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!
