Pushkin Alexander. Mozart and Salieri

ALEXANDER PUSHKIN

MOZART AND SALIERI

Translated by Alec Vagapov

SCENE 1

Room

S a l i e r i

There is no truth on earth they say.

There is no truth in heaven either.

It's clear as day to me, so plain to see.

With love for art I came to birth;

In childhood when the organ played

High up in the age-old church of ours

I'd listen with delight, as sweet

Involuntary tears fell down my face.

From idle pastime I refrained untimely;

I hated all the sciences except for music

I stubbornly and haughtily repudiated them

And gave myself entirely to music.

It's hard to make first step,

First path is always boring.

The early miseries I easily came over

And made a craft a pedestal to art;

So I became a craftsman, and I gave

My fingers dull and docile fluency

And loyalty to ear. And I killed

The sounds, and dissolved the music

Like a dead body. I checked up harmony

With algebra. Well versed in science,

I dared lapse into creative dreams.

And I began composing; secretly, in silence,

Without daring to think of fame.

I'd often sit in silent cell for a few days

Forgetting utterly about sleep and food,

Enjoying tears and delight if inspiration

I'd burn my work and coldly watch

My thoughts and sounds I'd begotten

Along with smoky air disappear.

What do I say? When the great Gluck

Came opening to us fascinating secrets

(new intimate and captivating secrets)

Didn't I cast aside all I had known,

All I had loved and what I had believed in,

Didn't I freshly follow him, resigned,

Wasn't I sent by counterpart

in different direction?

By energetic, tense consistency

I had at last achieved a high degree of

Proficiency in art. Renown smiled on me

I found in the hearts of people

Response to my creative works.

I was delighted: I peacefully enjoyed

My work, success and fame as well as

The works and luck of friends

Associates in the amazing art.

Oh no! I've never known envy

No never! Neither when Puccini

Could please the ear of wild Parisians

Nor when I heard for the first time

The first accords of Iphigenia.

And who will say Salieri was a proud man

Some time a hateful envious man,

A viper, trampled down by humans,

And gnawing sand and dust despairingly?

Nobody will!.. But now - I'll say it - now

I am an envious man. I envy deeply

And poignantly. Oh, Heaven!

Where is the virtue, when the holy gift

Has not been sent as a reward

For burning love, work, self-denial, zeal

And prayer but instead

Lights up the madman's head

And idler's mind? Oh Mozart, Mozart!

Enter Mozart

M o z a r t

Oh yeah! You saw it! And I wanted

To treat you to an unexpected joke.

S a l i e r i

You are here! - How long?

M o z a r t

Right now. Well, I was going

To show you something; but

As was passing by the pub

I suddenly heard a violin play,

Oh no, my friend, Salieri!

You never heard a funnier thing...

A blind man played voi che sapete

Miraculous!

I couldn't help but bring him here.

To entertain you to his art

Come in!

Enter the blind man, violin in hand

Something from Mozart!

The old man plays an aria from Don Juan; Mozart laughs.

S a l i e r i

How can you laugh?

M o z a r t

         Oh, Salieri!
Aren't you laughing?

S a l i e r i

  No.

I do not find it funny when a worthless painter

Stains Raphael's Madonna for me,

I do not find it funny

When a contemptible buffoon
Dishonours Alighieri. Now get off, old man.

. M o z a r t

Wait: here you are

Drink to my health.

Exit the old man

Salieri,

You're down at heart. I'll come to you

Some other time.

S a l i e r i

What have you brought me?

M o z a r t

No - well, a trifle. The other day, at night

Insomnia tormented me,

And two or three ideas came to my mind.

Today I've put them down. And I wanted

To hear your opinion, but I see

You don't have time for me.

S a l i e r i

Oh, Mozart, Mozart!

I always have got time for you. Sit down;

I'm listening.

M o z a r t
(at the piano)

Imagine ... Whom shall I play?

Well, let's say, me - a little younger;

A loving man - not much, but just a bit -

With beauty, or a friend - or, say, with you,

I'm happy ... Suddenly: a deathly vision

Pitch darkness or a thng like that ...

Well, listen.
(He plays)

S a l i e r i

You were on your way to me

And stopped outside the pub

To listen to the blind violinist! God!

You, Mozart, are unworthy of yourself.

M o z a r t

Well, is it all right?

S a l i e r i

Oh what a depth!

What courage and what harmony!

You're god, and and you are not aware it, Mozart; I know it, yes I do.

M o z a r t

Oh, really? Maybe ...

But my divinity is hungry.

S a l i e r i

Now listen: let's have lunch together

At Golden Lion Pub.

M o z a r t

Well, I don't mind;

I'm glad. But let me first go home

And tell my wife

Not to expect me for the lunch.

(Exit)

S a l i e r i

I'll wait. Be sure to come.
Oh no! I can't resist my fate:

I'm chosen to restrain and stop him

Or else we shall all die,
Yes all of us, clergyman, adherents of music,
And not just me with the deaf fame of mine...

What is the use, if Mozart is alive
And reaches a new height?
Will he raise music art ? Well, no;
It will collapse when he fades out:
And he won't leave an heir either.
So what's the use? Like a cherub,
He's brought us a few songs of Paradise,
So that, perturbing wingless wish in us,
Children of ashes, fly away!

So fly away! The sooner you will do the better.

Here is the poison, Izora's latest gift.

I've kept it for about eighteen years

And ever since my life appears

A godly wound to me, and I would often sit With a carefree friend of mine at table,

And I have never bowed

To whisper of temptation, though I am not

A coward, and I am quick to take offence,
And though I don't like life so much.

I lingered. Thirst for death tormented me
Why die? I fancied: life might bring
Some unexpected gifts, perchance.

And, joy, creative night and inspiration

Might possibly attend me, and, perhaps,
A Haydn might create an outstanding thing,
And I would take delight ...
I feasted with the hateful guest,
I thought that I might find, the worst of enemy, Perchance from up a haughty height

The worst offense might fall on me -
Then you, Izora's gift, would not get lost,
And I was right! I found in the end

My enemy, and new Haydn

Suprisingly intoxicated me with joy!

The time has come! You precious gift of love,

Turn into cup of friendship now.

SCENE 2

Special room in the pub; а piano.

Mozart and Saliery sitting at table

S a l i e r i

Why are you gloomy?

M o z a r t

Me? No!

S a l i e r i

You are upset to-day, aren't you, Mozart?

The food is good, the wine is fine,

And you look gloomy and keep silent.

M o z a r t

To tell the truth,

My Requiem worries me.

S a l i e r i

Oh!

You are composing Requiem? How long?

M o z a r t

Since long ago, three weeks or so

But, strangely... Did I tell you?

S a l i e r i

No.

M o z a r t

Now listen.

Three weeks or so ago I came home late.

They told me somebody had called on me,

I don't know why,

And I was thinking all night long:

Who was it? What did he need?

The following day he called again

But didn't find me in. And then one day

As was playing with my boy,

Somebody hailed me. I went out

A man in black bowed kindly to me

And ordered Requiem, and disappeared.

I started working right away - and ever since

The black man never came to me;

Well, I am glad: I would be sorry

To give it up. Although my Requiem

Is almost ready now. Meanwhile...

S a l i e r i

What?

M o z a r t

I am ashamed of telling you...

S a l i e r i

What is it?

M o z a r t

Day in day out my black man

Gives me no rest. Persuing me

Just like a shadow. Now

It seems to me he's sitting here

Next to us.

S a l i e r i

Well, that's enough! Why fear like a child?

Dispel your empty thought. Beaumarchais

Once said to me: "Now listen , brother,
When a black thought enters your mind,
Uncork a bottle of champagne
Or read "The Marriage of Figaro" once again.

M o z a r t

Yes! Beaumarchais, he was a friend of yours;
You wrote the "Tarara" for him
Great piece of work. I has a tune...

I keep repeating it when I am happy...

La-la-la-la... Salieri, is it true
That Beaumarchais was poisoned?

S a l i e r i

I don't think so: he was too funny

For such a thing.

M o z a r t

He's a genius, isn't he?

Like you and I. While genius and villainy

Are incompatible, are they?

S a l i e r i

You think so?

(throws poison into Mozart's glass)

Now drink it, will you?

M o z a r t

To your good health.

My friend, and to sincere friendship,

Uniting Mozart and Salieri,

Two sons of harmony.

(drinks it)

S a l i e r i

Wait, wait,

Wait, have you drunk it... without me?

M o z a r t

(throws the serviette down on the table)

I've had enough

(goes up to the piano)

Listen, Salieri

To my Requiem

(he plays it)

Are you crying?

S a l i e r i

I'm shedding tears

For the first time: both nice and painful,

As if I'd done my heavy duty

As if a healing knife had cut

My suffering part! Mozart, my friend,

These tears...

Don't pay attention. Hurry up

Fill up my soul with sounds...

M o z a r t

If everyone could feel the power

Of harmony in such a way. No, no,

The world would not survive for nobody

Would think about the needs of earthly life;
And everybody would indulge in art.

We are not many, chosen idle

And happy men,

Neglecting the compemptible adavantage

The priests of one whole beauty

Is it not true? But now I'm not well,
I`m feeling bad, I'll have a sleep.
Farewell!

S a l i e r i

Good-bye.
(Alone)

You'll fall asleep
For a long time, Mozart! But is he really right

To say that I am not a genius?

Genius and villainy are incompatible.

It isn't true. And Bonarotti?

Or is it just a fairy tale of crazy stupid crowd,
And founder of Vatican was not a killer?

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Аннотация: Alexander Pushkin. MOZART AND SALIERI in English. Translated from the Russian by Alec Vagapov

Pushkin Alexander Mozart and Salieri

Pushkin Alexander
Mozart and Salieri