The Lower Depths. Максим Горький
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They’re off again! Nastya, where are you?
NASTYA [without lifting her head] Hey – go away!
ANNA [putting her head through the curtains] The day has started. For God’s sake, don’t row!
KLESHTCH. Whining again!
ANNA. Every blessed day.. let me die in peace, can’t you?
BUBNOFF. Noise won’t keep you from dying.
KVASHNYA [walking up to Anna] Little mother, how did you ever manage to live with this wretch?
ANNA. Leave me alone – get away from me..
KVASHNYA. Well, well! You poor soul.. how’s the pain in the chest – any better?
THE BARON. Kvashnya! Time to go to market..
KVASHNYA. We’ll go presently. [To Anna] Like some hot dumplings?
ANNA. No, thanks. Why should I eat?
KVASHNYA. You must eat. Hot food – good for you! I’ll leave you some in a cup. Eat them when you feel like it. Come on, sir! [To Kleshtch] You evil spirit! [Goes into kitchen]
ANNA [coughing] Lord, Lord.
THE BARON [painfully pushing forward Nastya’s head] Throw it away – little fool!
NASTYA [muttering] Leave me alone – I don’t bother you.
[The Baron follows Kvashnya, whistling.]
SATINE [sitting up in his bunk] Who beat me up yesterday?
BUBNOFF. Does it make any difference who?
SATINE. Suppose they did – but why did they?
BUBNOFF. Were you playing cards?
SATINE. Yes!
BUBNOFF. That’s why they beat you.
SATINE. Scoundrels!
THE ACTOR [raising his head from the top of the stove] One of these days they’ll beat you to death!
SATINE. You’re a jackass!
THE ACTOR. Why?
SATINE. Because a man can die only once!
THE ACTOR [after a silence] I don’t understand —
KLESHTCH. Say! You crawl from that stove – and start cleaning house! Don’t play the delicate primrose!
THE ACTOR. None of your business!
KLESHTCH. Wait till Vassilisa comes – she’ll show you whose business it is!
THE ACTOR. To hell with Vassilisa! To-day is the Baron’s turn to clean… Baron!
[The Baron comes from the kitchen.]
THE BARON. I’ve no time to clean.. I’m going to market with Kvashnya.
THE ACTOR. That doesn’t concern me. Go to the gallows if you like. It’s your turn to sweep the floor just the same – I’m not going to do other people’s work.
THE BARON. Go to blazes! Nastya will do it. Hey there – fatal love! Wake up! [Takes the book away from Nastya]
NASTYA [getting up] What do you want? Give it back to me! You scoundrel! And that’s a nobleman for you!
THE BARON [returning the book to her] Nastya! Sweep the floor for me – will you?
NASTYA [goes to kitchen] Not so’s you’ll notice it!
KVASHNYA [to the Baron through kitchen door] Come on – you! They don’t need you! Actor! You were asked to do it, and now you go ahead and attend to it – it won’t kill you.
THE ACTOR. It’s always I.. I don’t understand why..
[The Baron comes from the kitchen, across his shoulders a wooden beam from which hang earthen pots covered with rags.]
THE BARON. Heavier than ever!
SATINE. It paid you to be born a Baron, eh?
KVASHNYA [to Actor] See to it that you sweep up! [Crosses to outer door, letting the Baron pass ahead]
THE ACTOR [climbing down from the stove] It’s bad for me to inhale dust. [With pride] My organism is poisoned with alcohol. [Sits down on a bunk, meditating]
SATINE. Organism – organon..
ANNA. Andrei Mitritch..
KLESHTCH. What now?
ANNA. Kvashnya left me some dumplings over there – you eat them!
KLESHTCH [coming over to her] And you – don’t you want any?
ANNA. No. Why should I eat? You’re a workman – you need it.
KLESHTCH. Frightened, are you? Don’t be! You’ll get all right!
ANNA. Go and eat! It’s hard on me… I suppose very soon.
KLESHTCH [walking away] Never mind – maybe you’ll get well – you can never tell! [Goes into kitchen]
THE ACTOR [loud, as if he had suddenly awakened] Yesterday the doctor in the hospital said to me: “Your organism,” he said, “is entirely poisoned with alcohol.”
SATINE [smiling] Organon.
THE ACTOR [stubbornly] Not organon – organism!
SATINE. Sibylline..
THE ACTOR [shaking his fist at him] Nonsense! I’m telling you seriously.. if the organism is poisoned.. that means it’s bad for me to sweep the floor – to inhale the dust.
SATINE. Macrobistic.. hah!
BUBNOFF. What are you muttering?
SATINE. Words – and here’s another one for you – transcendentalistic.
BUBNOFF. What does it mean?
SATINE. Don’t know – I forgot.
BUBNOFF. Then why did you say it?
SATINE. Just so! I’m bored, brother, with human words – all our words. Bored! I’ve heard each one of them a thousand times surely.
THE ACTOR. In Hamlet they say: “Words, words, words!” It’s a good play. I played the grave-digger in it once..
[Kleshtch comes from the kitchen.]
KLESHTCH. Will you start playing with the broom?
THE ACTOR. None of your business. [Striking his chest] Ophelia! O – remember me in thy prayers!
[Back stage is heard a dull murmur, cries, and a police whistle. Kleshtch sits down to work, filing screechily.]
SATINE. I love unintelligible, obsolete words. When I was a youngster – and worked as a telegraph operator – I read heaps of books..
BUBNOFF. Were you really a telegrapher?
SATINE. I was. There are some excellent books – and lots of curious words.. Once I was an educated man, do you know?
BUBNOFF. I’ve heard it a hundred times. Well, so you were! That isn’t very important! Me – well – once I was a furrier. I had my own shop – what with dyeing the fur all day long, my arms were yellow up to the elbows, brother. I thought I’d never be able ever to get clean again – that I’d go to my grave, all yellow! But look at my hands now – they’re plain dirty – that’s what!
SATINE. Well, and what then?
BUBNOFF. That’s all!
SATINE. What are you trying to prove?
BUBNOFF. Oh, well – just matching thoughts – no matter how much dye you get on yourself, it all comes off in the end – yes, yes —
SATINE. Oh – my bones ache!
THE ACTOR [sits, nursing his knees] Education is all rot. Talent is the thing. I knew an actor