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A poem by Ivan Turgenev |
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The Toiler And The Lazy Man |
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Title: The Toiler And The Lazy Man Author: Ivan Turgenev [More Titles by Turgenev] Translated From The Russian A CONVERSATION
THE TOILER Why dost thou bother us? What dost thou want? Thou art not one of us.... Go away! THE LAZY MAN[71] FOOTNOTE: [71] "The white-handed man" would be the literal translation.--TRANSLATOR. I am one of you, brethren! THE TOILER Nothing of the sort; thou art not one of us! What an invention! Just look at my hands. Dost thou see how dirty they are? And they stink of dung, and tar,--while thy hands are white. And of what do they smell? THE LAZY MAN--_offering his hands_ Smell. THE TOILER--_smelling the hands_ What's this? They seem to give off an odour of iron. THE LAZY MAN Iron it is. For the last six years I have worn fetters on them. THE TOILER And what was that for? THE LAZY MAN Because I was striving for your welfare, I wanted to liberate you, the coarse, uneducated people; I rebelled against your oppressors, I mutinied.... Well, and so they put me in prison. THE TOILER They put you in prison? It served you right for rebelling! _Two Years Later_ THE SAME TOILER TO ANOTHER TOILER Hearken, Piotra!... Dost remember one of those white-handed lazy men was talking to thee the summer before last? THE OTHER TOILER I remember.... What of it? FIRST TOILER They're going to hang him to-day, I hear; that's the order which has been issued. SECOND TOILER Has he kept on rebelling? FIRST TOILER He has. SECOND TOILER Yes.... Well, see here, brother Mitry: can't we get hold of a bit of that rope with which they are going to hang him? Folks say that that brings the greatest good luck to a house. FIRST TOILER Thou'rt right about that. We must try, brother Piotra. April, 1878. [The end] GO TO TOP OF SCREEN |