He gradually passed on to other themes, talked about science, about his thesis, which was liked in Petersburg; he spoke with enthusiasm and no longer remembered my sister, or his grief, or me. He was carried away by life. That one has America and a ring with an inscription, I thought, and this one has his doctoral degree and a scholarly career, and only my sister and I are left with the old things.
***
On weekdays I'm usually busy from early morning till evening. But on feast days, if the weather is good, I take my little niece in my arms (my sister had hoped for a boy but gave birth to a girl) and walk unhurriedly to the cemetery. There I stand or sit, and look for a long time at the dear grave, and tell the girl that her mama lies there.
The Three Sisters ( groei op my, nadat ek 'n tweede produksie gekyk het)
You will be happy. There’s just one thing, only one - you don’t love me!
IRINA: It’s not in my power! I will be your wife, true and obedient, but love - no, what can I do! [Weeps.] I’ve never loved once in my life. Oh, how I dreamed of love, for a long time how I dreamed, day and night, but my soul was like an expensive piano, shut and its key lost.
***
Do you see that tree? It is dead, but it still sways in the wind with the others. I think it would be like that with me. That if I died I would still be part of life in one way or another
The Seagull (*** baie meer verstaanbaar en verteerbaar as die 3 susters, na die eerste kyk)
Humans, lions, eagles, and partridges, antlered deer, geese, spiders, silent fishes that inhabit the waters, starfish, and those beings invisible to the naked eye,—in short, all living things, all living things, all living things, having completed the doleful cycle, are now extinct…Already thousands of centuries have passed since the earth bore any living creature, and this pale moon to no avail doth light her lamp. No more does the meadow awake to the cries of cranes, and the mayflies are no longer to be heard in the linden groves…
Uncle Vanya ( wow, great. En geen selfmoord )
The Cherry Orchard
Ek het in matriek, 'n miljoen jaar gelede, Chekhov se dramas gelees (ek het nogsteeds die boek in my rak). Hoeveel ek ingeneem het weet ek nie, dit is alles by die een oor in en die ander oor uit. Toe ek probeer terugdink aan hierdie dramas, kon ek net 'n enkele toneel onthou, uit Die Kersieboord.
No, don’t laugh at me! If only my father and grandfather could rise up out of their graves, and see all that’s happened – how their little Yermolai, their abused, semi-literate Yermolai, who used to run around barefoot in winter – how that same Yermolai has bought this estate, the most beautiful spot on earth. Yes, I’ve bought the land on which my father and grandfather were slaves, where they weren’t even allowed into the kitchen
Profeties vir Rusland circa 1900, profeties vir ou Suid Afrika.
Ward No 6 ( *** een van my gunstelinge, 'n reis met 'n bestemming )
Rothschild's violin ( *** baie roerend )
“Remember, Yakov?” she asked, looking at him joyfully. “Remember, fifty years ago God gave us a little baby with a blond little head? You and I used to sit by the river then and sing songs … under the pussywillow.” And with a bitter smile she added: “The little girl died.”
Yakov strained his memory, but simply could not remember either the baby or the pussywillow.
“You’re imagining it,” he said
The Student
“The past,” he thought, “is linked to the present by an unbroken chain of events all flowing from one to the other.” And it seemed to him that he had just seen both ends of the chain, and when he touched one end the other trembled.
A Man in his Shell ('n arme sot wat voor sy fiancee van die trappe af val, en so verneder voel dat dit sy lewenslot, as alleenloper, bepaal)
Gooseberries
About Love ( die lang pad van liefde binne tot liefde buite )
Lady with Lapdog ( *** nog 'n verbode liefde sonder 'n toekoms )
In the Ravine ( yikes! )
Anna around the neck ( 'n verligting om 'n gelukkigerige einde te he)
The Kiss (*** prima )
Peasants ( los 'n onsmaaklike gevoel in die mond )
The Russian Master
A Case History
The Duel ( *** die meeste van 'n plot en beplanning. Niemand ken die volle waarheid nie )
The Fiancee
He had put his arm round her waist, and was talking so courteously and modestly, and was so happy as he walked around his house, but in all this she saw only vulgarity, stupid, naïve, intolerable vulgarity, and his arm round her waist felt rough and cold like an iron hoop. Every moment she was on the point of running away, bursting into sobs, throwing herself out of the window.
The Two Volodyos ( weereens 'n ander man se vrou )
My wife ( *** koue oorlog par excellance)
Murder (*** soos Chekhov na Sakhalin - die man wat sy ware geloof vind wanneer daar nie meer 'n gehoor is nie)
Terror ( Die terror is 'n dude wat sy vrou en vriend betrap en instinktief wegvlug )
The House with the Mezzanine
Vanka
The Bet - 'n Dude wat $10mil wet dat 'n jong man nie 10 jaar in gevangenisskap sal verduur nie.
The Bishop
The Black Monk
