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the sea-gull(海鸥)-第1部分

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                        The Sea…Gull 



The Sea…Gull 



           by Anton Checkov 



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                                  The Sea…Gull 



                             CHARACTERS 



    IRINA ABKADINA; an actress 

    CONSTANTINE TREPLIEFF; her son 

    PETER SORIN; her brother 

    NINA     ZARIETCHNAYA;         a  young   girl;  the  daughter  of  a  rich 

landowner 

    ILIA SHAMRAEFF; the manager of SORIN'S estate 

    PAULINA; his wife 

    MASHA; their daughter 

    BORIS TRIGORIN; an author 

    EUGENE DORN; a doctor 

    SIMON MEDVIEDENKO; a schoolmaster 

    JACOB; a workman 

    A COOK 

    A MAIDSERVANT 

    The   scene   is   laid   on   SORIN'S   estate。  Two   years   elapse   between   the 

third and fourth acts。 



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                                      The Sea…Gull 



                                       ACT I 



     The   scene is laid in the park   on   SORIN'S   estate。 A broad   avenue   of 

trees   leads   away  from  the   audience   toward   a   lake   which   lies   lost   in   the 

depths of the park。 The avenue is obstructed by a rough stage; temporarily 

erected for the performance of amateur theatricals; and which screens the 

lake from view。 There is a dense growth of bushes to the left and right of 

the stage。 A few chairs and a little table are placed in front of the stage。 

The    sun   has   just  set。  JACOB      and   some    other   workmen      are  heard 

hammering and coughing on the stage behind the lowered curtain。 

    MASHA and MEDVIEDENKO come in from the left; returning from 

a walk。 

    MEDVIEDENKO。 Why do you always wear mourning? 

    MASHA。 I dress in black to match my life。 I am unhappy。 

    MEDVIEDENKO。 Why should you be unhappy? 'Thinking it over' I 

don't understand it。 You are healthy; and though your father is not rich; he 

has   a   good   competency。   My   life   is   far   harder   than   yours。   I   only   have 

twenty…three roubles a month to live on; but I don't wear mourning。 'They 

sit down'。 

    MASHA。   Happiness   does   not   depend   on   riches;   poor   men   are   often 

happy。 

    MEDVIEDENKO。 In theory; yes; but not in reality。 Take my case; for 

instance; my mother; my two sisters; my little brother and I must all live 

somehow on my salary of twenty…three roubles a month。 We have to eat 

and drink; I take it。 You wouldn't have us go without tea and sugar; would 

you? Or tobacco? Answer me that; if you can。 

    MASHA。  'Looking   in the   direction   of the stage' The   play  will   soon 

begin。 

    MEDVIEDENKO。 Yes; Nina Zarietchnaya is going to act in Treplieff's 

play。 They love one another; and their two souls will unite to…night in the 

effort to interpret the same idea by different means。 There is no ground on 

which your soul and mine can meet。  I love you。 Too restless and sad   to 

stay at home; I tramp here every day; six miles and back; to be met only by 



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                                        The Sea…Gull 



your    indifference。     I  am   poor;   my   family    is  large;   you   can   have   no 

inducement to marry a man who cannot even find sufficient food for his 

own mouth。 

     MASHA。        It  is  not  that。  'She   takes   snuff'   I  am   touched    by   your 

affection; but I cannot return it; that is all。 'She offers him the snuff…box' 

Will you take some? 

     MEDVIEDENKO。 No; thank you。 'A pause。' 

     MASHA。   The   air   is   sultry;   a   storm   is   brewing   for   to…night。  You   do 

nothing   but   moralise   or   else   talk   about   money。   To   you;   poverty   is   the 

greatest misfortune that can befall a man; but I think it is a thousand times 

easier    to  go   begging    in  rags   than  to   You   wouldn't    understand     that; 

though。 

     SORIN leaning on a cane; and TREPLIEFF come in。 

     SORIN。 For some reason; my boy; country life doesn't suit me; and I 

am sure I   shall never   get used to it。  Last night   I went to bed   at ten   and 

woke   at   nine   this   morning;   feeling   as   if;   from   oversleep;   my   brain   had 

stuck to my skull。 'Laughing' And yet I accidentally dropped off to sleep 

again   after   dinner;   and   feel   utterly   done   up   at   this   moment。   It   is   like   a 

nightmare。 

     TREPLIEFF。   There   is   no   doubt   that   you   should   live   in   town。   'He 

catches sight of MASHA and MEDVIEDENKO' You shall be called when 

the   play   begins;   my   friends;   but   you   must   not   stay   here   now。   Go   away; 

please。 

     SORIN。 Miss Masha; will you kindly ask your father to leave the dog 

unchained? It howled so last night that my sister was unable to sleep。 

     MASHA。 You must speak to my father yourself。 Please excuse me; I 

can't do so。 'To MEDVIEDENKO' Come; let us go。 

     MEDVIEDENKO。 You will let us know when the play begins? 

     MASHA and MEDVIEDENKO go out。 

     SORIN。 I foresee that that dog is going to howl all night again。 It is 

always this way in the country; I have never been able to live as I like here。 

I come down for a month's holiday; to rest and all; and am plagued so by 

their nonsense that I long to escape after the first day。 'Laughing' I have 

always been glad to get away from this place; but I have been retired now; 



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                                         The Sea…Gull 



and this was the only  place I   had to come   to。 Willy…nilly;   one must   live 

somewhere。 

     JACOB。        'To   TREPLIEFF'         We    are   going    to   take   a   swim;    Mr。 

Constantine。 

     TREPLIEFF。 Very well; but you must be back in ten minutes。 

     JACOB。 We will; sir。 

     TREPLIEFF。 'Looking at the stage' Just like a real theatre! See; there 

we have the curtain; the foreground; the background; and all。 No artificial 

scenery   is   needed。   The   eye   travels   direct   to   the   lake;   and   rests   on   the 

horizon。 The curtain will be raised as the moon rises at half…past eight。 

     SORIN。 Splendid! 

     TREPLIEFF。 Of course the whole effect will be ruined if Nina is late。 

She   should   be here by  now;  but   her   father   and stepmother   watch   her so 

closely that it is like stealing her from a prison to get her away from home。 

'He     straightens    SORIN'S      collar'   Your    hair  and   beard    are  all  on   end。 

Oughtn't you to have them trimmed? 

     SORIN。 'Smoothing his beard' They are the tragedy of my existence。 

Even   when   I   was   young   I   always   looked   as   if   I   were   drunk;   and   all。 

Women   have   never   liked   me。   'Sitting   down'   Why   is   my   sister   out   of 

temper? 

     TREPLIEFF。 Why?   Because   she   is   jealous   and   bored。   'Sitting   down 

beside SORIN' She is not acting this evening; but Nina is; and so she has 

set herself against me; and against the performance of the play; and against 

the play itself; which she hates without ever having read it。 

     SORIN。 'Laughing' Does she; really? 

     TREPLIEFF。   Yes;   she   is   furious        because   Nina   is   going   to   have   a 

success     on   this  little  stage。   'Looking     at  his   watch'    My    mother     is  a 

psychological   curiosity。   Without   doubt   brilliant   and   talented;   capable   of 

sobbing over   a   novel;  of   reciting   all   Nekrasoff's   poetry  by  heart;   and   of 

nursing the sick like an angel of heaven; you should see what happens if 

any   one   begins   praising   Duse   to   her!   She   alone   must   be   praised   and 

written     about;    raved   over;    her  marvellous      acting    in  〃La    Dame     aux 

Camelias〃 extolled to the skies。 As she cannot get all that rubbish in the 

country;  she  grows   peevish   and   cross;   and   thinks   we   are  all   against   her; 



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                                          The Sea…Gull 



and to blame for it all。 She is superstitious; too。 She dreads burning three 

candles;   and   fears   the   thirteenth   day  of   the   month。 Then   she   is   stingy。   I 

know for a fact that she has seventy thousand roubles in a bank at Odessa; 

but she is ready to burst into tears if you ask her to lend you a penny。 

     SORIN。 You   have   taken   it   into   your   head   that   your   mother   dislikes 

your play; and the thought of it has excited you; and all。 Keep calm; your 

mother adores you。 

     TREPLIEFF。 'Pulling a flower to pieces' She loves me; loves me not; 

lovesloves me not; lovesloves me not! 'Laughing' You see; she doesn't 

love me; and why should she? She likes life and love and gay clothes; and 

I am already twenty…five years old; a sufficient reminder to her that she is 

no longer young。 When I am away she is only thirty…two; in my presence 

she is forty…three; and she hates me for it。 She knows; too; that I despise 

the modern stage。 She adores it; and imagines that she is working on it for 

the benefit of humanity and her sacred art; but to me the theatre is merely 

the   vehicle   of   convention   and   prejudice。   When   the   curtain   rises   on   that 

little thr ee…walled room; when those mighty geniuses; those high…priests 

of art; show us people in the act of eating; drinking; loving; walking; and 

wearing their coats; and attempt to extract a moral from their insipid talk; 

when   playwrights   give   us   under   a   thousand   different   guises   the   same; 

same;   same   old   stuff;   then   I   must   needs   run   from  it;   as   Maupassant   ran 

from the Eiffel Tower that was about to crush him by its vulgarity。 

     SORIN。 But we can't do wi
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