Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District-Act One Scene Two

In the yard Zinoviy's servants are fooling around. They have put Aksinya in an open-ended butt and won't let her out. AKSINYA Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh, you shameless creature, hey, don't pinch, oh, you're hurting! Oh, you're hurting! Keep your hands off, you shameless brute, hands off! You filthy brute, filthy brute, get your hands off! Get away, you brute! Oh! You swine! Oh! Oh! Swine, swine, swine, swine! Oh, you swine, oh, you swine! Oh! Oh! You're hurting, you're hurting. SHABBY PEASANT Just like a nightingale! Come on, let's feel her, let's feel her, squeeze harder! Again! What boobs, oh what boobs, oh lovely, lovely, lovely boobs! Oh, how smooth they are! Harder! Harder! Harder! Harder! Ha, ha, ha... PORTER A sow is singing like a nightingale. Have a good feel all over! What a nose she's got, what a nose, big enough for seven! That's the sort of leg you could make into chops! Ha, ha, ha!... LABOURERS What a pretty voice, what a pretty voice. What a pretty voice! What a pretty voice... Ha, ha, ha... What a pretty voice, what a pretty voice. What a pretty voice, ha, ha, ha... What a pretty voice! Ha, ha, ha... STEWARD Aha! She's plump, oh, she's plump, let's have another go! And another... Ho, ho, ho! What luscious arms! What nice plump legs, what luscious arms, what nice plump legs! Ha, ha, ha... SERGEY Let me get hold of her arm, ho, ho, here's a nice smooth place, plump and smooth and warm! She's a fine piece of woman, as smooth as silk, oh lord, oh lord, how fine! But her face is all pimply. Ha, ha, ha!... PORTER Let's have a suck. SHABBY PEASANT Well? Well? Well? Ha, ha, ha! … LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha … What a pretty voice. Ha, ha, ha!... AKSINYA Oh, you swine, my breast's covered in bruises! The shameless brute, he's pinched my breast all over, what a rascal, he's torn my skirt to pieces. PORTER and STEWARD Rip his trousers, Aksyusha! LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha!... SERGEY Come on now, let go! AKSINYA Help! He pinched me! Oh! Oh! SERGEY Look out! Stop! Hold on to her! LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha! What a pretty voice! Hold still, Aksinya, get hold of her, Seryozhka! AKSINYA Get him off me! SERGEY Well now! Stand still! AKSINYA Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! LABOURERS What a pretty voice! SERGEY Stop, woman! AKSINYA Oh, he'll catch me! LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha!... Squeeze her, squeeze her, squeeze her, squeeze her. SERGEY Stop, woman, stop! AKSINYA Oh! LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha!… He'll make us die of laughing, die of laughing. SERGEY Stop! AKSINYA Swine! LABOURERS We'll split our sides with laughing, split our sides! SERGEY A! Oh! Oh! Oh!… AKSINYA Let go, let go, let go, let go! LABOURERS Ha, ha, ha!… Enter Katerina. SHABBY PEASANT Here's the mistress! AKSINYA Oh! KATERINA to Aksinya What's the matter with you? AKSINYA They've torn my skirt to pieces. KATERINA Let the woman go; so you enjoy mocking a woman? SERGEY Who else can we make fun of? KATERINA So a woman's only there for you to make fun of, is she? SERGEY What other reason is there? AKSINYA to Sergey Oh you swine! SERGEY Now, now, now! … KATERINA You men certainly think a lot of yourselves; do you think you're the only ones who are strong and brave, the only ones with any wisdom? Haven't you heard about the times when women kept the whole family from starving? And how in wartime women gave the enemy a beating? There have been times when women sacrificed their lives for their husbands or sweethearts, but this means nothing to you. Well, I'll give you a good thrashing to show you what a woman's good for. SERGEY Well then, madam, allow me to take your hand, if that is so. Katerina gives Sergey her hand. Sergey squeezes it. KATERINA You're hurting, let go, it's my ring... SERGEY Your wedding ring's digging into you. KATERINA Let go, let go, let go! SERGEY Just hang on a bit longer. KATERINA You're hurting, let go! Katerina pushes Sergey away and he falls. SHABBY PEASANT excitedly Hey look, she's given him a good push! Sergey gets up, rubbing his bruises. SERGEY I've a suggestion to make to you. KATERINA Well? SERGEY Let's try a bit of wrestling. KATERINA All right, let's try. SERGEY Out of the way, everybody! Sergey and Katerina wrestle. KATERINA Why have you stopped? SERGEY I forgot … With you in my arms I'm thinking … What about it, I've plenty of strength in me! Sergey throws Katerina to the ground. KATERINA Let go, let go, let go! Oh, Seryozha, let go! Enter Boris. BORIS What's all this? Katerina gets up. KATERINA I was just passing by and caught my foot in a sack. And fell; he tried to help me up and fell down too. SHABBY PEASANT That's exactly what happened. BORIS to the labourers What are you standing around for? Who's going to do your work for you? What do you think you're paid for? Spongers, loafers, drunkards! to Sergey Get out, don't hang around. to Katerina Fry me some mushrooms. Just you wait, when your husband gets back, I'll tell him everything.