Бесприданница

ALEXANDER OSTROVSKY

WITHOUT  
A DOWRY

Translated by Norman Henley

ISBN 978-5-9925-1428-5
© КАРО, 2020

Островский, Александр Николаевич. 
 
     Бесприданница : книга для чтения на английском языке / А. Н. Островский. – [Пер. с русск. яз. 
Нормана Хенли]. – Санкт-Петербург : КАРО, 2020. – 
256 с. – (Русская классическая литература на ино
странных языках).

ISBN 978-5-9925-1428-5.

Предлагаем вниманию читателей пьесы великого 
русского драматурга А. Н. Островского «Бесприданница» 
и «Доходное место». Перевод на английский язык с комментариями выполнен американским ученым, специалистом в области русского языка и литературы Норманом 
Хенли.
УДК 372.8
ББК 81.2 Англ-93

УДК 372.8
ББК 81.2 Англ-93
 
О78

О78

WITHOUT A DOWRY

A Drama in Four Acts 
(1879)

CAST OF CHARACTERS*

Kharíta Ignátyevna Ogudálov (Mme Ogudalov), 
a middle-aged widow. Dressed elegantly but 
daringly, not in keeping with her age.

Larísa Dmítriyevna Ogudálov, mme Ogudalov’s unmarried daughter. Dressed richly but modestly.

Móky Parménych Knúrov, one of the entrepreneurs 
of the time. Elderly, rich.

Vasíly Danílych Vozhevátov (Vásya), a very young 
man. One of the representatives of a rich trading firm. Dressed in Western European style.
Yúly Kapitónych Karandyshóv (pronounced 
Karandyshóff), young official of modest 
means.

Sergéy Sergéyich Parátov, an imposing gentleman 
shipowner. Over thirty.

Robinson.

Gavrílo, club bartender and owner of a coffee house 
on the boulevard.

Iván, waiter in the coffee house.

Ilyá, a gypsy.

Manservant of Mme Ogudalov.

Yefrosínya Potápovna, aunt of Karandyshov.

Gypsy men and women.

*Meanings which probably or possibly would be 
suggested to Ostrovsky’s contemporaries: Ogudalov—
swindler; Knurov—boar; Vozhevatov—pleasant, polite; 
Karandyshov—short stature; Paratov—strong and fast (in 
connection with dogs and horses).
Robinson would certainly suggest Robinson Crusoe, especially in the play’s context. Near the end of Act One Paratov says that Robinson’s real name is Arkády Shchastlív tsev 
and that he is an actor from the provinces. Ostrovsky’s contemporaries would have recognized him immediately as 
a character in Ostrovsky’s earlier play The Forest (1871), 
where he was a vagabond ex-actor who had played comic 
roles. Shchastlivtsev suggests “happy,” and Arkady is derived from the Greek place name Arcadia, traditionally symbolizing rustic bliss. Neputóvy (Robinson’s friend, who is 
merely mentioned) suggests “dissolute”. Neputovy was also 
the name of a character in an earlier Ostrovsky play, namely 
At the Jolly Spot (1865).
Especially significant is the fact that Mme Ogudalov’s 
first name Kharita as well as her father’s first name Ignat 
(as is evident from her patronymic Ignatyevna) were often 
names of gypsies.

ACT ONE

The action takes place in the present [1878], in the 
large town of Bryakhimov1on the Volga.
A boulevard on the high bank of the Volga, with an 
open area in front of a coffee house. On the right of 
the actors is an entrance to the coffee house. On their 
left are trees. In the background is a low iron railing, 
beyond it a sweeping view of the Volga with its forests, 
villages, etc. In front of the coffee house are tables and 
chairs: one table on the right, close to the coffee house, 
another on the left.
Gavrilo is standing in the doorway of the coffee 
house. Ivan is tidying up the furniture.

Ivan. Not a soul on the boulevard.

Gavrilo. It’s always like that on holidays. We keep to 
the old ways here. After late mass everybody 
puts away meat pie and cabbage soup, then 
they treat their guests with hospitality, and 
after that it’s seven hours of rest.

Ivan. What do you mean, seven! More like three or 
four. Anyway, it’s a good custom.

Gavrilo. And then about vesper time they wake up 
and drink tea till they’re bored stiff.

Ivan. Bored stiff! What’s there to be bored about?

¹  Name of a town on the Volga which existed in the seventeenth century.

Gavrilo. You just sit down by the samovar and drink 
boiling hot tea a couple of hours, then you’ll 
find out. A man gets all covered over with 
sweat, and he starts to get bored… So that’s 
when he says good-bye to his tea and drags 
himself out on the boulevard for some fresh 
air and a walk. This is the time when the highclass folk take their walk; look, over there you 
can see Moky Parmenych Knurov, stretching 
his legs.
Ivan. Every morning he paces back and forth on the 
boulevard, as if he’d made a vow. Why does he 
go to so much trouble?
Gavrilo. For the exercise.
Ivan. But what’s the exercise for?
Gavrilo. To work up an appetite. He needs the appetite for dinner. You should see the dinners 
he has! Do you think he could eat dinners like 
that without exercise?
Ivan. Why is he so quiet all the time?
Gavrilo. “Quiet”! You’re really something… How can 
you expect him to go on carrying conversations 
when he has all those millions! Who’s he supposed to talk with? There’s only two or three 
people in town he can talk with, so he keeps 
quiet. And that’s why he doesn’t stay here very 
long, wouldn’t stay at all if he didn’t have business. For talking he goes to Moscow, to St. Petersburg, and abroad too; he has more elbow 
room there.

Ivan. There comes Vasily Danilych from over the hill. 
He’s rich too, but he talks a lot.

Gavrilo. Vasily Danilych is still young, still on the 
timid side, but when he gets older he’ll act like 
God too.
Knurov enters from the left and, not paying any attention to the bows of Gavrilo and Ivan, sits down at a 
table, takes out a French newspaper from his pocket, 
and reads it. Vozhevatov enters from the right.

Vozhevatov (bowing respectfully). Moky Parmenych, 
I have the honor of greeting you!

Knurov. Ah, Vasily Danilych! (He holds out a hand.) 
Where did you come from?

Vozhevatov. From the dock. (He sits down.)

Gavrilo comes closer.

Knurov. Were you meeting somebody?

Vozhevatov. I was supposed to but didn’t. I had a telegram yesterday from Sergey Sergeyich Paratov. 
I’m buying a steamboat from him.

Gavrilo. It’s not the Swallow, Vasily Danilych?

Vozhevatov. Yes, it’s the Swallow. What about it?

Gavrilo. It goes fast, it’s a strong boat.

Vozhevatov. But Sergey Sergeyich let me down, he 
didn’t come.

Gavrilo. You were expecting him to come on the Flier, but maybe he’ll come on his own boat, the 
Swallow.

Ivan. Vasily Danilych, there’s another boat coming 
down the river.

Vozhevatov. A lot of boats sail the Volga.

Ivan. That’s Sergey Sergeyich coming.

Vozhevatov. You think so?

Ivan. It looks like him, sir… The paddle boxes on the 
Swallow stand out a lot.

Vozhevatov. That means you’d be making out paddle 
boxes at five miles.

Ivan. I can make them out at seven miles, sir… And 
it’s coming fast, it’s clear the owner’s with it.

Vozhevatov. And how far is it?

Ivan. It’s come out from behind the island. It’s making 
a lot of headway, a lot.

Gavrilo. You say it’s making a lot of headway?

Ivan. A lot. An awful lot! It runs faster than the Flier, 
they’ve timed it.

Gavrilo. It’s him, sir.

Vozhevatov (to Ivan). You tell us when they start 
coming aside.

Ivan. Yes, sir… I suppose they’ll shoot from the cannon.

Gavrilo. They’re sure to.

Vozhevatov. What cannon?

Gavrilo. He has his own barges anchored in the middle of the Volga.

Vozhevatov. I know.
Gavrilo. One barge has a cannon. Whenever somebody meets Sergey Sergeyich or sees him off 
they always fire a salute. (Looking beyond the 
coffee house.) There’s one of Chirkov’s carriages going for him now, sir. They must have 
let Chirkov know he’d be coming, for Chirkov 
himself is on the box. That’s him they’re going 
for, sir.

Vozhevatov. But how do you know it’s for him?

Gavrilo. They’ve got four pacers lined up, it’s really 
for him. Who else would Chirkov make up four 
horses for? It’s even scary to look at them… 
they’re like lions… all four with snaffle bits! 
And the harness, the harness! They’re going 
for him, sir.
Ivan. And there’s a gypsy sitting on the box with 
Chirkov, he has a fancy Cossack coat on, and 
his belt’s so tight he could snap in two.
Gavrilo. They’re going after him, sir. It couldn’t be 
anyone else with four horses like those. It’s 
him, sir.

Knurov. Paratov lives in style.

Vozhevatov. Whatever else, he has plenty of style.

Knurov. Are you buying the boat cheap?

Vozhevatov. Cheap, Moky Parmenych.

Knurov. Yes, of course; otherwise, what’s the advantage of buying? Why is he selling it?