It is evening. The convicts are setting down for the night. The women are separated from the men. Amongst the women are Katerina and a pretty young convict called Sonyetka. Amongst the men is Sergey. All the convicts are in fetters. Sentries are posted everywhere.
OLD CONVICT
Verst after verst, one by one,
creeps by in an endless procession,
the heat of the day now is done,
the sun on the steppes is now setting.
Ah, road, where the chains have been dragging,
where bones of the dead are still lying,
where blood and sweat have been flowing,
to the echoes of groans of the dying!
Ah!
CONVICTS
Ah, road, where the chains have been dragging,
where bones of the dead are still lying,
where blood and sweat have been flowing,
to the echoes of groans of the dying!
OLD CONVICT
We shall rest when the day’s work is done,
but the first rays of sunrise will find us
counting the versts one by one,
our fetters still clanging behind us.
Ah, steppes, you are so endless,
days and nights so countless,
the thoughts we think so cheerless
and the guards we have so heartless!
CONVICTS
Ah, steppes, you are so endless,
days and nights so countless,
the thoughts we think so cheerless
and the guards we have so heartless!
Katerina goes up to the sentry who is separating the women from the men.
KATERINA
Stepanych! Let me go through,
here's twenty kopecks to buy some vodka,
Stepanych!
SENTRY
Oh, women! Women!
What a lecherous lot!
Oh well, all right then, go along!
KATERINA
Thank you!
She makes her way over to Sergey.
Seryozha! My dearest!
She snuggles up to Sergey. Sergey maintains a sullen silence.
At last!
I've gone the whole day without seeing you.
Seryozha!
Even the pain in my legs has gone
and the tiredness and the anguish...
Everything's forgotten,
once I'm with you,
Seryozha, Seryozha!
SERGEY
Have you also forgotten the wrong you've done?
KATERINA
What wrong, Seryozha?
SERGEY
Whose fault is it I'm a convict,
have you forgotten?
KATERINA
Seryozha!
SERGEY
Get away!
KATERINA
Seryozha,
oh, forgive me, Seryozha.
SERGEY
Get out, you've ruined my life!
Get out!
KATERINA
Oh, forgive me,
forgive me, Seryozha!
O God, what torment,
Seryozha!
SERGEY
Fine sort of merchant's wife!
You're just a hussy.
Katerina returns to her place.
KATERINA
It's hard when you're used to honour and respect
to stand before a judge!
It's hard after endearments and caresses
to feel the whip on your back.
It's hard after the luxury of feather beds
to have to sleep on the frozen ground.
It's hard after luxury and peace
to trudge for thousands of versts,
it's hard, it's hard!
But I've no strength to bear Sergey's betrayal,
to see in his every glance his hatred of me,
to sense in every word his disdain.
That's what I cannot bear.
Sergey makes his way towards Sonyetka and wakens her.
SERGEY
Greetings!
SONYETKA
How do you manage to get around everywhere?
SERGEY
I gave the sentry 25 kopecks.
SONYETKA
And where do you get so much money from?
SERGEY
From my rich merchant's wife.
SONYETKA
Your rich merchant's wife?
Then she's a fool, that rich merchant's wife of yours!
SERGEY
Yes, she's a fool, for sure.
SONYETKA
What a fool!
SERGEY
Yes, what a fool!
SONYETKA and SERGEY
Ha, ha, ha ...
SERGEY
Sonyetka my darling,
I want to ask you
to grant me my heart's desire!
SONYETKA
And what is that desire?
SERGEY
You must know what it is!
SONYETKA
What a cheeky fellow you are,
run off to that rich merchant's wife of yours!
SERGEY
I'm sick of her, I'm sick of her,
I'm absolutely sick of her!
SONYETKA
Why did you carry on with her then?
SERGEY
For what I could get out of it!
SONYETKA
Do you think I'll give you what you want
just to please you?
Well, you've got it wrong!
She gets up and makes as if to leave.
SERGEY
Wait, Sonyetka!
SONYETKA
Well, I can't make out what you want!
Sergey embraces Sonyetka. Sonyetka resists.
SERGEY
I love you, I love you!
I love you, love you,
I love you!
SONYETKA
Prove it then!
SERGEY
What do you want me to do?
Sonyetka shows Sergey her torn stockings. Sergey seizes her legs, but Sonyetka puts a stop to his advances with a slap on the cheek.
SONYETKA
Can you see?
My stockings are torn
and I'm cold.
Get me some others!
SERGEY
Wherever from?
SONYETKA
From your rich merchant's wife.
SERGEY
Of course!
All right, I'll get some!
He makes his way towards Katerina.
Katya!
KATERINA
Seryozha, so you've come?
SERGEY
Katya, don't be angry,
forgive me.
KATERINA
Seryozha,
Seryozha, you're all I have, you know,
my love,
and you ... you've hurt me cruelly,
Seryozha!
SERGEY
Katya, forgive me,
I'm in a bad way...
This is the last time
we'll see each other.
KATERINA
Why? Seryozha?
SERGEY
I'm going to town
to the hospital,
the fetters have rubbed my leg so sore,
the pain's intolerable.
KATERINA
But you can't!
What shall I do without you?
They're sure to torment me even more!
SERGEY
They will!
But I can't go on any longer,
it hurts so!
KATERINA
Seryozha, I can't exist even a minute
without you,
what am I to do?
I can't, I can't, Seryozha,
don't leave me!
SERGEY
If only I could get hold
of some woollen stockings from somewhere,
that would certainly help!
KATERINA
Stockings?
Why didn't you say so before, Seryozha?
Here are some stockings, take them!
takes off her stockings
SERGEY
Oh, Katya,
thank you, my dearest!
KATERINA
gives Sergey her stockings
Here, take them.
SERGEY
Well, I'll be back in a moment!
He takes the stockings and quickly goes towards Sonyetka.
KATERINA
Where are you going?
SERGEY
I'll be back in a moment.
KATERINA
Seryozha, Seryozha!
Why has he gone off?
SERGEY
to Sonyetka
Here are some stockings!
Come on,
now you are mine!
He takes Sonyetka in his arms and carries her off the stage.
SONYETKA
enraptured
Oh, you are a brute!
Katerina, noticing what is going on, rushes after Sergey, but she is restrained by the women convicts, who start mocking her.
KATERINA
Sergey, Sergey, what does this mean?
Are the stockings for Sonyetka?
Sergey! Sergey!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
WOMAN CONVICT
The merchant's wife with passionate fire
still is burning.
But cold is now her lover's desire,
to know her he has no yearning!
WOMEN CONVICTS
But cold is now her lover's desire,
to know her he has no yearning.
Ha, ha, ha! ...
WOMAN CONVICT
Nothing more to her is left:
of her joys in freedom was she bereft!
And in bondage of her bridegroom too!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
Of her joys in freedom was she bereft!
And in bondage of her bridegroom too!
WOMAN CONVICT
Katerina Lvovna,
what a mess you've made of things!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha!...
WOMAN CONVICT
It'll be dull for Katerina without Sergey!
WOMEN CONVICTS
The merchant's wife will be lost without Sergey,
will be lost without Sergey.
WOMAN CONVICT
Give the stockings to us, give them to us!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
Give the stockings to us!
KATERINA
Ah! Let me go!
She keeps trying to break through the women convicts.
WOMAN CONVICT
Not one night can she sleep alone ...
It is unpleasant on her own,
it is unpleasant without Sergey!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
KATERINA
Ah! Ah!
ALL WOMEN CONVICTS
It'll be dull for Katerina without Sergey,
it'll be dull for Katerina without Sergey,
it'll be dull for Katerina without Sergey,
without Sergey.
At the noise the sentry comes running. He restores order.
SENTRY
Attention! Attention!
What are you yelling for?
WOMAN CONVICT
points out to the sentry where Sonyetka and Sergey have gone
There ... there ... Sergey, Sonyetka.
SENTRY
Shut up! I'll do you!
looks and shakes his head
Well!
Katerina escapes from the ring of women convicts and runs on to the stage.
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
SENTRY
Well I never!
WOMEN CONVICTS
Ha, ha, ha! ...
Katerina stands motionless in an attitude of utter despair, then in horror runs to the front of the stage. She stands still in utter despair.
KATERINA
In the wood, right in a grove, there is a lake,
almost round and very deep
and the water in it is black,
black like my conscience.
And when the wind blows in the wood,
on the lake waves rise up,
huge waves and then it's frightening,
in autumn there are always waves on the lake
and the water's black and the waves huge.
Huge, black waves.
Sonyetka and Sergey come out from backstage.
SERGEY
Do you know, Sonyetka,
who we resemble?
Adam and Eve.
SONYETKA
But it's not all that like Paradise here!
SERGEY
Nonsense, we've just been in Paradise together...
Sonyetka goes up to Katerina, who is sitting motionless, her eyes fixed on one spot.
SONYETKA
Thank you, Katerina Lvovna,
thank you, Katerina Lvovna,
thank you for the stockings!
Look how fine they look
on my legs.
Seryozha put them on for me
and kissed my legs to make them warm!
Oh, Seryozha, my Seryozha,
Katerina's a fool,
she couldn't keep Sergey.
Ha, what a fool! Ha, what a fool!
And you won't see your stockings again.
They're mine now, look!
I'm warm now!
An officer wakens the convicts. The beating of the drum is heard.
OFFICER
On your feet! Back to your places! Look lively!
The convicts get up.
CONVICTS
Oh, we've got to get up
and get moving again!
The convicts line up. Katerina remains sitting motionless. An old convict goes up to her.
OLD CONVICT
Hey, old girl, do you hear? We're off!
Otherwise they'll give us hell, do you hear?
Katerina slowly goes up to Sonyetka, who is standing on the bridge by a broken parapet. She pushes Sonyetka into the river and throws herself in after her.
SONYETKA
Ah!
CONVICTS
Good heavens! Whatever's happened?
OFFICER
Don't move there! Watch it! I'll do you!
SONYETKA
from a distance
Ah! Ah!
OFFICER
They’ve both drowned,
we can't save them, the current's too strong!
Attention! Back to your places!
The convicts line up and march off.
OLD CONVICT
We trudge along day after day,
clanging our fetters behind us.
Wearily counting the versts,
raising the dust all around us!
CONVICTS
Ah, steppes, you are so endless,
days and nights so countless,
the thoughts we think so cheerless
and the guards we have so heartless.
Ah …
Exeunt the convicts. Their singing can be heard in the distance. The stage is now empty.
