Texts
Book 8 References
Pierre without any apparent cause suddenly felt it impossible to go on living as before.
Only the skeleton of life remained: his house, a brilliant wife who now enjoyed the favors of a very important personage, acquaintance with all Petersburg, and his court service with its dull formalities.
And this life suddenly seemed to Pierre unexpectedly loathsome.
Moscow society, from the old women down to the children, received Pierre like a long-expected guest whose place was always ready awaiting him. For Moscow society Pierre was the nicest, kindest, most intellectual, merriest, and most magnanimous of cranks, a heedless, genial nobleman of the old Russian type. His purse was always empty because it was open to everyone.
Il est charmant; il n’a pas de sexe, they said of him. He is charming; he has no sex.
Pierre was one of those retired gentlemen-in-waiting of whom there were hundreds good-humoredly ending their days in Moscow.
Sometimes he consoled himself with the thought that he was only living this life temporarily; but then he was shocked by the thought of how many, like himself, had entered that life and that club temporarily, with all their teeth and hair, and had only left it when not a single tooth or hair remained.
In moments of pride, when he thought of his position it seemed to him that he was quite different and distinct from those other retired gentlemen-in-waiting he had formerly despised: they were empty, stupid, contented fellows, satisfied with their position, while I am still discontented and want to do something for mankind. But perhaps all these comrades of mine struggled just like me and sought something new, a path in life of their own, and like me were brought by force of circumstances, society, and race—by that elemental force against which man is powerless—to the condition I am in, said he to himself in moments of humility; and after living some time in Moscow he no longer despised, but began to grow fond of, to respect, and to pity his comrades in destiny, as he pitied himself.
So thought Pierre, and the whole of this general deception which everyone accepts, accustomed as he was to it, astonished him each time as if it were something new. I understand the deception and confusion, he thought, but how am I to tell them all that I see? I have tried, and have always found that they too in the depths of their souls understand it as I do, and only try not to see it. So it appears that it must be so! But I—what is to become of me?
It doesn’t matter. I’ll get it unraveled. I have a solution ready, but have no time now—I’ll think it all out later on! But the later on never came.
Pierre
Featured Characters: PIERRE, ALL, WOMEN, MEN
[PIERRE]
It's dawned on me suddenly
And for no obvious
reason
That I can't go on
Living as I am
[PIERRE]
The zest of life has vanished
Only the skeleton remains
Unexpectedly vile
[PIERRE]
I used to be better
I used to be
better
I used to be better
I used to be better
I used to be
better
I used to be better
[ALL]
Oh, Pierre
Our merry feasting crank
Our most
dear, most kind
Most smart and eccentric
A warm-hearted Russian of
the old-school
His purse is always empty
Because it's open to
all
Oh Pierre
Just one of a hundred sad old men
Living out their
final days in Moscow
[PIERRE]
I drink too much
Right now, my friend
fights and bleeds
And I sit at home and read
Hours at a time
Hours at my screen
Anything, anything
Abandoned to distraction
In order to forget
We waste our lives
Drowning in wine...
I
never thought that I'd end up like this
I used to be better
[PIERRE]
And the women, they all pity me
Because I'm
married
But not in love
Frozen at the center
[WOMEN]
Il est charmant; il n'a pas de sexe
He is charming;
he has no sex
[ALL]
Oh, Pierre
Our merry feasting crank
Our most
dear, most kind
Most smart and eccentric
A warm-hearted Russian of
the old-school
His purse is always empty
Because it's open to
all
Oh Pierre
Just one of a hundred sad old men
Living out their
final days in Moscow
[PIERRE]
There's a ringing my head
There's a sickness in the world
And everyone
knows
But pretends that they don't see
Oh, I'll sort it out later
But later never
comes
[PIERRE, MEN]
And how many men before
Good Russian
men
Believing in goodness and truth
[PIERRE]
Entered that door
With all their teeth and hair
And left it toothless and bald?
[PIERRE]
You empty and stupid
Contented fellows
Satisfied
with your place
[PIERRE]
I'm different from you
I'm different from you
I
still want to do something
[PIERRE]
Or do you struggle too?
I pity you
I pity
me
I pity you
[PIERRE]
I pity you
I pity me
I pity you
[ALL]
Ahh...