KHOVANSCHINA
------------
by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
The opera, the title of which is usually translated as "The Khovansky Affair" (or
"The Khovansky Plot," "The Khovansky Conspiracy"; "schin" is a derogatory suffix),
takes place in the 1680s. The main conflict is between the "Old" and the "New"
(i.e. keeping Russia the way it was, vs. modernizing it).
The "Old" is represented by Dosifei, leader of a sect of so-called "Old Believers"
or "schismatics" -- those who refused to accept the religious reforms introduced
by Patriarch Nikon around 1660 (the changes were relatively minor; the most
noticeable one was the use of three fingers, rather than two, when making the sign
of the cross), and by Prince Ivan Khovansky, leader of the streltsy (singular,
"strelets"), a semi-regular standing army known for its lawlessness and cruelty.
The "New," aside from Peter I ("the Great"), is represented by Prince Golitsyn --
ally and lover of the Regent, Princess (Czarevna) Sophia -- who introduced various
Westernizing reforms; in particular, he abolished the boyars' system of so-called
"places" (hereditary rankings), which is what principally bothers Khovansky.
Sophia, the oldest child of the late Czar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, was not
entitled to the throne (a female Czar being unthinkable at the time); so, instead,
Alexei Mikhailovich's two younger sons, Ivan and Peter, were crowned as co-Czars.
Ivan was feeble-minded and sickly; whereas Peter was bright and energetic, and
extremely "pro-New" (wanting Russia to catch up with Western technological
and other progress). As a child, he ordered a large group of children his age to
be brought to him, divided them into two regiments, and had them trained in
Western-style combat. As he grew up, so did they, and became his personal,
highly-disciplined army, which he later used to wrest power from Sophia and
Golitsyn, as well as to defeat the streltsy.
Other characters include Prince Andrei Khovansky, son of Ivan; Andrei's former
lover Marfa, a member of Dosifei's sect (and his favorite); Shaklovityi, a boyar
who aims to destroy the Khovanskys, but whose true allegiance (except to "poor
Russia") is left unclear; Emma, a German-born girl whom Andrei is now lusting
after; Kuz'ka, a strelets; Susanna, another member of Dosifei's sect; a free-
lancing scribe; Varsonofiev, Golitsyn's servant; and Streshnev, a boyar close to
Peter.
Terminology notes:
"Boyar" means "nobleman"; "prince" does not mean "son of a king (or of a czar),"
but rather is a title, like the Western "count" or "duke."
Transliteration / pronunciation notes:
(1) Sometimes, a voiced consonant is replaced with its voiceless equivalent
(e.g., "d" becomes "t", "b" becomes "p"), and sometimes vice-versa, depending on
its position inside the word or phrase. Also, unstressed vowels may be pronounced
differently from how they are spelled.
(2) An apostrophe after a consonant means that its sound should be "softened"
(e.g., as in the pronunciation of "n" in "many" vs. "man"). Most consonants are
automatically softened if followed by "e", "i", "ya", "yo", or "yu". I used a
double apostrophe to indicate cases where the consonant is *not* softened.
(3) When preceded by a consonant, and followed by a consonant or by nothing,
"y" is pronounced as a vowel sort of in between a schwa and "e" in "we." When
preceded by a consonant, "yi" is pronounced as that same vowel, followed by
the y-consonant sound. (Whenever "yy" occurs, the first is a vowel and the
second, a consonant.) When preceded by a vowel (including "y"), or by an
apostrophe, or by nothing, "ya" is pronounced as in "yard"; "ye", as in "yes";
"yi", as in "yips"; "yo", as in "yore"; "yu", as "you."
(4) The combination "sch" is pronounced like "sh" in "she."
(5) In some words (e.g., "chto"), "ch" is pronounced as "sh" (as in "shape").
Character notes:
The Khovanskys, Golitsyn, Shaklovityi, and of course the royal figures (Sophia,
Ivan, and Peter) are real (though they may not have acted exactly as described in
the opera; the first two of the latter three don't even appear, while Peter
briefly appears in one scene, but does not sing or speak). The rest (Dosifei,
Marfa, Kuz'ka, the scribe, etc.) are fictional, "composite" characters.
Scene notes:
Because of Mussorgsky's early death, there isn't a completely agreed-upon version
of the opera. Some scenes were cut by Rimsky-Korsakov, who first orchestrated it;
others are cut and/or re-inserted at a director's whim; in some cases, the same
music is used for different lyrics. I therefore stuck to the particular recording
I like best (Bolshoi Theater, 1974; directed by Boris Khaikin, with Irina
Arkhipova as Marfa, Aleksandr Ognivtsev as Dosifei, Aleksei Krivtchenya as Ivan
Khovansky, and so on).
Translation notes:
The right-hand side is not meant to be singable, but rather to be a reasonably
accurate translation of the left-hand side into modern English (except when
more-archaic English is warranted). It is meant to enable non-Russian-speakers
to follow the opera (or, at least, this version of it; see above) almost line
by line.
There are a few more footnotes in the text. See, also, the historical and
etymological notes at the end.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Overture
--------
"Dawn on the Moscow River"
Act I
-----
[Moscow, Red Square. Early morning. In the background, one can see the Kremlin
walls, various churches including St. Basil's cathedral, and the Lobnoye Mesto (a
place of execution).]
Kuz'ka (a strelets watchman, in his sleep)
Podoydu, podoydu I will go, I will go
Pod Ivan-gorod... To Ivan-gorod...
Vyshibu, vyshibu I'll knock down, I'll knock down
Kamenny steny... The stone walls...
Vyvedu, vyvedu I will free, I will free
Krasnuyu devitsu... The beautiful maiden...
Strelets #1
Vona, drykhnet. There he is, sleeping.
Strelets #2
Ekh-ma, nishto, brat Antipych! Eh, that's all right, Antipych!
Vchera nemalo potrudilis'. We did a lot of work yesterday.
Strelets #1
Chto govorit'... You're telling me.
Strelets #2
Kak d'yaku-to dumnomu, Larivon Ivanov, the Duma clerk,
Larivonu Ivanovu, Got his chest cut in half
Grud' razdvoili kameniyem vostrym. With a sharp stone.
Strelets #1
A nemtsa Gaidena And Haydn, the German, was caught
U Spasa na Boru imali, Near the Church of the Redeemer,
A i volokli do Mesta, And dragged to the Lobnoye Mesto,
I tut po chlenam razobrali. And then torn limb from limb.
[trumpets off-stage]
Strelets #2
A vot tak ryavkayut! Hear them blare!
Strelets #1
Vo imya bozhye sokhranyayut nemolchno In the name of God, they proudly protect
Zhizn' i zdravie tsarei mladykh. The life and health of the young Czars.
Strelets #2
Ot nedrugov likhikh, boyar spesivykh, From evil enemies, arrogant boyars,
Likhoimatelei, kazny grabitelei. Extortioners, treasury-robbers.
[more trumpets off-stage]
Strelets #1
"Verkh" podnyalsya. The Kremlin is awakening.
Kuz'ka (waking up)
Gde grabiteli? Vot ya im! Robbers? Where? I'll show them!
Streltsy #1 and #2
Ai da Kuz'ka, strazhnik znatnyi! Ah, Kuz'ka, what a great sentry!
Ai da parya, pravo lyubo! Ah, what a lad, a sight to behold!
Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!
Kuz'ka (angrily)
Ha ha ha ha. Nu koi chort Ha ha ha ha. What the hell
Vas po nocham zdes' nosit? Are you doing here at night?
Streltsy #1 and #2
Kakoye po nocham? What do you mean, at night?
Uzh i utreni otbili... They've already rung the morning bells.
Glyadi-kos': sam strochila pryot. Oh, look: it's the scribbler himself.
[the scribe approaches]
Strelets #1
Gusya tochit! He's sharpening his quill!
Kuz'ka
Chernilische-to, gospodi! And what a huge ink-pot, my God!
Strelets #2
Vot zaskrypit-to! He'll squeak up a storm!
Streltsy #1 and #2
Vashemu prikaznomu stepenstvu... Oh, most esteemed clerk, we wish that...
Kuz'ka (pointing to the Lobnoye Mesto)
Skorei na etot stolbik ugodit'! You end up there as soon as possible!
[The streltsy leave, laughing]
Scribe
Sodoma i Gomorra! Sodom and Gomorrah!
Vot vremyachko! Tyazhkoye! What horrible times! Unbearable!
A vsyo zh pribytok spravim... Da! But I still can earn a living... Yes!
Shaklovityi (approaching)
Ey! Ey ty, strochilo! Hey! Hey you, scribbler!
Zakazets vazhnyi yest' tebe. I have an important job for you.
Scribe
Chto zh! Chto zh, nastrochim, Sure! I'll write it,
Migom nastrochim. I'll write it quickly.
Po uryadu, po ukladu According to all rules and customs
Nastrochu tebe donosets. I'll write you your letter.
Shaklovityi
Yesli mozhesh pytku sterpet', If you can bear torture,
Yesli dyba i zastenok ne strashat tebya, If the rack doesn't scare you,
Yesli ty mozhesh ot sem'yi otrechsya, If you can forsake your family,
Zabyt' vsyo, chto dorogo tebe... And forget all that is dear to you...
Strochi! Write!
Scribe
Gospodi! My God!
Shaklovityi
No yezheli kogda-nibud' But if some day
Pri vstreche so mnoi, You meet me
Ty vydash menya... And betray me,
Oboroni tebya gospod' togda! Pomni. Lord help you then! Remember that.
Scribe
Znayesh, You know what?
Prokhodi-ka ty mimo, Why don't you just keep on walking,
Dobryi chelovek. Good man.
Bol'no mnogo posulil ty, You've promised me a bit too much,
Drug moi lyubeznyi. My dear friend.
Shaklovityi
Strochi, zhivo! Write! Immediately!
Scribe
Vish ty! Da dui tebya goroi! Otchalivai! Oh yeah? To hell with you! Get lost!
Shaklovityi (putting a heavy bag of coins
on the scribe's writing-board)
Strochi. Write.
Scribe (pocketing the bag)
A! Nu, skazyvai. U nas, brat, komar Aah! Well, then, dictate.
Nosu ne podtochit. Skazyvai. Nobody will ever know a thing. Dictate.
Shaklovityi
"Tsaryam, gosudaryam "To our Czars, lords,
I velikim knyaz'yam, And great Princes, (1)
Vseya Velikiya i Malyya Rulers of the Great, Little,
I Belyya Rossii And White Russias..." (2)
Samoderzhtsam..." Nastrochil? Have you gotten that down?
Scribe
Uzh ty ne sumlevaisya! Znai skazyvai! Don't you worry! Just keep dictating!
Shaklovityi
"... Izveschayut moskovskie "... The Moscow streltsy report that
Strelets-lyudi na Khovanskikh, The Khovanskys, the boyar Prince Ivan
Boyarina knyaz' Ivana And his son Andrei,
Da na syna yevo Andreya; Are planning to stir up trouble
Zamutit' khotyat na gosudarstve." Against the state."
Scribe (aside)
Ne solono khlebal! He must have a grudge! Or maybe
S zhiru besitsya! His wealth has gone to his head?
Shaklovityi
Prochti-ko! Read it back to me.
[The scribe re-reads the text. In the background,
a group of Muscovites pass, singing.]
Dal'she strochi! Keep writing!
"... A tam mutit' "... They want to do this
Po vsei Rusi velikoi, Throughout Russia,
Po derevnyam, po syolam, po posadam, In all villages and towns,
S delom zlym, na voyevod, na vlasti With evil designs, to raise
Podnyat' s tyagla The law-abiding peasants
Chestnoye krest'yanstvo. Against the local authorities.
A stanet smuta na Rusi, And when Russia slips into chaos,
V tot raz izbrat' vlastei nadyozhnykh, They will choose dependable officials,
Chtob staryye knigi lyubili, Ones who like the old books, (3)
A na tsarstve moskovskom And on the Moscow throne
Sest' Khovanskomu Andreyu..." They will install Andrei Khovansky..."
Scribe
Ai! Pryamaya pogibel', Oh! I'm doomed for sure,
Ne budet poschady! There is no hope for me!
Knyaz' vsyo uznayet, The Prince will find out,
Knyaz' ne prostit mne... Gospodi! The Prince won't forgive me... Oh, God!
Pytkoi zhestokoi, plet'yu v zastenkakh With the rack and the whip
Zamuchat do smerti... They will torture me to death...
[a group of streltsy passes by]
Streltsy
Goi vy, lyudi ratnyye! Oh you, men of arms!
Shaklovityi
Streltsy! It's the streltsy!
Slyshish? Streltsy! Do you hear? The streltsy!
Scribe
Oi, matushki, likhon'ko! O Lord, woe is me!
Streltsy
Goi, gulyaite, vy gulyaite veselo. Oh, walk around, walk around happily.
Netu vam preponushki, Nothing can stop you,
A i net zapretu. Nobody can defeat you.
Goi, gulyaite, goi, gulyaite veselo! Oh, walk around, walk around happily.
Dushite, oi, likhikh gubite... Strangle and destroy the evil-doers...
Shaklovityi
Ukhodyat... They're leaving...
Slysh ty, strochilo? Do you hear me, scribbler?
Scribe
Molchi uzh... Molchi! Shut up! Shut up!
Shaklovityi
Da slushai zhe! Listen to me!
Scribe
Slava tebe, gospodi! Glory be to God;
Promchalo proklyatykh. Those damned ones have gone by.
Uzh kak ya ne lyublyu ikh, Oh, how I hate them --
I skazat' ne mozhno. I can't even express it.
Ne lyudi -- zveri, They're not men -- they're beasts,
Suschie zveri! Pure beasts!
Chto ni stupyat -- krov', Wherever they go -- blood is spilled,
Chto ni khvatyat -- golovu naproch. Whomever they grab -- off with his head!
A v domakh plach i stony. While the people weep and moan.
A vsyo eto, vish, And all this is needed, you see,
Dlya poryadka nado. For the sake of law and order.
Shaklovityi
Slysh ty! Zhivo! V stroku vedi. Listen! Quickly! Keep writing.
"... A my zhivyom none v pokhoronkakh; "... We must remain unknown, for now;
I kogda gospod' uteshit But when, God willing,
I vsyo sokhranitsya, All is preserved,
My togda ob'yavimsya." We will then reveal ourselves."
Scribe
"V pokhoronkakh... ob'yavimsya." Gotovo. "Unknown... reveal ourselves." Done.
Shaklovityi
Oboroni tebya gospod'... May God protect you...
Smotri zh: pomni. Remember what I said.
Scribe
Da chto ty straschayesh? Why are you trying to scare me?
Yey-bogu, dosadno! Good Lord, it's annoying!
Nevest' kakaya ptitsa, You're just a nobody,
Tuda zh kichitsya khochet... But you still want to look important.
Polna moshna, Your wallet's full,
Tak i pugat' lyubo. So you like to scare people.
Shaklovityi
Oi li? Oh, really?
Oi, ne khoti uznat' Oh, you don't want to know
S kem imeyesh delo; Whom you're dealing with;
Oi, ne nudi skazat', Don't force me to tell you
Kto za chelovek ya. What kind of man I am.
Proklyatyi ot veka, d'yavola khodatai, Damned forever, servant of the devil;
Iz noneshnikh -- buduschiy. Of the men of today, a man of tomorrow.
Proschai. Good-bye.
Scribe
Skatert'yu doroga, proschai. Good-bye, and good riddance.
Vot chudak-to, pravo, What an oddball, really,
Nevdomyok yemu Ignorant of the scribes'
Pod'yachaya slava. Great reputation for smarts.
I silyon, kazhis', i znaten, i bogat, He seems powerful, and noble, and rich,
I nos svoi von ved' kak vorotit. And look at how he turns his nose up!
Da vsyo zh, kak posmotrish, But still, if you think about it,
Khot' silyon i znaten, Though powerful and noble,
A nashevo ledaschevo telka glupeye. He's dumber than our runt of a calf.
A az, cherv' prezrennyi [t'fu!], While I, miserable worm [spits],
Pokhitrey malen'ko: Am slightly more cunning:
Pod ruku pokoinichka Anan'yeva I imitated the late Ananyev's
Podkinul -- Handwriting --
Mertvyye bo sramu ne imut! Because nobody can harm the dead! (4)
People (from afar)
Ayda! Lyubo! Hey ho! Let's be merry!
Streltsy
Bol'shoi idyot! The Big One is coming!
People (men)
Slava bat'ke i chest'! Glory and honor to our father!
People (women)
Slava bat'ke, Glory to our father!
Oy, znatno, baby, Oh, let's sing him
Oy, zatyanem pesnyu my! A beautiful song!
People (men)
Ayda! Veselo! Hey ho! Let's be happy!
Scribe (leaving hurriedly)
Sam lyutyi zver' na nas idet, The wicked beast himself is coming,
Vsyak chelovek pust' proch deret! Any man should run away.
Streltsy
Bol'shoi idyot! The Big One is coming!
People (women)
Slava bat'ke, Glory to our father!
Oy, znatno, baby, Oh, let's sing him
Oy, zatyanem pesnyu my! A beautiful song!
People (men)
Ayda! Lyubo! Hey ho! Let's be merry!
Ayda! Veselo! Hey ho! Let's be happy!
Streltsy
Dorogu vse, Make room, everyone!
Bol'shoi idyot! The Big One is coming!
S dorogi proch, Out of the way, everyone!
Sam bat'ka poshol! Our father himself is coming!
People
Slava, slava lebedyu belomu! Glory, glory to the white swan!
Slava boyarinu Glory to the greatest
Samomu bol'shomu! Of all the boyars!
etc. etc.
Streltsy
Lyudi pravoslavnyye! Lyudi rossiyskiye! Christian people! Russian people!
Sam bol'shoi derzhit rech, The Big One will be speaking to you,
Vnemlite blagochinno. Listen respectfully.
Bol'shoi idyot! The Big One is coming!
Ivan Khovansky
Deti... Deti moyi! Children... My children!
Moskva i Rus' (spasi bog) Moscow and Russia (God help them)
V pogrome velikom Are in great disarray
Ot tatey boyar Because of the thieving and
Kramol'nykh, Treacherous boyars,
Ot zloi, likhoi nepravdy. Because of evil, cruel injustice.
Tak li, deti? Is it not so, children?
People
Tak, tak, tak, bol'shoi! It is so, it is so, it is so, father!
Pravda, pravda, It's true, it's true,
Tyazhko nam! We're having a rough time!
Ivan Khovansky
Tovo radi pod''yali my trud velikiy. That's why we took on such a great task.
Vo zdrav'ye tsarey mladykh For the sake of the young Czars
Kramolu izveli... We've rooted out all treason...
(Spasi bog!) (God help us!)
Pravy l' my? Are we not right?
People
Prav, prav! You're right, you're right!
Bat'ke slava! Glory to our father!
Slava! Bat'ke chest'. To our father, glory and honor!
Ivan Khovansky
Streltsy, gotovy li mushkety? Streltsy, are your muskets ready?
Streltsy
Vsyo gotovo, bat'ka. All is ready, father.
Ivan Khovansky
Teper' v obkhod Then let's march around
Po Moskve rodimoi, Our beloved Moscow,
Vo slavu gosudarei. For the glory of our Czars.
(narodu) Slav'te nas! (to the people) Sing our praises!
[walks away, followed by the streltsy]
People
Slava lebedyu, slava belomu, Glory, glory to the white swan,
Slava boyarinu Glory to the greatest
Samomu bol'shomu! Of all the boyars!
Lebedyu khod legok. May the swan's path be easy.
Dai tebe bozhe zdrav'ye i slavu. May God give you health and glory.
Slava lebedyu, slava belomu, Glory, glory to the white swan,
Slava boyarinu Glory to the greatest
Samomu bol'shomu! Of all the boyars!
Slava, slava, lebedyu slava! Glory, glory to the swan!
Slava, slava, bat'ke slava! Glory, glory to our father!
Streltsy
Bol'shoi idyot. The Big one is coming.
People
Slava lebedyu! Glory to the swan!
Streltsy
Bol'shoi idyot. The Big one is coming.
People
Slava belomu! Glory to the white swan!
etc. etc.
[Emma appears, being chased by Andrei Khovansky]
Emma
Szhal'tes', szhal'tes'! Take pity, take pity!
Ostav'te, pustite menya... Leave me alone, let me go...
Vy strashny! You scare me!
Andrei Khovansky
Net, net, net, golubke No, no, no, the dove cannot escape
Ne uyti ot sokola khischnovo! The pursuing falcon!
Emma
Slushayte! Ya znayu vas: Listen! I know you:
Vy -- knyaz' Khovanskiy, You're Prince Khovansky,
Vy ubili ottsa moyevo, You killed my father,
Vy zhenikha izgnali, You kicked my fiancé out of the country,
Vy ne szhalilis' dazhe You didn't even show mercy
Nad bednoi mater'yu moyey. To my poor mother.
Nu, chto zh vy? Well, now what?
Nu, kaznite menya, Kill me,
Ya ved' v vashikh rukakh! I am in your hands!
Andrei Khovansky
Kak khorosha ty, ptashka, How pretty you are, my little dove,
Vo gneve, In anger,
Slovno za malykh ptentsov As if you were protecting
Vstrepenulasya. Your young.
Akh, polyubi menya, krasavitsa! Oh, love me, my beauty!
Akh, ne tupi ty ochi yasnyye Oh, don't point your beautiful eyes
O syru zemlyu! Into the ground!
Emma
Pustite menya! Yesli nado -- Let me go! If you must --
Skorei ubeite menya! Ubeite! Then kill me quickly! Kill me!
[Marfa watches from behind a post]
Andrei Khovansky
Otdaisya mne! Give yourself to me!
Marfa (aside)
Otdaisya yemu! Give yourself to him!
Andrei Khovansky
Lyubi menya! Love me!
Marfa (aside)
Lyubi yevo! Love him!
Emma
Knyaz', ostav'te menya! Prince, leave me be!
Andrei Khovansky
Emma! Emma!
Emma
Ostav'te, ostav'te! Ya skazala, Leave me be, leave me be! As I said --
Ubeite menya! Ubeite! Kill me! Kill me!
Andrei Khovansky
Net, net spasen'ya golubke No, there is no way for the dove
Chto v kogtyakh u sokola! To escape the falcon's claws!
Emma
Pomogite! Someone save me!
Andrei Khovansky
Net, net spasen'ya! Nobody will save you!
Emma
Spasite! Someone help me!
Andrei Khovansky
Net nikovo. Nobody's here.
Marfa
Ya zdes'. I am.
Andrei Khovansky
Marfa! Marfa!
Marfa
Vot kak, knyazhe, So this is how, Prince,
Ostalsya ty veren mne! You've remained faithful to me!
Vidno skoro, moi lyubyi, Apparently, it didn't take long
Opostyla ya. For you to get sick of me.
Klyalsya, bozhilsya ty, moi knyazhe, You swore, you swore to God, my Prince,
Chto ne izmenish mne. That you would not be false to me.
Tol'ko ne v poru byla ta klyatva, But I see your oath was just empty talk,
Lyubyi moi. My dear.
Andrei Khovansky
Sam bes tolknul syuda The devil himself brought
Ved'mu lyutuyu. This evil witch here!
Uymu zh ya tebya, dosadnuyu! I'll shut you up, you harpy.
Marfa
Ne vremya l' molodtsu Is it not time for the young man
Pokayatsya? To repent?
Ved' ne vek zhe You cannot lie forever
Lgat' na serdtse devichye. To a girl's heart.
Al' v boyarskoy spesi Or does a boyar's arrogance
Bol'she razuma Make more sense
Chem v stradan'yakh Than the torment of a girl
Devitsy pokinutoi? Who's been abandoned?
Andrei Khovansky
Slykhala l' ty, krasavitsa, Have you heard, my beauty,
Pro nekovo molodchika, About a certain fellow,
Kak s svoyey-to vozlyublennoi, Who, when he got sick
Chto opostyla-to, Of his sweetheart,
On, likh molodets, razvedalsya He, a fine lad, dealt with her
Bez okolichnostey. Very straightforwardly.
A i vykhvatil on ostryi nozh... He pulled out a sharp knife...
[Jumps at Marfa, knife in hand. Marfa pulls out her own, and parries the blow.]
Marfa
Slykhala, knyazhe, I've also heard it
I navyvorot. The other way around, Prince.
Tol'ko ne tot konets But that's not the end
Tebe ya ugotovala, That I've prepared for you,
I ne ot moyey ruki And it won't be by my hand
Svedesh ty schety s zhizn'yu. That you'll meet the final reckoning.
Chuyet bolyascheye serdtse sud'by glagol, My pained heart hears the word of fate,
Viditsya v gornikh obitel' I can see the celestial cloister,
Divno presvetlaya. Marvelously lit.
V obiteli chudesnoi In that wonderful cloister
Mchatsya usopshikh dushi. The souls of the dead whirl around.
[trumpets]
Streltsy
Sam bat'ka poshol. Our father himself is coming!
People
Slava lebedyu, slava, slava! Glory to the swan, glory, glory!
Andrei Khovansky
Otets idyot! My father's coming!
Emma
Chto tam? What's going on?
Marfa
Bolshoi idyot. The Big One is coming.
People
Slava lebedyu, slava belomu, Glory, glory to the white swan,
Slava boyarinu Glory to the greatest
Samomu bol'shomu! Of all the boyars!
Lebedyu khod legok. May the swan's path be easy.
Dai tebe bozhe zdrav'ye i slavu. May God give you health and glory.
Ivan Khovansky
Chto takoye? What's the matter?
Knyaz' Andrei? Prince Andrei?
(Zdravstvui, Marfa.) (Hello, Marfa.)
I ne odin... And he's not alone...
S krasotkoi... He's with a pretty girl,
I belolitsei, i nam priglyadnoi. Fair-faced and attractive to us.
Streltsy, za karaul yeyo! Streltsy, arrest her!
Andrei Khovansky
Proch! Net, ne otdam yeyo na pytku, Get back! No, I won't give her up
Vam, zlodeyam, For you fiends to torture
Na potekhi! And have fun with!
Ivan Khovansky
Chto zh eto? (Spasi bog!) What is this? (God help us!)
Kak tak? A vy, streltsy, vzyat' yeyo! What? And you, streltsy, seize her!
Andrei Khovansky
Proch, skazal ya! Get back, I said!
Streltsy
Ne mozhno, bat'ka, We can't do it, father,
Knyaz' Andrei meshaet. Prince Andrei won't let us.
Andrei Khovansky
Knyaz'-batyushka! O Prince, my father!
Ivan Khovansky
Budto i vpravdu It's as if we were
My bole ne glavenstvuyem! No longer in command!
Budto veleli nam, It's as if we had been ordered
Chto bole ne vlastny That we no longer have power
Nad synom! Over our son!
Andrei Khovansky
Knyaz'-batyushka! O Prince, my father!
Ivan Khovansky
Chto? What?
Kto mozhet velet' nam? Who can order us around?
Kto mozhet protivitsya nam? Who can oppose us?
Vo imya velikikh gosudarei, In the name of our great rulers,
Preslavnykh i vsemoschnykh... Glorious and all-powerful...
Andrei Khovansky
Batyushka! Father!
Ivan Khovansky
Dnes', vam, streltsy, So, streltsy, I order you
Povelevayem neotlozhno: To immediately arrest
Lyuterku, chto tam, zabrat' That Lutheran girl
I k nam tuda dostavit'! And deliver her to our estate.
Andrei Khovansky (raising his knife towards Emma)
Tak mertvuyu berite! Then take her dead!
Dosifei (staying Andrey's hand)
Stoi! Besnovatyye! Stop! You crazy ones,
Pochto besnuyetes'? Why are you acting crazy?
Ivan Khovansky
Al' my ne vlastny? Have we not the power?
Emma
Spasite, spasite, ne daite sgibnut' mne! Save me, save me, don't let me perish!
Szhal'tes'! Take pity on me!
Dosifei
Marfa, svedi-ka lyuterku domoi. Marfa, escort the Lutheran to her home.
Da na puti zaschitoi vernoi bud' yey, And protect her along the way,
Chado moye. My child.
Marfa (bowing)
Otche, blagoslovi! Father, bless me!
Dosifei
Mir ti. Peace be unto you.
A vy, besnovatyye -- Whereas you, you crazy ones --
Esche sproshu: I'll ask again:
Pochto besnuyetes'? Why are you acting crazy?
Prispelo vremya mraka A time of darkness
I gibeli dushevnoi. And soul-destruction has come.
Opolchilsya vrag... The Devil has taken up arms against us.
I ot stremnin gor'kikh, And from the bitter chasms,
I ot yazvin svoyikh And from our own sins
Izydosha otstuplen'ye Came the departure
Ot istinnoi tserkvi russkoi. From the true Russian church.
Brat'ya, drugi, Brothers, friends, it is time
Vremya za veru stat' pravoslavnuyu. We stood up for our faith.
Na bran' gryadem, na bran' velikuyu. We're headed for battle, a great battle.
I noyet grud', i serdtse zyabnet. My chest hurts, and my heart shivers.
Otstoim li veru svyatuyu? Can we defend our sacred faith?
Pomogite, pravoslavnyye! Help me, true believers!
Ivan Khovansky
Streltsy! Zhivo! V Kreml'! Streltsy! Quickly go to the Kremlin,
Vzyat' vse karauly, i zorkim byt'! Take over all the exits and entrances
Vse vkhody i vykhody sterech neotstupno. And watch them like hawks.
Gospod' khranit Moskvu! May God save Moscow!
Streltsy
Kost'mi za veru lyazhem! We will die for our faith!
Ivan Khovansky
Trubi pokhod! Sound the trumpets!
Knyaz' Andrei, v polkovnikakh idi! Prince Andrei, lead your regiment!
(they leave)
Dosifei
Gospodi! Ne dazhd' odoleti sile vrazhei. Lord! Do not let the Devil prevail.
Otche! Zastupi ot likhikh Father! Protect Thy revelation
Tvoye otkroveniye From the wicked ones,
Na blago chadam tvoyim! For the good of Thy children!
(bells toll)
Brat'ya! Tyazhko mne. Brothers! I am filled with sadness.
Vozmozhem li spasti? Can we save our faith?
Poyte, brat'ya, Brothers, sing the song
Pesn' otrecheniya ot mira sevo. Of renunciation of this world.
Gryadem na bran'... We're heading for battle...
Old Believers
Bozhe vsesil'nyi, O all-powerful God,
Otzheni slovesa lukavstviya ot nas! Save us from evil words!
Sily soblaznyye antikhrista Overcome the Anti-Christ's
Ty pobori! Powers of temptation!
Dosifei (leaving)
Otche! Serdtse otkryto tebe. Father! My heart is open to Thee.
Old Believers (following him)
Bozhe nash blagiy! Podkrepi! O beneficent God, strengthen us!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Act II
------
[Prince Vasily Golitsyn's study. He is alone, reading a letter from Sophia.]
Golitsyn
"Svet moi, bratets Vasen'ka, "My beloved Vasen'ka,
Zdravstvui, batyushka moi! Hello, my dear!
A mne ne veritsya, radost' moya, I cannot wait,
Svet ochei moikh, chtoby svidet'sya. Light of my life, to meet you again.
Velik by den' tot byl, It would be a great day
Kogda tebya, sveta moyevo, When I could see you, my beloved,
V ob'yat'yakh uvidela!" In my arms!"
[Golitsyn scans the rest of the letter]
"Brela pesha... Iz Vozdvizhenska. "I walked on foot... From Vozdvizhensk.
Tol'ko otpiski ot boyar i ot tebya... Letters from the boyars and from you...
Ne pomnyu, kak vzoshla: I don't remember how I got there:
Chla, iduchi." I read as I walked."
Tsarevna, v zabotakh tyagostnykh The Czarevna, arduously working
O blage gosudarei mladykh, For the good of the young Czars,
Strasti kipuchei predana, Is still consumed with passion,
Mechte o minuvshem naslazhden'yi Still dwells on remembrances
Vsechastno predayotsya. Of past delights.
Verit' li klyatve zhenschiny Should I believe the word of a woman
Vlastolyubivoi i sil'noi? Who is both strong and power-hungry?
Vechnoe somnen'ye vo vsyom, vsegda! Eternal doubt about everything, always!
Net! Ne poddamsya ya obmanu No! I will not succumb to the deception
Mechty pustoi Of a worthless dream
Oduryayuschikh minuvshikh naslazhdeniy. Of stupefying, long-past pleasures.
Vam, koneshno, veryu ya okhotno, Yes, of course, I gladly believe you,
No s vami ostorozhnost' nadobna. But I must be careful with you.
A to -- kak ras v nemilost', Or else -- I could fall into disfavor,
A tam -- golovu naproch! And then -- off with my head!
Ostorozhnei, getman-knyaz'. Stay careful, Prince.
(hearing a sound)
Kto tam? Who's there?
Varsonofiev (entering)
Svetleishiy knyaz'... O noble Prince...
Golitsyn
Nu, chto tam escho, a? What is it now, huh?
Varsonofiev
Koldovka, ta, chto namedni That witch, the one you asked for
Izvolili vy zvat', prishla. The other day, is here.
Golitsyn
Svoya li golova na plechakh u tebya, Is that your head on your shoulders,
Al' chuzhaya? Or someone else's?
Varsonofiev
Prostite, knyaz', obmolvilsya. Forgive me, Prince, I misspoke.
Ta zhenschina, chto chasto That woman who often comes to you
K vam prikhodit za sovetom... To seek advice...
Golitsyn
Nu, to-to zhe. Pozvat'! That's better. Call her in!
Marfa (entering)
K vam, knyazhe, Your house, o Prince,
Rovno by v zasadu popadayesh: Feels like a war camp:
Kholopy tak i ryschut. Your servants keep prowling about.
Golitsyn
Vremya potainykh obmanov, It's a time of secret deceit,
Vremya izmen i korysti. A time of treason and greed.
Gryaduscheye sokryto pokrovom tumannym, The future is hidden behind a hazy veil,
Trepeschesch za kazhdyi mig One fears for every second
Naprasnoi zhizni. Of one's useless life.
Marfa
Ne pogadat' li o sud'be tvoyei, Should I try to tell your fortune,
Knyazhe? O Prince?
Sprosit' veleniy tainykh sil Should I ask the rulers of the Earth
Vladyk zemli, knyazhe? What their secret orders are, o Prince?
Golitsyn
Na chom? How?
Marfa
Veli prinest' voditsy. Have some water brought in.
Golitsyn (ringing a bell)
Vody... ispit'... Some water... to drink...
[Varsonofiev brings water in a silver bowl]
Stupai! Now leave us!
Marfa
Sily potainyye, sily velikiye, Hidden forces, great forces,
Dushi, otbyvshiye v mir nevedomyi, Souls departed into an unknown world,
K vam vzyvayu! I appeal to you!
Dushi utopshiye, dushi pogibshiye, Souls who drowned, souls who perished,
Tainy poznavshiye Who've learned the secrets of the world
Mira podvodnovo, Deep under the sea,
Zdes' li vy? Are you here?
Strakhom tomimomu knyazyu-boyarinu To the Prince, wracked with fear,
Tainu sud'by yevo, v mrake sokrytuyu, His fate, hidden in darkness,
Otkroyete l'? Will you reveal?
[staring into the water]
Tikho i yasno v podnebes'yi, The sky is quiet and calm,
Svetom volshebnym vsyo ozareno. Illuminated by a magical light.
Sily potainyye zov moi uslyshali, The hidden forces have heard my call,
Knyazhe, sud'by tvoyei Prince, the secret of your fate
Taina otkryvayetsya. Is being revealed.
S kovarnoi usmeshkoyu liki zlobnyye With a perfidious smile, wicked faces
Vkrug tebya, knyazhe, Around you, o Prince,
Plotno somknulisya. Are tightly gathered.
Liki, tebe znakomyye, Faces that are familiar to you
Put' ukazuyut kuda-to daleche... Point to somewhere far away...
Vizhu svetlo! I can see clearly!
Pravda skazalas'! The truth has been told!
Golitsyn
Chto skazalos'? What's been told?
Marfa
Knyazhe, tebe ugrozhaet opala O Prince, you will fall into disfavor,
I zatochen'ye And will be imprisoned
V dal'nem krayu. In a distant land.
Otnimetsya vlast', i bogatstvo, Power, riches, and fame
I znatnost' navek ot tebya. Will forever be taken away from you.
Ni slava v minuvshem, ni doblest', Neither past glory, nor valour,
Ni znan'ya -- nichto ne spasyot tebya, Nor knowledge -- nothing will save you,
Sud'ba tak reshila. Fate has so decided.
Uznayesh, moi knyazhe, You will suffer, Prince,
Nuzhdu i lishen'ya, Penury and privations,
Velikuyu stradu -- pechal'. The great pain of grief.
V toi strade, v goryuchikh slezakh In that pain, in bitter tears
Poznaesh ty vsyu pravdu zemli. You'll learn the truth of the world.
Golitsyn
Sgin'! Begone!
(to Varsonofiev)
Skorei utopit' na "Bolote", Quick, drown her in the "Swamp," (5)
Chtoby spletni ne vyshlo! So that no gossip starts!
[Marfa runs away, pursued by Varsonofiev]
Vot v chom reshenie sud'by moyei, So this is my fate; this is why
Vot otchevo tak serdtse szhimalos'. My heart was wrung with fear.
Mne grozit pozornaya opala, The shame of disfavor awaits me,
A tam pridyot besslavye i pogibel'. And then, infamy and death.
Tak nedavno, Not so long ago,
S veroi krepkoi v schast'ye, With a firm belief in success,
Dumal svyatoi otchizny I thought I could reform
Delo obnovit' ya. My sacred fatherland.
Pokonchil s boyarskimi "mestami", I abolished the boyars' "places,"
Snosheniya s Yevropoyu uprochil, I strengthened our ties with Europe,
Nadyozhnyi mir Preparing a reliable peace
Rodnoi strane gotovil. For my homeland.
Na menya smotreli yevropeitsy, The Europeans watched me
Kogda, v glave polkov, As I, leading battle-hardened troops,
Ispytannykh v boyakh, Defeated the haughty Poles,
Nadmennost' sbil ya And, by Andrusovo,
Zayadlomu shlyakhetstvu, Tore away from their greedy maw
Il' pod Andrusovym vyrval Some of our native lands,
Iz pasti krulei zhadnykh rodnyye zemli, And those lands,
Te zemli, krov'yu predkov polityye, Covered with our ancestors' blood,
Prinyos ya v dar moyey svyatoi otchizne. I gave as a gift to our sacred country.
... Vsyo prakhom poshlo, vsyo zabyto. ... All has turned to dust,
O svyataya Rus'! Ne skoro All is forgotten. O holy Russia!
Rzhavchinu tatarskuyu ty smoyesh! You won't soon wash away the Tatar rust!
[Ivan Khovansky enters]
Khovansky
A my bez dokladu, knyaz'. We've come in unannounced, Prince.
Vot kak. That's how we like it.
Golitsyn
Proshu prisest'... Please sit down...
Khovansky
Prisest'! (Spasi bog!) Sit down? (God help us!)
Vot zadacha. Now, there's a puzzle.
My teper' svoikh "mestov" lishilis', We have now lost our "places,"
Ty zhe sam nas uladil, knyaz': And it was you who decreed it, Prince:
S kholop'yem poravnyal. Made us equal to the serfs.
Gde prisest' prikazhesh? Where would you like me to sit down?
Golitsyn
Chto ty, knyaz'? What's with you, Prince?
Khovansky
Tut, ali in gde, Here, or somewhere else,
Dale, na poroge, Out on the threshold,
S chelyad'yu tvoyeyu, so smerdami? With your servants, with the peasants?
Golitsyn
Ne chudno l' eto? Isn't it strange?
Ty, doblest'yu i siloyu bogatyi, You, rich in valor and in power,
Sokrushilsya o boyarskiye prichudy. Grieve about the boyars' whimsies.
Khovansky
Slysh, ne truni, Golitsyn! Hey, don't joke with me, Golitsyn!
Ty, kichas' You, puffed up with pride
Uspekhami svoimi, Over your successes,
Nas i nashu chest' i sanovitost' predal Threw us and our honor and ranks away
D'yakam na posmeyan'ye. To be mocked by clerks.
Golitsyn
D'yakam? By clerks?
Khovansky
Nu ladno zh, knyaz', Well, Prince,
Nateshilsya ty vdovol'. You've had your fun.
Golitsyn
Nad kem by eto? At whose expense, may I ask?
Khovansky
U tatarvy ved' tozhe vse ravny: Among the Tatars, all are equal, too:
Chut' kto ne tak -- If anyone does anything wrong,
Seichas bashku doloi. They chop off his head right away.
Uzh ne s tatar li ty primer beryosh? Is that who you get your ideas from?
Golitsyn
Chto? Chto s toboi? What? What's with you?
S uma soshol? Have you lost your mind?
Opomnis', Khovanskiy! Come to your senses, Khovansky!
Khovansky
Ege, zabralo... Heh heh, I hit a sore spot...
Golitsyn
Prostite nechayannyi poryv moi, Forgive my unintended outburst,
Knyaz' Khovanskiy. Prince Khovansky.
Byt' mozhet, ya boyar obidel I may have upset the boyars
Meroi krutoyu, no neizbezhnoi. With a drastic, but inevitable measure.
Tol'ko stranno, chto pri etom It's just odd that when doing that
O tebe sovsem zabyl ya. I forgot all about you.
A ty -- knyaz' Khovanskiy, Whereas you, Prince Khovansky,
Ty -- siloyu i doblest'yu bogatyi, You who are rich in strength and valor,
Ty, vlastelin You, the commander
Streltsov nesokrushimykh, Of the invincible streltsy,
Ty, sam vladyka vsemoschnyi, You, the all-powerful leader
Pred kem vsya Moskva lezhala vo prakhe, At whose feet Moscow once lay,
Krov'yu oblivayas' -- Defenseless and bleeding --
Ty nigde mesta ne nakhodish. You can't find a "place" to sit down.
Khovansky
Dovol'no, knyaz'! That's enough, Prince!
Ya vyslushival tebya spokoino, I listened to you calmly,
Ya ne prepyatstvoval tebe v zlorech'yi. I didn't interrupt your insults,
Vyslushai i ty menya, Now, you listen to me,
I ty mne ne prepyatstvui. And don't interrupt me.
[Dosifei enters silently]
Znayesh li ty, chya krov' vo mne? Do you know whose blood flows
Gedimina krov' vo mne. Through my veins? Gediminas's blood. (6)
I potomu kichlivosti tvoyei And therefore I will not tolerate
Ne poterplyu ya. Chem kichishsya? Your conceit. What are you so proud of?
Net, izvol', skazhi mne: No, please, tell me:
Chem kichishsya? What are you so proud of?
Nebos', ne slavnym ratnym li pokhodom, Is it that glorious military adventure,
Kogda polkov t'my tem bez boya When, before any fighting had started,
Ty golodom smoril? You starved countless troops to death?
Golitsyn
Chto? Ne tebe What? It's not for you
Sudit' moi postupki! To judge my actions!
Khovansky
Vot te raz! Kak by ne tak! Is that so? You wish!
Golitsyn
Ne tvoevo uma eto delo, slyshish ty! It's too much for your feeble mind!
Khovansky
Chto takoye? What did you say?
Dosifei
Knyaz'ya, smiri vash gnev, Princes, restrain your anger,
Smiri gordynyu zluyu. Restrain your evil haughtiness.
Ne v razdore vashem You will not save Russia
Rusi spasen'ye. With such squabbles.
Poslal li gospod' vsemoguschiy Has the Lord Almighty
Sovet i mudrost' vam? Sent you his counsel and wisdom?
Golitsyn
Prezhde vsevo, khotel by ya pryamo First of all, I would like to directly
K tseli besedy nashei pristupit'. Address the purpose of our discussion.
Dosifei
Poznali l' vy, knyaz'ya, Have you realized, Princes,
Gde svyatoi Rusi pogibel' What leads to holy Russia's perdition
I v chem Rusi spasen'ye? And what leads to its salvation?
Chto zh primolkli? Why are you silent?
Golitsyn
Da nado sily znat'. We must know our strengths.
Gde eti sily? Where are they?
Dosifei
Nashi? V serdtse bozhyem Ours? In God's heart
I vere svyatoi. And in the sacred faith.
Golitsyn
Da, eto-to konechno. Yes, that, of course.
Net, inyye sily? But what other strengths?
Dosifei
Kakie tut inyye sily! What other strengths do you expect?
Kogda krest'yanstvo When the peasants
Domy pobrosalo Have abandoned their homes,
I vrozn' bredet? And are wandering randomly?
Golitsyn
Nu, a pravlen'ye-to kakoye? What kind of rule, then?
Dosifei
Po starine mirskoi, po starym knigam; The old way, going by the old books;
A dal'she sam narod And then, the people itself
Podskazhet. Will tell you.
Golitsyn
Nu, k starine ne bol'no prilezhu, Well, I don't much like the old ways,
Priznat'sya. I confess.
Khovansky
Vish, prytok, as'? Too clever by half, isn't he?
Dosifei
Ne darom zhe v nemetchine It's not for nothing
Ty shkolu-to otvedal! That you got schooled in foreign lands!
Nu chto zh, vedi na nas nemchina Well, lead the foreigners against us,
S opolcheniyem besovskim yevo. With their army of devils.
Narod bezhit v lesa i debri The people are fleeing to the forests
Ot vashikh novshestv lukavykh. From your new-fangled reforms.
Khovansky
Pravda. Vot ya, That's true. Take me, for example --
Ya ved' tozhe ponyal sut', I, too, have got the point.
Knyazyu-to kichlivomu vsyo govoril, I kept telling the arrogant Prince,
Kak zhe, vsyo govoril: I kept telling him:
"Knyaz', ne rush ty stariny!" "Prince, don't destroy our traditions!"
A on, glyadish, But he, meanwhile, went and took
Mesta boyaram uprazdnil. The boyars' "places" away from them.
[Far away, one can hear the Old Believers sing]
Old Believers
Pobedikhom, posramikhom, prerekokhom, We will defeat, we will expose,
Prerekokhom i priprekhom yeres'... We will disgrace and trample heresy...
Dosifei
Prebud'te nemy i vnemlite doblim sim, Be silent and listen to these brave men,
V put' gospoda gryaduschim. Who are walking the path of the Lord.
Golitsyn
Chto takoe? What is this?
Dosifei
Vy, boyare, tol'ko na slovakh gorazdy, You, boyars, are only good with words;
A vot kto delaet. Here are the men of action.
Old Believers (outside the window)
Pobedikhom, posramikhom, prerekokhom, We will defeat, we will expose,
Prerekokhom i priprekhom yeres', We will disgrace and trample heresy,
Yeres' nechestiya The heresy of blasphemy
I zla stremniny vrazhiye. And the Devil's abysses of evil.
Pobedikhom... Prerekokhom... We will defeat... We will expose...
I priprekhom... And trample...
Khovansky
Molodtsy, rebyata, likho! Nice job, you fine boys!
Golitsyn
Kto molodtsy? Fine boys? Who?
Dosifei
Pobedikhom i priprekhom We will defeat and trample
Nikoniantsev lzheuchen'ye, Nikon's false teachings,
Nasadikhom vertograd gospoden', We will replant God's garden,
Soblyudokhom veru pravuyu, We will defend the true faith,
Vo slavu zizhditelya vselennyya! For the glory of the Creator!
Golitsyn
Raskol! Schismatics!
Khovansky
Lyubo! Nami da starinoi Right! With us and the old ways
Paki Rus' vozveselitsya! Russia will be merry indeed!
Marfa (running in)
Knyazhe, knyazhe! Ne veli kaznit', Prince, Prince! Don't have me killed,
Veli milovat'! Have mercy!
Golitsyn
Oboroten'! Oboroten'! A ghost! A ghost!
Khovansky
Gospod' s toboi, chto ty, knyaz'? Good God, what's with you, Prince?
Eto Marfa. That's Marfa.
Dosifei
Chto s toboyu, ditya vozlyublennoe? What's the matter, my beloved child?
Marfa
Otche! Ty zdes'? Father! You're here?
Shla ya ot knyazya I was walking from the Prince's home
Po zor'ke vecherney, In the evening twilight,
Tol'ko po zadvorkam shast' -- kholop! And then I noticed a servant of his
Ya domeknulas': sledit za mnoi, vidno. Following me closely.
Bylo za Belgorod, We were past Belgorod, (5)
Blizko "Bolota". Near the "Swamp."
Tut pri "Bolote" There, at the "Swamp,"
Dushit' menya pochal, He tried to strangle me,
Bayal, ty nakazal, knyazhe. He said that you had ordered it, Prince.
Slava ti, bozhe! Petrovtsy podospeli. Thank the Lord! Peter's troops arrived,
Da spasibo, chto otbili! And they managed to save me.
Golitsyn, Khovansky, Dosifei
Petrovtsy? Peter's troops?
Marfa
Da, poteshnyye Yes, I think they were
Progulkoi, chto li, shli... Out for a walk...
Varsonofiev (announcing)
Shaklovityi! Shaklovityi!
Shaklovityi
Knyaz'ya! Tsarevna velela Princes! The Czarevna commanded me
Vest' vam dat'. To give you the news.
V Izmailovskom sele In Izmailovo, (7)
Donos pribit: A letter has been found, saying that
Khovanskiye na tsarstvo pokusilis'. The Khovanskys are planning a coup.
Khovansky
Khovanskiye?? The Khovanskys??
Dosifei
[To Khovansky] [To Khovansky]
Mechtan'ya bros'! Forget your silly dreams.
[To Shaklovityi] [To Shaklovityi]
A chto skazal tsar Petr? And what did Czar Peter say?
Shaklovityi
Obozval "khovanschinoy"... He called it "Khovanschina"...
I velel syskat'. And ordered an investigation.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Act III
-------
[Moscow, near one of the streltsy's villages.]
Old Believers (passing by)
Pobedikhom, posramikhom, prerekokhom, We will defeat, we will expose,
Prerekokhom i priprekhom yeres', We will disgrace and trample heresy,
Yeres' nechestiya The heresy of blasphemy
I zla stremniny vrazhiye. And the Devil's abysses of evil...
etc. etc.
Marfa (sitting down)
Iskhodila mladyoshen'ka The young maiden walked
Vse luga i bolota. Through all the meadows and swamps.
Vse luga i bolota, Through all the meadows and swamps,
A i vse sennyye pokosy. And all the freshly-mowed lands.
Istoptala, mladyoshen'ka, The young maiden wore out her feet,
Iskolola ya nozhen'ki. They had prick-marks and sores all over.
Vsyo za milym ryskayuchi, I was looking for my beloved,
Da i likh yevo ne imayuchi. But, alas, never found him.
Uzh kak podkralas' mladyoshen'ka The young maiden crept up
Ko tomu li ko teremu, To the house where he lived,
Uzh ya stuk pod okontse, And I rapped on the window,
Uzh ya bryak vo zvenyasche kolechko. And I clanged the door-ring.
Vspomni, pripomni, miloy moi, Please remember, my darling,
Akh, ne zabud', kak bozhilsya. Oh, don't forget how you swore to God,
Mnogo ya nochek promayalas', I've spent many distressful nights
Vsyo tvoyei li bozhboi uslazhdayuchis'. With only your oath to sustain me.
Slovno svechi bozhiye, Like two sacred candles,
My s toboyu zateplimsya. You and I will catch alight.
Okrest brat'ya vo plameni, With our brethren around us,
A v dymu i v ogne dushi nosyatsya. Souls flying through fire and smoke.
Razlyubil ty mladyoshen'ku, You fell out of love with the maiden,
Zagubil ty na volyushke. You ruined her while you were free.
Tak pochuyesh But when your freedom is gone,
V nevole zloi You'll have to reckon with
Opostyluyu, zluyu raskol'nitsu. That bitter schismatic girl you jilted.
Susanna
Grekh! Tyazhkiy, neiskupimyi grekh! Sin! A grave, unpardonable sin!
Ad! Ad vizhu palyaschiy, Hell! I see Hell ablaze,
Besov likovan'ye, The joyful demons,
Adskiye zherla pylayut, The hellish craters burning,
Kipit smola krasnoplamenna... The red-hot tar boiling...
Marfa
Mati, pomilui, strakh tvoi povedai mne. Sister, tell me about your fear.
Tyazhka nam zhizn' otnyne stala Life has become hard for us
V sei yudoli placha i skorbei! In this vale of tears and pain!
[aside] Kazhis', [aside] Spoken like a book,
Po-knizhnomu khvatila! I think!
Susanna
A, vot chto! Oh, I see!
Ty lukavaya, ty obidlivaya, You are cunning, you are touchy,
A pro sebya poyosh ty pesni grekhovnyye. While secretly you sing sinful songs!
Marfa
Ty podslushala pesn' moyu, You overheard my song,
Ty, kak tat', podkralas' ko mne. You crept up to me by stealth.
Vorovskim obychayem Like a thief,
Ty iz serdtsa iskhitila skorb' moyu! You stole the pain from my heart!
Mati boleznaya, My troubled sister,
Ya ne taila ot lyudei lyubov' svoyu I did not hide my love from anyone
I ot tebya ne utayu ya pravdu. And I won't lie to you, either.
Susanna
Gospodi! My God!
Marfa
Strashno bylo, kak sheptal on mne, It was scary, when he whispered to me,
A usta yevo goryachie zhgli polymem. And his lips burned me like a flame.
Susanna
Chur... chur menya! God protect me!
Kosnym glagolom, With your evil words,
Rech'yu besovskoyu, With your devilish speech,
Ty iskusila menya! You have tempted me!
Marfa
Net, mati, net, tol'ko vyslushai. No, sister, no, just hear me out.
Esli b ty kogda ponyat' mogla If you could understand
Zaznobu serdtsa nabolevshevo, The sufferings of a pained heart,
Esli b ty mogla zhelannoi byt', If you could be someone's beloved,
Lyubvi k milomu otdat'sya dushoi, And give your heart to your love,
Mnogo, mnogo by grekhov prostilosya Many, many of your sins
Tebe, mati boleznaya, Would be forgiven,
Mnogim by sama prostila ty, And you'd forgive the sins of others,
Lyubvi kruchinu serdtsem ponimayuchi. If your heart knew love's pain.
Susanna
Chto so mnoyu? What's happening to me?
Gospodi, chto so mnoyu? God, what's happening to me?
Al' ya slaba na razum stala? Has my mind weakened,
Al' khitryi bes mne shepchet zloye? Or is a sly devil whispering
Evil things to me?
[Cross-singing]
Susanna
Ty, ty iskusila menya, You have tempted me,
Ty obol'stila menya, You have tried to lead me astray,
Ty vselila v menya You have planted in me
Adskoi zloby dukh. A spirit of hellish fury.
Na sud, na bratniy sud, Let's go to judgement,
Na groznyi tserkvi sud! The stern judgement of the church!
Pro chary zlyye tvoi To our brethren, I will reveal
Ya na sude povem, Your evil powers,
Ya tam vozdvignu tebe And I will have you
Kostyor pylayuschiy! Burned to death!
Dosifei (walking up)
Pochto myateshisya? What are you upset about?
Marfa
Otche blagiy! My good father!
Mati Susanna gnevom vospylala Sister Susanna became angered
Na rech na moyu, bez lesti i obmana. At my guileless, truthful speech.
Dosifei (to Susanna)
S chevo by eto, mati? Why would that be, sister?
Ty pokusilas' v zlobe gordelivoi In your evil pride, you struck
Na serdtse bolyascheye At the pained heart
Sestry tvoyei tomyascheisya. Of your suffering sister.
Susanna
Net, ne poddamsya ya! No, I won't surrender!
Dosifei
Ty... Ty, Susanna... You... You, Susanna...
Veliala i besov ugodnitsa, Worship Belial and his demons,
Yarost'yu tvoyeyu ad sozdalsya! Your fury alone could create Hell!
A za toboyu besov legiony And behind you, legions of devils,
Mchatsya, nesutsya, skachut i plyashut! Run, hop, and dance!
Dscher' Veliala, izydi! Daughter of Belial, begone!
Ischad'ye adovo, izydi! Daughter of Hell, begone!
[Susanna runs away]
Nu yeyo! Utekla, kazhis'. Forget about her. She's run off.
Akh ty, moya kasatka, poterpi malen'ko And you, my little swallow, be firm,
I posluzhish krepko vsei drevlei And you'll serve the cause
I svyatoi Rusi, yeyo zhe ischem. Of holy Russia, which we seek.
Marfa
Prezrena, zabyta, broshena! Forsaken, forgotten, abandoned!
Dosifei
Knyaz' Andreyem-to? By Prince Andrei?
Marfa
Da. Yes.
Dosifei
Chinitsya. He's too proud.
Marfa
Zarezat' dumal. He tried to kill me.
Dosifei
A ty chto s nim? And you?
Marfa
Slovno svechi bozhiye, Like two sacred candles,
My s nim skoro zateplimsya. He and I will soon catch alight.
Okrest brat'ya vo plameni, Around us will be our brethren,
A v dymu i v ogne dushi nosyatsya. Souls flying through fire and smoke.
Dosifei
Goret'... Strashnoye delo! To burn... It's a horrible thing!
Ne vremya, ne vremya, It's not time yet, not time yet,
Golubka. My dove.
Marfa
Akh, otche! Oh, father!
Strashnaya pytka -- lyubov' moya, My love is such a torment,
Den' i noch dushe pokoya net. Night and day, my heart cannot rest.
Mnitsya: gospoda zavet ne bregu, I feel like I've strayed off God's path,
I grekhovna, prestupna lyubov' moya. And my love is sinful and criminal.
Yesli grekhovna ona, otche, lyubov' moya, If, father, it is indeed sinful,
Kazni menya, kazni skorei. Kill me, kill me quickly.
O, ne schadi! Pust' umret plot' moya, Take no pity! Let my flesh die,
Da smert'yu ploti dukh moi spasetsya. So that my soul can be saved.
Dosifei
Marfa! Ditya ty moye boleznoye! Marfa! My suffering child!
Menya prosti; It is you who should forgive me;
Iz greshnykh pervyi az esm'. Of all the sinners, I am the worst.
V gosdpodnei vole nevolya nasha. Our fate is in God's hands.
Idem otsele. Let's leave this place.
Terpi, golubushka, Stay firm, my darling,
Lyubi, kak ty lyubila, Love as you have loved,
I vsya proidennaya preidet. And all your trials will be over.
[They leave. Shaklovityi appears.]
Shaklovityi
Spit streletskoe gnezdo. The streltsy's nest is asleep.
Spi, russkiy lyud; Sleep, Russian people;
Vorog ne dremlet! But the enemy wakes!
Akh, ty v sud'bine zloschastnaya, Oh, my unfortunate,
Rodnaya Rus'! Beloved Russia!
Kto zh, kto tebya, pechal'nuyu, Who will save you
Ot bedy likhoi spasyot? From a cruel fate?
Al' nedrug zloi nalozhit ruku Will an evil enemy control
Na sud'bu tvoyu? Your destiny?
Al' nemchin zloradnyi Is a malicious foreigner
Ot sud'by tvoyei pozhivy zhdyot? Waiting to profit from you?
Stonala ty pod yaryomom tatarskim, You groaned under the Tatar yoke,
Shla, brela Then staggered and stumbled,
Za umom boyarskim. When led by the boyars' wits.
Propala dan' tatarskaya, The Tatar tribute is gone,
Prestala vlast' boyarskaya. And so is the boyars' power.
A ty, pechal'nitsa, But you, my sorrowful,
Strazhdesh i terpish! You still suffer and endure!
Gospodi, ty, s vysot bespredel'nykh O Lord, Thou, who from on high
Nash greshnyi mir ob'yemlyuschiy, Watchest over our sinful world,
Ty, vedyi tainaya vsya serdets, Thou who knowest the secrets of our
Bolyaschikh, izmuchennykh, Pained, tortured hearts,
Nisposhli ty razuma svet Please send the beneficial
Blagodatnyi na Rus', Light of reason upon Russia,
Darui yey izbrannika, toi by spas, Give her a chosen one who would
Vosnyos zloschastnuyu Rus', stradalitsu. Save and uplift poor, suffering Russia.
Yey, gospodi, vzemlyai grekh mira, O Lord, redeemer of our worldly sins,
Uslysh menya: ne dai Rusi pogibnut' Hear me: don't let Russia be ruined
Ot likhikh nayemnikov! By evil mercenaries!
Streltsy
Podnimaisya, molodtsy! Wake up, lads!
Al' na pod''yom vy tyazhely? Are you too lazy to get out of bed?
etc. etc.
Shaklovityi
Prosnulos' stado! The herd has awakened!
Pastva smirennaya The faithful flock
Khovanskikh velimudrykh! Of the all-wise Khovanskys!
Ne dolog srok, It won't take long,
Pesnya skoro spoyotsya. Your song will soon be over.
[leaves]
Streltsy
Opokhmelit'sya bylo by povadno. Some hair of the dog would be nice!
Al' za etim stalo delo? Surely, that's not a problem?
Vali valom! Come here, everybody!
Akh, ne bylo, akh, ne bylo pechali. Oh, all was well, all was well,
Tol'ko zla-prezla nastoika khmel'naya. But the evil booze knocked us out.
Akh, ne vine-to byt' vinoi. We are not to blame for drinking,
A vina v vine zapoi. Trouble is, it's hard to stop.
Oi, oi, oi oi oi, oi, akhti... Oh, oh, oh oh oh, oh...
Svalilsya, ai, povalilsya strelets. The strelets has fallen down drunk,
Ne budi yevo, kreschonnyi lyud, Don't wake him up, Christian people,
Dai otdokhnut' streltsu. Let him rest.
Oi, oi, priobodris', Hey, hey, cheer up,
Oi, oi, podnimis', Hey, hey, get up from your bed,
S tvoevo-to lozha, akhti ne prigozha, Shame on you, strelets!
Ty, strelets. Goi! Podnimalsya, ai, Hey, the strelets woke up,
Vozbuzhdalsya strelets. Slovno vstat' He got excited, as if
Privelos' na grekh s levoi nozhen'ki, ai! He got up on the wrong foot. Hey!
Kak poshol strelets, The strelets got going,
Kak poshol rodimyi, He got going, our dear one,
I po vsey Moskve to pogromom stalo. And knocked all of Moscow to pieces.
Oi, strelets! Oi, molodets! Oh, strelets! Oh, you brave one!
Ne boysya, ne trevozhsya, Don't be afraid, don't be worried,
Stoi na strazhe Rusi tseloi, Be prepared to defend all of Russia!
Oi, strelets! Oi, molodets! Oi, Oi! Oh, strelets! Oh, you brave one! Oh, Oh!
[the streltsy's wives come out]
The Streltsy's wives
Akh, okayannyye propoitsy, Oh, you damned drunks,
Akh, kolobrodniki otpetyye! Oh, you inveterate gad-abouts!
Net kazni vam! There's no punishing you,
Net uderzhu! No restraining you!
Zhon i sem'yi You've forgotten your wives
Pozabyli, And families,
Detok malykh pokinuli You've abandoned your young children
Na razoren'ye, na pogibel'. To destruction and death.
etc. etc.
Streltsy
Budto baby oserchali, The women are angry,
Sily nabralis', They've gathered their strength,
Nam meshayut! And are standing in our way,
Bran' podnyali, opolchayutsya! They've started a fight!
Baby, slysh, dovol'no! Women, listen, that's enough!
[the Scribe appears, crying for help]
Scribe
Oi! Oi! Beda, beda, okh, zleishaya! Oh! Oh! Woe, woe, the worst kind!
Net silushki, okh, smertyushka! I've no strength left, death is coming!
Streltsy
Chto ty, duren', breshesh vechno? Why are you fool always making stuff up?
Vidno, lovko trepanuli! They must've roughed you up well!
Podelom tebe, proklyatyi! You deserve it, you damned one!
Scribe
Oi, likhon'ko! Oh, woe!
Net, ne bili menya, No, nobody beat me up,
Net, ne trepali menya, No, nobody roughed me up,
I ni ust moikh, ni slukha ne oskvernyali! And nobody even insulted me!
Streltsy
Kakaya zh nelegkaya sila shal'naya Then what on earth
K nam, slysh, tebya nevpopad podtolknula? Are you doing here, with us?
Scribe
Strakh poputal, smert' zapugala! Fear of death confused me!
Mne teper' vsyo ravno, It makes no difference to me now,
Vidno, uzh smert' prishla, Death is at my door.
Tol'ko ne skroyu ot vas ya pravdy: But I will tell you the truth:
Petrovtsy blizko, k vam skachut, Peter's troops are near,
Vsyo rushat! Destroying all in their way!
Streltsy
Petrovtsy? Petrovtsy? Peter's troops? Peter's troops?
Scribe
Slushaite! Listen!
V Kitai-gorode byl ya na rabote, I was working in Kitai-Gorod, (5)
Po dolgu sluzhby i chestnoi klyatve, As my duty and solemn oath require,
Strochil gramotu, I was writing a letter,
Dushu polagaya Faithfully serving
Za ves' mir bozhiy i za pravoslavnykh. The world and the Christian people.
Chu, slyshu: All of a sudden, I hear:
Mernyi dal'niy topot i konei rzhan'ye, A far-away clatter, and horses neighing,
Lyazg oruzhya, latnyi stuk A clang of weapons and armor,
I dikiy krik. And wild yelling.
Streltsy
Vidno, tebya iskali! They must've been looking for you!
Vidno, tebya lovili! They must've been trying to catch you!
Strakha na nikh nagnal! You must've
Slysh, napugal ikh! Really scared them!
S boya vzyat' tebya, They must've wanted
S boya vzyat' khoteli! To capture you by force!
Chudno, pravo! What a story!
Scribe
Blizko uzh bylo Belgoroda, It was near Belgorod,
U samoi slobody streletskoi Near the streltsy's village over there.
Naleteli zlyye vorogi The evil foes rushed in and surrounded
Na zhon i detei vashikh i okruzhili... Your wives and children...
Streltsy
Vryosh! Vryosh, zlodei! Nepravda! You're lying, you bastard! That's a lie!
Scribe
Vdrug na podmogu petrovtsam, Then, to help Peter's troops,
Otkuda vzyalis', The foreign horsemen
Reytary podospeli. Arrived out of nowhere,
I svalka vchalas'. And the battle started.
Gore! Streltsy iznemogli... Woe! The streltsy were overwhelmed...
Streltsy and their wives
Gore nam! Gore nam! Gore! Gore! Woe to us! Woe to us! Woe! Woe!
Scribe (aside)
Teper' nautyok And now I can run away
Podobru da pozdorovu. While I'm still in one piece.
Kuz'ka
Streltsy! Sprosim batyu: Streltsy! Let's ask our father
Pravda ali net, If it's true or not,
Chto nam chert pod'yachiy ponagorodil This nonsense that the damned scribe
O reitarakh da o petrovtsakh. Told us about Peter's troops
Tak li? And foreign horsemen. Shall we?
Streltsy
Sprosim! Sprosim! Let's ask him! Let's ask him!
Streltsy and their wives
Batya, batya, vyidi k nam! Father, father, come out to us.
Batya, batya, vyidi k nam! Father, father, come out to us.
Deti prosyat, tebya zovut. Your children are calling you.
Batya, batya, vyidi k nam! Father, father, come out to us.
(x2)
[Ivan Khovansky appears on the steps of his home]
Ivan Khovansky
Zdorovo, detki! Hello, my children!
Na dobryi chas, zdorovo! Good day to you, hello!
Streltsy and their wives
Na radost' i slavu For our joy and your glory
Zhivi i zdravstvui, batya! Stay alive and well, father!
Ivan Khovansky
Zachem menya vy zvali? Why did you call me?
Al' beda kakaya s vami priklyuchilas'? Did some misfortune befall you?
Streltsy and their wives
Reitary da petrovtsy Peter's soldiers and horsemen
Gubyat nas. Are killing us.
Streltsy
Vedi nas v boi! Lead us into battle!
Ivan Khovansky
V boi? Into battle?
Pomnite, detki, Remember, my children,
Kak my po schikolku v krovi Back when we, ankle-deep in blood,
Moskvu ot vorogov likhikh oberegali... Defended Moscow from its enemies,
I soblyuli? And preserved it?
Nynche ne to: Now, things are different:
Strashen tsar' Pyotr... Czar Peter is fearsome...
Idite v domy vashi i spokoino zhdite Go back to your homes and calmly await
Sud'by reshen'ye. Fate's decision.
Proschaite, proschaite... Farewell, farewell...
Streltsy and their wives
Gospodi! Ne dai vragam v obidu God! By your mercy,
I okhrani nas i domy nashi Protect us and our homes
Miloserdiyem tvoim! From our enemies!
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Act IV
------
Scene I
-------
[A well-decorated room in Prince Ivan Khovansky's home. A group of servant girls
are trying to entertain him by singing.]
Girls
Vozle rechki na luzhochke In a meadow near a river
Nocheval ya, molodets, I, a good fellow, spent the night,
Uslykhal ya golos devichiy, Then I heard a girl's voice,
So krovatushki vstaval. And got up.
So krovatushki vstaval, I got up,
Umyvat'sya belo stal, I washed myself,
Vstal, umylsya, sobralsya, I got up, washed myself, and got ready
Ko devushke podnyalsya. To go up and meet the girl.
Ko devushke podnyalsya... To go up and meet the girl...
Ivan Khovansky
Chevo zagolosili? What are you wailing about?
(Spasi bog!) (God help us!)
Slovno mertvetsa It's as if you were escorting a dead man
V zhilische vechnoye provodyat. To his final resting place.
I tak uzh na Rusi velikoi As it is, life in Russia
Ne veselo, ne radostno zhivyotsya. Is dull and unhappy.
A tut babiy voi slyshat' -- zabavno, And on top of that, to hear women
I vopl', I skrezhet -- Wailing, crying, and screeching --
Chudesno! (Spasi bog!) How lovely! (God help us!)
Vesyoluyu, da poboicheye pesnyu mne! Sing me a merry, lively song!
Vy slyshite? Do you hear me?
Girls
Kak povolish, boyarin-knyaz'! As you wish, Prince.
Khovansky
Chevo povolit'? What do I need to wish for?
Girls
Kak izvolish, boyarin-knyaz'! As you like, Prince.
Khovansky
Chevo vam tam izvolit'? What am I supposed to like?
Girls (amongst themselves)
Gaiduchka, gaiduchka... Let's sing the "gaiduchok" song... (8)
Khovansky
Chto vy shepchetes'? Poite! Why are you whispering? Sing!
Girls
Pozdno vecherom sidela, I was sitting late last night,
Vsyo luchinushka gorela. And my candle kept burning.
Gaiduk, gaiduchok! Gaiduk, gaiduchok!
Vsyo luchinushka gorela. And my candle kept burning.
Vsyo luchinushka gorela And my candle kept burning
I ogarochki prizhgla. To the very, very end.
Khovansky
Boichei! Livelier!
Girls
Gaiduk, gaiduchok, Gaiduk, gaiduchok,
I ogarochki prizhgla. To the very, very end.
Khovansky
Vot tak. That's better.
Girls
Gaiduk, gaiduchok! Gaiduk, gaiduchok!
Vse ogarochki prizhgla ya, I burned it to the very end,
Druzhka milovo zhdala. Awaiting my beloved.
Gaiduk, gaiduchok! Gaiduk, gaiduchok!
Druzhka milovo zhdala. I awaited my beloved.
Ya zhdala-zhdala milovo, I waited and waited,
Nasilushku doszhdalas'. Until finally he arrived.
Gaiduk, gaiduchok, Gaiduk, gaiduchok!
Nasilushku doszhdalas'. Until finally he arrived.
Nasilushku doszhdalas', I waited until finally he arrived,
Da na sheyushku brosilas'. And threw my arms around his neck.
Gaiduk, gaiduchok, Gaiduk, gaiduchok,
Na sheyushku brosilas'. Threw my arms around his neck.
Na sheyushku brosilas', I threw my arms around his neck,
Da vokrug shei obvilas'. And held him in my arms.
Gaiduk, gaiduchok, Gaiduk, gaiduchok,
Vokrug shei obvilas'. And held him in my arms.
[Varsonofiev enters]
Khovansky
Ty zachem? Why are you here?
Osmelilsya voiti! How did you dare enter?
Varsonofiev
Knyaz' Golitsyn velel tebe skazat': Prince Golitsyn ordered me to tell you:
Poberegis', knyazhe. Beware, Prince.
Khovansky
Poberegis'? Beware?
Varsonofiev
Tebe grozit beda neminuchaya. You are in great, imminent danger.
Khovansky
Beda? Da ne s uma l' ty spyatil? Danger? Have you gone mad?
V moyom domu, i v votchine moyey, In my own house, on my own estate,
Mne grozit beda neminuchaya? I am in great, imminent danger?
A vot zabavno, vot da smeshno, ha ha ha. Oh, how funny, how amusing, ha ha ha.
Pugat' izvolit knyazya. He's trying to scare us.
Litva prosnulas'! Lithuania had awoken!
Vstavai, Khovanskiy! Get up, Khovansky!
Prosnis' i ty... You must wake up, too...
Ey, k konyukham yevo, Hey, send him off to the stable-men,
Puskai pochestvuyut izryadno. Let them honor him with a good whipping.
Myodu mne! Bring me some mead!
A vy tam, na zhenskoi polovine, And you, over in the women's quarters,
Persidok mne pozvat'. Call the Persian girls in.
[The Persian slave-girls dance]
[Shaklovityi enters]
Khovansky
Ty zachem? Why are you here?
Shaklovityi
K tebe, knyaz'... To see you, Prince...
Khovansky
Znayu, chto ko mne; zachem? I know that; why?
Shaklovityi
I bez obychaya... And without ceremony...
Khovansky
I ty posmel? And you dared?
Shaklovityi
Knyaz'! Prince!
Khovansky
Nu? What?
Shaklovityi
Tsarevna, The Czarevna,
V skorbi velikoi za Rus' Terribly worried about Russia
I za narod moskovskiy, And about the people of Moscow,
Zovyot k sebe, Is calling you to attend
I nyne zhe sovet velikiy. A great council.
Khovansky
Vot kak! Da nam-to chto? Ah! But what's it to us?
Puskai sebe zovyot. Let her keep calling all she wants.
Shaklovityi
Knyaz'! Prince!
Khovansky
My, kazhis', ne malo, It seems to us that,
Delom i sovetom, In both word and deed,
I vsyacheski Tsarevne posluzhili. We have served the Czarevna well.
Teper', nebos', Perhaps, now, she has other advisers
Drugie yey sovetchiki posluzhat. To help her out.
Shaklovityi
Tebya pervym izvolila nazvat', knyaz'; You were the first she named, Prince;
Mol, bez tvoikh uslug She said that without your help
Sovet ne mozhet sostoyat'sya. The council could not take place.
Khovansky
Vot eto tak. Ah, that's different.
Teper' my k nei okhotno budem, In that case we will gladly come
I vnov' Rusi velikoi uslugu And, again, help Russia through
Nashim razumom okazhem. (Spasi bog!) The use of our wisdom. (God help us!)
Ey, luchshie odezhdy mne! Hey, bring out my best clothes!
Knyazhoi moi posokh! And my Prince's staff!
(To the girls) (To the girls)
A vy, velichaite! And you, sing me a song of praise!
Girls
Plyvyot, plyvyot lebyodushka, A pen-swan, a pen-swan is swimming,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
Plyvyot navstrechu lebedyu, She swims towards the cob-swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
Sustrel, sustrel lebyodushku, He saw, he saw the pen-swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
Sustrel tot lebed' belyi, He saw her, that white swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
Poshol khodit' s lebyodushkoi, He started swimming alongside her,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
S podruzhen'koi pomolvilsya, And they got engaged,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
I peli slavu lebedyu, And songs were sung to honor the swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
I peli slavu belomu, Songs were sung to honor the white swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
[Khovansky is suddenly stabbed as he walks through the door]
Shaklovityi (approaching his corpse)
Oi, slava belomu lebedyu, Oh, glory to the white swan,
Ladu-ladu. Glory be.
[laughs out loud]
Scene II
--------
[Moscow, Red Square. A group of soldiers appears, some on horseback, guarding a
heavy carriage.]
People
Glyan'-ka! Vezut! Look! They're taking him away!
Vezut, vezut, vzapravdu! They're taking him away, it's true!
[The carriage moves on, followed by the soldiers.]
People
Prosti tebe gospod', May the Lord forgive you,
Pomogi tebe v nevole! May He help you in your servitude!
Dosifei
Svershilosya resheniye sud'by, Fate has spoken,
Neumolimoi i groznoi, kak sam Inexorable and fearsome,
Strashnyi sudiya! Like Doomsday itself.
Knyaz' Golitsyn, Prince Golitsyn,
Vlastelin vsevlastnyi, The all-powerful ruler,
Knyaz' Golitsyn, Prince Golitsyn,
Gordost' Rusi tseloi, The pride of all of Russia,
V opale vyslan vdal', Has been disgraced and sent far away,
A zdes', ot poyezda pechal'novo yevo And here, from his sad procession
Odne lish koleyi ostalis'. Only the wheel-marks are left.
A tozhe znaten byl nachal'nik And what about the commander
Streletskovo prikazu! Of the streltsy?
Iz-za kichlivosti svoyei Because of his arrogance
Sebya i blizhnikh pogubil, He ruined himself and those close to him,
I knyazhichu, podi, nesdobrovat': And his son is probably doomed, too:
Tsarem, vish, yevo He was, you see, intended to ascend
Na Moskve prednaznachali. To the Moscow throne.
Marfa (approaching)
Otche! Father!
Dosifei
A? Chto zh, proznala l' ty, golubka, Well? Have you found out, my dove,
Chem reshil sovet velikiy What the great council has decided
Protiv nas To do with us
V poprek drevlei Rusi, Against all the traditions of old Russia,
Yeyo zhe ischem? Which we seek?
Marfa
Ne skroyu, otche, gore grozit nam! I won't hide it, father, woe is upon us!
Veleno petrovtsam okruzhit' nas Peter's troops have been ordered
V svyatom skitu To surround us in our monastery
I bez poschady, bez sozhalen'ya, And, without pity or mercy,
Sgubit' nas. To kill us.
Dosifei
Vot chto. So that's it.
Marfa
Da. Yes.
Dosifei
Tak vot chto! So that's it!
Teper' prispelo vremya So now, the time has finally come
V ogne i plameni priyat' venets Amid fire and flames
Slavy vechnyya! To accept the crown of eternal glory!
Marfa, voz'mi s soboi Andreya knyazya, Marfa, bring Prince Andrei with you,
Neto on vydast, Or he will betray us,
Sebya spasayuchi. Trying to save himself.
Marfa
Voz'mu. I will.
Dosifei
Terpi, golubushka, Stay firm, my darling,
Lyubi, kak ty lyubila, Keep loving as you have loved,
I slavy ventsem pokroyetsya imya tvoye. And your name will be covered in glory.
Prosti. [leaves] Good-bye. [leaves]
Marfa
Teper' prispelo vremya So now, the time has finally come
Priyat' ot gospoda To receive from God
V ogne i plameni venets Amid fire and flames
Slavy vechnyya! The crown of eternal glory!
Andrei Khovansky (running in)
Akh, ty zdes', zlodeika! Zdes', zmeya! Ah, you're here, you villain, you snake!
Marfa, ya znayu, Marfa, I know that
Menya s ottsom predali, My father and I have been betrayed.
Ya tvyordo znayu, chto ty tomu vinoyu. I know full well that it is your fault.
Nam vedomo, chto predan ya toboi! I know that it was you who betrayed me!
Marfa
Knyazhe, podumai, chto ty govorish mne! Prince, think of what you're saying!
Gospod' s toboyu, ya ved' prishla Good God, I came here to find you,
Za toboi, chtob spasti tebya, spasti To save you from ruin,
Ot bedy, bedy neminuchei... From inevitable ruin...
Andrei
Zamolchi! Lzhosh, lzhosh, zmeya! Shut up! You're lying, you snake!
Ne poveryu! I won't believe you!
Ya sozovu moikh streltsov! I will call on my streltsy,
Ya sozovu narod moskovskiy! I will call on the people of Moscow!
Tebya, izmennitsu, skaznyat! And you, traitor, will be executed!
Marfa
Skaznyat? Executed?
Vidno ty ne chuyal, knyazhe, Clearly, Prince, you had no idea
Chto sud'ba tvoya tebe skazhet, What fate had in store for you,
Chto velit ona i chto tebe ukazhet, What it had determined and ordained,
Bez korysti, bezo lzhi, bez lesti, Without bias, lies, flattery,
Knyazhe, i obmana... Or deception...
Andrei
Bozhe, bozhe, pogiblo vsyo! Oh God, oh God, all is lost!
Marfa
Gordyi batya tvoi ubit, Your proud father lies dead,
Kaznyon izmenoi, Killed by treason,
I greshnyi trup yevo lezhit And his sinful corpse
Nepogrebennyi, Hasn't even been buried,
Tol'ko veter vol'nyi Only the free-flowing wind
Po-nad nim gulyayet, Passes over him,
Tol'ko zver' dosuzhiy Only an idle animal
Okrest bati khodit, Goes near him.
Da tol'ko tebya Meanwhile, you're being sought
Vdol' po vsei Moskve ischut. All around Moscow.
Andrei
Ty sgubila menya! Ya proklinayu tebya! You have ruined me! I damn you!
Ty, siloi dukhov t'my With the power of dark spirits
I charami uzhasnymi tvoimi And your horrible sorcery,
Menya privorozhila, You cast a spell on me,
Serdtse moyo i zhizn' mne razbila! And broke both my heart and my life!
Koldovkoi obzovu tebya, I will accuse you of witchcraft,
A streltsy chernoknizhnitsei ob'yavyat, And the streltsy -- of using black magic;
Na kostre sgorish ty vsenarodno. You will be publicly burned at the stake.
Marfa
Zovi streltsov. Call the streltsy.
Andrei
Pozvat'? You want me to call them?
Marfa
Zovi. Go ahead.
[Andrei blows his horn. As if in response, a bell tolls.]
Andrei
Chto eto? What is this?
Marfa
Trubi escho. Blow your horn again.
[Andrei blows again. The bell keeps tolling; the streltsy appear, carrying axes
and execution blocks, followed by their wives.]
Andrei
Gospodi bozhe moi, vsyo pogiblo! My God, all is lost!
Marfa, spasi menya! Marfa, save me!
Marfa
Chto zh ne zovyosh streltsov? Why aren't you calling the streltsy?
Andrei
Spasi menya! Save me!
Marfa
Nu ladno, knyazhe, ya tebya ukroyu Very well, Prince, I will hide you
V meste nadyozhnom. Idyom so mnoi. In a safe place. Follow me.
[They leave. The streltsy place the execution blocks and kneel in front of them.]
Streltsy's wives
Ne dai poschady, Give them no quarter,
Kazni ikh, okayannykh, Punish them severely,
Bogo-otstupnikov, zlykh vorogov! Those apostates, vile enemies!
Streltsy
Gospodi bozhe, poschadi nas, Lord our God, take pity on us,
Ne vzyschi po grekham nashim! Forgive us our sins, and spare us!
[In the background, one can hear Peter's troops sounding their horns.]
Streltsy's wives
Ne dai poschady, Give them no quarter,
Kazni ikh, okayannykh, Punish them severely,
Bogo-otstupnikov, tsar'-batyushka nash! Those apostates, o Czar, our father!
Streltsy
Otche vsemoguschiy, Our all-powerful Lord,
Pomilui dushi greshnyye nashi! Take pity on our sinful souls!
Streltsy's wives
Kazni ikh, okayannykh, tsar'-batyushka, Give them no quarter, o Czar, our father!
Bez poschady kazni! Punish them without mercy!
[Peter's troops march onto the square.]
Streshnev
Streltsy! Tsari i gosudari Ivan i Petr Streltsy! The Czars and rulers,
Vam milost' shlyut: Ivan and Peter, send you their pardon.
Idite v domy vashi i gospoda molite Go back to your homes, and pray
Za ikh gosudarevo zdorov'ye. For their royal health.
Igraite, truby! Trumpets, play!
Tsar Petr v Kreml' moskovskiy Czar Peter wishes to march
Shestviye chinit' izvolit. Into the Moscow Kremlin.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Act V
-----
[A secluded monastery in the deep woods. Dosifei is alone outside.]
Dosifei
Zdes', na etom meste svyate, Here, in this sacred place,
Zalog spasen'ya I shall show the world
Miru vozveschu. The way to salvation.
Skol'ko skorbi, Oh, how much grief,
Skol'ko terzaniy How much suffering
Dukh somnen'ya v menya vselyal. The nagging doubts have caused me.
Strakh za brat'yu, Fear for our brethren,
Za uchast' greshnykh dush For the fate of our sinful souls
Denno i nochno menya smuschal. Troubled me night and day.
I ne drognulo serdtse moye: But my heart has not flinched:
Da svershitsya volya nebesnovo ottsa! Let our Heavenly Father's will be done!
Vremya prispelo, sily net It's time; we lack the power to fight
Borotsya s Petrom: tsar Petr nepreklonen. Against Czar Peter: he is merciless.
Knyaz' Andrei, nadyozha nasha, Prince Andrei, our hope,
Nikogda ne syadet na prestol moskovskiy. Will never sit on the Moscow throne.
Pogiblo delo. V molitve tyoploi Our cause is doomed. A heart-felt prayer
Naidyom my krepost' Will give us the strength
Predstat' pred gospoda sil. To appear before the Lord of hosts.
Bozhe pravyi, utverdi zavet nash! O righteous God, harden our resolve!
Da ne v sud il' v osuzhden'ye Not to a trial or condemnation,
Na svyatoe obnovlen'ye But to a sacred renewal
Vedi ty menya, otche blagiy. Lead me, my Good Father.
[Gradually, more people come out of the monastery, Marfa among them.]
Bratiya! Pogiblo delo nashe; Brothers! Our cause is lost;
Po vsei Rusi tesnyat nas vorogi. All over Russia, our enemies pursue us.
Ubit starik Khovanskiy; Old Man Khovansky has been killed;
Golitsyn v ssylke; Golitsyn is in exile;
Nadyozha nasha, knyaz' Andrei, Our hope, Prince Andrei,
Mezh nami zdes' skryvayetsya v skitu. Is hiding here among us.
A kto vinoyu? And who is to blame? The Princes
Samikh knyazei razdory. Themselves, with their squabbles.
Brat'ya, drugi, vremya za veru Brothers, friends, it is time
Poterpet' pravoslavnuyu. To suffer for our true faith.
Voiskami skit nash okruzhon teper'. Our monastery is surrounded by troops.
Vrag chelovekov, The enemy of mankind,
Knyaz' mira vossta. The Devil himself has risen up.
Yemu ne otdadimsya, brat'ya! We will not surrender to him, brothers!
Sgorim, a ne dadimsya. We will burn, but not surrender.
[To the men]
Bratiya! Vnemlite glasu otkroveniya Brothers! Listen to the voice of
Vo imya presvyatoe tvortsa Divine revelation, in the sacred name
I gospoda sil. Of the Creator and Lord of hosts.
Men
Vladyko, otche, sveta khranitel', Lord our father, protector of the world,
Gospodu otkryty vovek nashi serdtsa. Our hearts are forever open to God.
Dosifei
Amin'! [To the women] Sestry! Amen! [To the women] Sisters!
Khranite li zavet velikiy Are you keeping your great vows
Vo imya presvyatoe tvortsa In the sacred name
I gospoda sil? Of the Creator and Lord of hosts?
Women
Ne ima my strakha, otche, zavet nash We are not afraid, Father, and our vows
Pred gospodom svyat i neprelozhen. To God are sacred and immutable.
Dosifei
Amin'! Oblekaites' v rizy svetlyye, Amen! Put on white clothing,
Vozzhigaite svechi bozhie, Light the sacred candles,
I gryadite k stoyaniyu, And let us go and pray,
I da preterpim vo slavu gospoda. And let us suffer for the glory of God.
Men
Vrag chelovekov, The enemy of mankind,
Knyaz' mira sevo vossta. The Devil himself has risen up.
Women
Strashny kovy antikhrista! Fearsome are the anti-Christ's designs!
Men
Bespredel'na zloba yevo! His hatred has no limits!
Women
Smert' idyot, spasaitesya! Death is coming, let us seek salvation!
Men
Blizko vrag, muzhaitesya! The enemy is near, let us be brave!
[The Old Believers enter the monastery. Marfa alone stays outside.]
Old Believers
Plamenem i ognyom svyaschennym The sacred fire and flames
My obelimsya, Will cleanse us,
Vo slavu gospoda tvortsa, For the glory of God the Creator,
Vo slavu gospoda tvortsa. For the glory of God the Creator.
Marfa
Konets nam! Our end has come!
Gospodi, ne utayu skorbi moyey, O Lord, I will not hide my pain,
Do dnes' terzayet dushu moyu To this day my heart is tortured
Izmena yevo. By his betrayal.
Bozhe, grekh moy -- lyubov' moya... O God, my sin is my love...
Uslysh menya. Please hear me.
Pravednyi bozhe, O righteous God,
Siloi tvoyeyu verni mne yevo. Use your power to return him to me.
Utesh ty skorb' moyu i uspokoi menya. Heal my pain and give me peace.
Prosti menya siloyu tvoyei lyubvi, Forgive me with the power of your love,
Gospodi. O Lord.
Andrei Khovansky (approaching)
Gde ty, moya volyushka? Where are you, my freedom?
Gde ty, moya negushka? Where are you, my happiness?
U ottsa l', u batyushki? Is it with my father,
U rodimoi u matushki? Or with my dear mother?
Kuda zh, kuda ya volyushku? And if I regained my freedom,
Kuda svoyu negushku? If I regained my happiness,
Da kuda zh devat' yeyo, Where would I put it?
Da kuda zh devat' budu ya? What would I do with it?
Marfa! Marfa!
Marfa
Milyi moi! Vspomni, pomyani My dear! Remember, remember
Svetlyi mig lyubvi; That sweet moment of love;
Mnogo chudnykh snov I have seen many strange dreams
S tekh por vidala ya; Since then;
Snilos' mne, budto by I dreamt that you had
Izmena lyubvi tvoyei, Abandoned me,
Chudilis', brodili dumy mrachnyya. And dark thoughts haunted me.
Andrei
Marfa! Marfa!
Marfa
Spokoisya, knyazhe. Be calm, Prince.
Ya ne ostavlyu tebya, I will not forsake you;
Vmeste s toboyu sgoryu, lyubya. I will burn along with you, loving you.
A slysh-poslysh: But can't you still hear it?
Zharko bylo, I felt on fire
Kak v nochi sheptal ty mne, As you whispered to me at night,
Pro lyubov' svoyu, pro schast'ye moyo. About your love, about my happiness.
Tuchei chornoyu pokrylas' lyubov' tvoya, A dark cloud has covered your love,
Kholodom, l'dom skovalo serdtse mne. And my heart feels as if encased in ice.
Smertnyi chas nash prishol, milyi moi, Our hour of death has come, my dear,
Oboimu tebya v ostatniy raz. Let me embrace you one last time.
Alliluya, alliluya, Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Alliluya, alliluya. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
[Trumpet sounds in the background. Dosifei and others appear, wearing white
gowns, carrying candles. Some start building the bonfire.]
Dosifei
Truba predvechnovo! The trumpet of the Everlasting!
Nastalo vremya The time has come for us to accept,
V ogne i plameni Amid fire and flames,
Prinyat' venets slavy vechnyya. The crown of eternal glory.
Andrei
Marfa, spasi menya! Marfa, save me!
Marfa
Tebya spasti? Save you?
Slyshal li ty, Didn't you hear,
Vdali, za etim borom, Far away, beyond that forest,
Truby veschali The trumpets announce
Blizost' voisk petrovskikh? The approach of Peter's troops?
My predany, We've been betrayed,
Nas okruzhili, We are surrounded,
Negde ukrytsya, There's nowhere to hide,
Net nam spasen'ya. There's no escape for us.
Sama sud'ba skovala Fate itself has firmly
Krepko nas s toboyu, Chained us together, you and me,
I prorekla And has ordained
Konets nam smertnyi; Our deathly end;
Ni slyozy, ni mol'by, Neither tears nor supplications,
Ni ukory, ni stenan'ya, Neither moans nor reproaches,
Nichto ne spasyot, Nothing will save us,
Sud'ba tak velela. Fate has so decreed.
Andrei
Marfa, molyu tebya, Marfa, I beseech you,
Tyazhko, tyazhko mne. Heavy, heavy is my heart.
Marfa
Idem zhe, knyazhe, So, let's go, Prince,
Bratiya uzh sobralas', Our brethren have assembled,
I ogon' svyaschennyi And the sacred fire
Zhertvy zhdyot svoyey. Awaits its offering.
Vspomni, pomyani Remember, remember
Svetlyi mig lyubvi, That sweet moment of love,
Kak sheptal ty mne How you whispered to me
Pro schast'ye svoyo; About your happiness;
V ogne i plameni Amid fire and flames,
Zakalitsya ta klyatva tvoya. Your vow, like iron, will be tempered.
[The trumpets grow near.]
Old Believers
Gospodi slavy, gryadi vo slavu tvoyu! O glorious Lord, come in all Thy glory!
Dosifei
Bratiya! Brethren! Let us get ready
Podvignemsya; For our final feat of faith;
Vo gospode pravdy i lyubvi In the Lord of truth and love
Da uzrim svet. May we see the light.
Da sginut plotskiye kozni ada May the carnal designs of Hell vanish,
Ot litsa svetla pravdy i lyubvi. When faced by truth and love.
[Marfa lights the fire.]
Old Believers, Marfa, Dosifei
Gospod' i bog moy, O Lord, my God,
Zaschitnik i pokrovitel'! Defender and protector!
Paset mya Thou art my shepherd,
I nichtozhe lishit mya. And I shall not want.
[x2, as the trumpets become louder and the fire keeps rising.]
Marfa
Vspomni, pomyani tot svetlyi mig! Remember, remember that sweet moment!
Andrei
O, Marfa, Marfa! Oh, Marfa, Marfa!
Dosifei and Old Believers
Amin'! Amen!
[All perish in the flames. The monastery gates collapse under axe-blows from
the outside; the soldiers charge in, and then freeze, dumbstruck, in front of the
fire.]
-----------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes:
(1) Ivan and Peter
(2) Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
(3) I.e. "Old Believers"
(4) Lit., "Because the dead bear no shame" -- a well-known old expression,
originally used in a military context
(5) The "Swamp": at the time, a low-lying area of Moscow (which would, indeed,
sometimes turn into a swamp due to heavy rainfall or spring floods). Belgorod
and Kitai-Gorod, mentioned elsewhere, were also areas of Moscow.
(6) Gediminas: ruler of Lithuania, 1316-1341
(7) Izmailovo: at the time, a village near Moscow, which served as Peter's
residence
(8) A "gaiduk" was something similar to a strelets, but the term was mainly used
in Eastern Europe outside of Russia. "Gaiduchok" is the diminutive thereof.
Historical notes:
(1) Peter's treatment of the streltsy was not as nice as in the opera; eventually,
he had many of them executed or exiled.
(2) Not all Old Believer sects ended up the way Dosifei's did; many survived by
fleeing to remote places, including outside of Russia. Some exist even today.
Etymological note:
The name "Kitai-Gorod" is often mistranslated as "Chinatown" or "the Chinese
quarter." Although the origin of the word "Kitai" is not definitively known, and
although it is homonymous with the modern Russian word for "China" (cf. "Cathay"),
it was almost certainly not derived from it; and in any case, the meaning of
"Kitai-Gorod" had nothing to do with China or the Chinese.
Copyright notice:
Translation, transliteration, foreword, and notes © Serge Elnitsky, 2009-10.
Many thanks to all who helped me; the responsibility for any errors remains
my own. This text may be copied/distributed/mirrored on the Internet, for
non-commercial purposes only, unaltered (*), including this notice. All other
rights reserved. Any suggestions, corrections, or comments are welcome.
(*) with the sole exception of additional notes and/or footnotes, clearly
marked as such.
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