vous plaît, rendez vous, sauce provençale..." ZINOVIY Yes. BORIS Get me? ZINOVIY Yes. BORIS Watch out someone doesn't seduce her. ZINOVIY Yes. BORIS Katerina, swear on the sacred icon, that you'll be faithful to your husband. KATERINA I swear! BORIS Well, that's all. Goodbye, Zinoviy. Say goodbye to your wife. ZINOVIY Goodbye, Katerina darling! Goodbye! BORIS Not like that! On your knees! On your knees! Come on! He's off on a long journey spare an extra tear... On your way, then! Exeunt all except Aksinya, Katerina, Sergey and Boris. AKSINYA to Sergey Why are you standing there? Why did you stay behind? Exit Sergey. to Katerina That new labourer, he's a dreadful woman-chaser, name any female who's taken his fancy, he'll get her into trouble, he's got it all: he's tall and handsome, with a good figure. He used to work at the Kalganov's; started carrying on with the mistress and got fired for it. BORIS to Katerina Why aren't you crying? Your husband's gone, after all. What a wife: says goodbye to her husband and can't even shed a single tear!