Texts
Book 8 References
The music sounded louder and through the door rows of brightly lit boxes in which ladies sat with bare arms and shoulders, and noisy stalls brilliant with uniforms, glittered before their eyes. A lady entering the next box shot a glance of feminine envy at Natásha. The curtain had not yet risen and the overture was being played. Natásha, smoothing her gown, went in with Sónya and sat down, scanning the brilliant tiers of boxes opposite. A sensation she had not experienced for a long time—that of hundreds of eyes looking at her bare arms and neck—suddenly affected her both agreeably and disagreeably and called up a whole crowd of memories, desires and emotions associated with that feeling.
The two remarkably pretty girls, Natásha and Sónya, with Count Rostóv who had not been seen in Moscow for a long time, attracted general attention. Moreover, everybody knew vaguely of Natásha’s engagement to Prince Andrew, and knew that the Rostóvs had lived in the country ever since, and all looked with curiosity at a fiancée who was making one of the best matches in Russia.
Dear me, Michael Kirílovich has grown still stouter! remarked the count. Look at our Anna Mikháylovna—what a headdress she has on!The Karágins, Julie—and Borís with them. One can see at once that they’re engaged....
They are talking about us, about me and him! thought Natásha. And he no doubt is calming her jealousy of me. They needn’t trouble themselves! If only they knew how little I am concerned about any of them.
He stood in full view of the audience, well aware that he was attracting everyone’s attention, yet as much at ease as though he were in his own room. Around him thronged Moscow’s most brilliant young men, whom he evidently dominated.
He did, replied Shinshín. He was in the Caucasus and ran away from there. They say he has been acting as minister to some ruling prince in Persia, where he killed the Shah’s brother. Now all the Moscow ladies are mad about him! It’s Dólokhov the Persian that does it!
A tall, beautiful woman with a mass of plaited hair and much exposed plump white shoulders and neck, round which she wore a double string of large pearls, entered the adjoining box rustling her heavy silk dress and took a long time settling into her place.
Natásha involuntarily gazed at that neck, those shoulders, and pearls and coiffure, and admired the beauty of the shoulders and the pearls. While Natásha was fixing her gaze on her for the second time the lady looked round and, meeting the count’s eyes, nodded to him and smiled. She was the Countess Bezúkhova, Pierre’s wife, and the count, who knew everyone in society, leaned over and spoke to her.
Have you been here long, Countess? he inquired. I’ll call, I’ll call to kiss your hand. I’m here on business and have brought my girls with me. They say Semënova acts marvelously. Count Pierre never used to forget us. Is he here?
As soon as it rose everyone in the boxes and stalls became silent, and all the men, old and young, in uniform and evening dress, and all the women with gems on their bare flesh, turned their whole attention with eager curiosity to the stage.
After her life in the country, and in her present serious mood, all this seemed grotesque and amazing to Natásha. She could not follow the opera nor even listen to the music; she saw only the painted cardboard and the queerly dressed men and women who moved, spoke, and sang so strangely in that brilliant light. She knew what it was all meant to represent, but it was so pretentiously false and unnatural that she first felt ashamed for the actors and then amused at them. She looked at the faces of the audience, seeking in them the same sense of ridicule and perplexity she herself experienced, but they all seemed attentive to what was happening on the stage, and expressed delight which to Natásha seemed feigned.
especially at Hélène in the next box, who—apparently quite unclothed—sat with a quiet tranquil smile
And feeling the bright light that flooded the whole place and the warm air heated by the crowd, Natásha little by little began to pass into a state of intoxication she had not experienced for a long while.
As she looked and thought, the strangest fancies unexpectedly and disconnectedly passed through her mind: the idea occurred to her of jumping onto the edge of the box and singing the aria the actress was singing, then she wished to touch with her fan an old gentleman sitting not far from her, then to lean over to Hélène and tickle her.
At a moment when all was quiet before the commencement of a song, a door leading to the stalls on the side nearest the Rostóvs’ box creaked, and the steps of a belated arrival were heard. There’s Kurágin! whispered Shinshín. Countess Bezúkhova turned smiling to the newcomer, and Natásha, following the direction of that look, saw an exceptionally handsome adjutant approaching their box with a self-assured yet courteous bearing. This was Anatole Kurágin whom she had seen and noticed long ago at the ball in Petersburg. He was now in an adjutant’s uniform with one epaulet and a shoulder knot. He moved with a restrained swagger which would have been ridiculous had he not been so good-looking and had his handsome face not worn such an expression of good-humored complacency and gaiety. Though the performance was proceeding, he walked deliberately down the carpeted gangway, his sword and spurs slightly jingling and his handsome perfumed head held high. Having looked at Natásha he approached his sister, laid his well gloved hand on the edge of her box, nodded to her, and leaning forward asked a question, with a motion toward Natásha.
Mais charmante! said he, evidently referring to Natásha, who did not exactly hear his words but understood them from the movement of his lips. Then he took his place in the first row of the stalls and sat down beside Dólokhov, nudging with his elbow in a friendly and offhand way that Dólokhov whom others treated so fawningly. He winked at him gaily, smiled, and rested his foot against the orchestra screen.
She turned and their eyes met. Almost smiling, he gazed straight into her eyes with such an enraptured caressing look that it seemed strange to be so near him, to look at him like that, to be so sure he admired her, and not to be acquainted with him.
In the second act there was scenery representing tombstones, there was a round hole in the canvas to represent the moon, shades were raised over the footlights, and from horns and contrabass came deep notes while many people appeared from right and left wearing black cloaks and holding things like daggers in their hands. They began waving their arms.
The scene of the third act represented a palace in which many candles were burning and pictures of knights with short beards hung on the walls. In the middle stood what were probably a king and a queen. The king waved his right arm and, evidently nervous, sang something badly and sat down on a crimson throne.
But suddenly a storm came on, chromatic scales and diminished sevenths were heard in the orchestra, everyone ran off, again dragging one of their number away, and the curtain dropped. Once more there was a terrible noise and clatter among the audience, and with rapturous faces everyone began shouting: Duport! Duport! Duport!
During the entr’acte a whiff of cold air came into Hélène’s box, the door opened, and Anatole entered, stooping and trying not to brush against anyone.
The Opera
Featured Characters: MARYA D, SONYA, ANATOLE, HÉLÈNE, ALL, NATASHA, SERVANT
[MARYA D]
The opera, the opera!
Stop mooning and
moaning, we’ll miss the curtain!
[SERVANT]
Ladies
Welcome to the opera
[SONYA]
Bare arms and shoulders
Brilliant
uniforms
Pearls and silk
Glittering before our eyes
Feminine envy
A whole crowd of memories
Desires and emotions
Natasha, smooth your gown
[ALL]
Natasha, smooth your gown
[NATASHA]
Looking in the glass
I see I am
pretty
Not a girl anymore
I’ve never felt like this before
Hundreds of eyes
Looking at my bare arms
My
bare arms and neck
My bare arms and shoulders
[ALL]
The two remarkably pretty girls
Had not been seen in
Moscow in many years
Everybody knew vaguely of Natasha’s engagement
One of the finest matches in all of Russia
[SONYA]
Look, there’s Alexey, home from the war at last
[MARYA D]
He has changed
Dear me, Michael Kirilovich has grown still stouter!
[ALL]
There’s Boris and Julie, engaged
And Anna
Mikhaylovna, what a headdress she has on!
[HÉLÈNE]
And is that Natasha
[ALL]
And is that Natasha
And is that Natasha
[NATASHA]
They are looking at me
They are talking about
me!
They all like me so much
The women envious
The men
calming their jealousy
[SERVANT]
Announcing Fedya Dolokhov
He dominates Moscow’s most brilliant young men
He stands in full view
Well aware he’s attracting
attention
Yet as much at ease as though he were in his own room
[MARYA D]
Dolokhov was in the Caucasus
And he killed the
Shah’s brother!
Now all the Moscow ladies are mad about him
Dolokhov the assassin!
[SERVANT]
Announcing Countess Hélène Bezukhova
The queen of society
Beautiful, barely clothed
Plump bare shoulders, and much-exposed neck
Round which she wears a
double string of pearls
[ALL]
Hélène and Dolokhov, arm in arm
Pierre the
cuckold sits at home
Pierre the cuckold sits at home
The poor man
[PIERRE]
No, I am enjoying myself at home this evening
[NATASHA]
Oh, that neck
Oh, those pearls
[HÉLÈNE]
So beautiful
What a charming young
girl
So enchanting
[NATASHA]
I blush scarlet
[MARYA D]
Countess Bezukhova, Pierre’s wife
Have you been here long?
And where is dear
Pierre?
He never used to forget us
[NATASHA]
Yes Pierre, that good man
A little sad, a
little stout
He must come visit us
[HÉLÈNE]
I will implore him to do so
[MARYA D]
There’s a woman one should stay far away
from
Now Natasha
The curtain rises
[ALL]
The curtain rises
[NATASHA]
Everyone in the boxes and the stalls became silent
All the men, old and young, in uniform and evening dress
All the women
in the hall
With gems on their bare flesh
Turned their whole
attention
With curiosity to the stage
Two singers perform a scene from an avant-garde opera. It is grotesque and amazing.
[NATASHA]
Grotesque and amazing
I cannot follow the
opera
Or even listen to the music
I see painted cardboard
Queerly dressed actors
Moving and singing so strangely in the
lights
So false and unnatural
I’m ashamed and amused
And
everyone else seems oblivious
Yes everyone feigns delight
[SONYA]
And feeling the flood of brilliant lights
The warm
perfumed air heated by the crowd
Natasha little by little
Began
to pass into a state of intoxication
[NATASHA]
Oh I’d tickle you all if I could
Oh I’d tickle you
all if I could
[SONYA]
And then
A rush of cold air
[NATASHA, SONYA]
An exceptionally handsome man walked in
With a
confident yet courteous air
[HÉLÈNE]
This was Hélène’s brother
Anatole Kuragin
He moved with a swagger
Which would have been
ridiculous
Had he not been so good-looking
And though it was the
middle of the act
He walked right down the aisle
His sword and
spurs jangling
His handsome perfumed head held high
And he
looked right at Natasha
[ANATOLE]
Mais charmante
[HÉLÈNE]
And he took his place in the front row
next to Dolokhov
[NATASHA]
How handsome he is
How intoxicating
[SONYA]
In the second act there were
tombstones
The moon over the footlights
Horns and
contrabass
Black cloaks and daggers in their hands
[NATASHA]
I turn around again and our eyes
meet
He gazes straight into my eyes
He is talking about
me
[SONYA]
Candles burning
A crimson
throne
The Tsar wails a mournful tune
They all wave their
arms
And everybody cheers
“Bravo, bravo!”
[NATASHA]
Every time I look at him
He’s looking at me
Every
time I look at him
He's looking at me
Every time I look at
him
[SONYA]
A terrible noise, a clatter in the crowd
A storm of
chromatic scales and diminished sevenths
With rapturous faces everyone was shouting
Screaming
and shouting, “Bravo!”
[ALL]
Bravo, bravo
Bravo, bravo
Bravo, bravo
[SONYA]
And then
A rush of cold air
And Anatole entered the box