A Fully Glossed Russian Text of “The Death of Ivan Ilich” with Explanatory and Interpretive Annotations
Chapter 1
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- The Ivan Il'ich mentioned in the title is Ivan Il'ich Golovin, the novel's protagonist. Tolstoy modeled this character in part on a certain Ivan Il'ich Mechnikov, an acquaintance of his who served as prosecutor in the district court of Tula, the nearest sizable town to Tolstoy's country estate at Yasnaya Polyana. According to N. F. Golubov's commentary on The Death of Ivan Il'ich in volume 26 of Complete Collected Works of Lev Tolstoi in 90 Volumes the circumstances attending Mechnikov's illness and untimely death in 1881 closely resembled those described by Tolstoy in the story. Shortly after Mechnikov's demise in July, 1881, Tolstoy made his first recorded mention of the idea which he eventually developed into The Death of Ivan Il'ich. The novel was completed and published in 1886. ↵
- The Melvinsky case was a celebrated court case of the 1880s, as was the Krasovsky case, mentioned a couple of lines later. Evidently Tolstoi is at pains to connect his narrative to the authentic realities of life in the period described. ↵
- In the 1880s both civil and criminal cases were often heard by a panel of three judges before whom matters were argued by opposing counsel. The "members" of the court were these judges. Ivan Il'ich, whose death is about to come to the attention of these gentlemen, was such a judge. ↵
- The motifs of judge, judgement, and jurisdiction (the right or responsibility of rendering judgement) emerge immediately, frequently, and forcefully in the story. It seems clear that the theme of judgement will be important; it may be that we as readers will ourselves be implicated in the responsibility of rendering judgement on the life and death of Ivan Il'ich. ↵
- Petr Ivanovich takes no part in the discussion concerning jurisdiction (the judicial responsibility of hearing evidence and rendering judgement) here. He continues steadfast throughout chapter one (after which he more or less disappears from the novel) in his refusal to "get involved." He is concerned only to perform the superficial rituals required by the death of his colleague and then to leave the entire unpleasant situation behind him in order to spend the remainder of his evening playing cards. His indifference to the discussion of the question of jurisdiction in the first paragraph is a model of his general attitude toward the death of his colleague and mentor. ↵
- Vedomosti (The Gazette) was the name shared by prominent daily newspapers in both St. Petersburg and Moscow. Most commentators believe that Tolstoi had Moscow in mind as the setting of the novel. ↵
- This is the first of many examples of images of enclosure and containment in the text of the novel. These images become a veritable leitmotiv of isolation and estrangement over the course of the story. This is also the first appearance of Ivan Ilich himself. In a way, one might say that the main question of which the reader of the story must judge is: "How did Ivan Ilich come to be enclosed in such a tiny frame?" Click here to see a typical example of such a funeral announcement as is described here. Note how prominent the "black border" of the announcement is. ↵
- Note the familiar conventionality of the content of the announcement. It will emerge that this tidy summary of Ivan Il'ich as a "beloved spouse" (rather than a husband) whose "kindred and acquaintances" (rather than his relatives and friends) are "informed" (rather than told) of the "demise" (not death) of this "member of the Palace of Justice" (his function in life), in the midst of her "profound grief" (not so very apparent at the scene of the funeral which will shortly follow). Thus is Ivan Il'ich's life and death neatly encapsulated in a "single document, executed in perfect observance of all required formalities" (a description provided in chapter two of Ivan Il'ich's own particular skill as a judicial official). ↵
- Ivan Il'ich is a good man who is liked by all of his co-workers. This motif is taken up again at the beginning of Chapter Two; his story is that of an ordinary man. Neither villain nor hero, Ivan Il'ich is just such a pleasant and likable fellow as we would all prefer to have around us. ↵
- The irony, of course, is that what Ivan Il'ich suffered most from was, in fact, incurable by medical means. His spiritual malaise becomes much more painful to him than his physical disease. The novel concludes, however, on the hopeful note that this spiritual illness can be alleviated. ↵
- The Russian text says, literally, that "his place remained behind him." The conversation of his friends will soon make it clear that, pleasant fellow though he was, his vacant place in the official world is much more important than the person who has died. There is also the clear suggestion that a person's place or position is of considerably more importance than the person himself. ↵
- Kaluga: a provincial city. Just as Ivan Il'ich's final promotion brings him, at last, from the provinces to the capital, so here Peter Ivanovich can imagine no happier and more desirable fate for his brother-in-law. ↵
- The Russian text says, literally, "he wouldn't raise himself up," a somewhat peculiar way to indicate that a sick person won't recover. It may, however, serve to suggest the notion of the raising of the dead by a miracle of the spirit. So, for example, in scripture Jesus "raised" Lazarus from the dead. That Ivan Il'ich in the end did succeed in "raising himself" seems to be suggested in the last chapter of the novel. ↵
- Here we note the use of the word определить ('to define,' 'to specify') to characterize what the doctors were trying to do. The word is derived from the root предел ('limit,' 'boundary') and so plays into the motif of limitation which is marked throughout the story. Etymologically, the doctors are trying to "put a limit to" or "close in" Ivan's illness, but they are not able to do so. ↵
- The first example of the novel's satirical attitude toward physicians. Doctors and other professionals (Ivan Il'ich's colleagues, Ivan himself) are all shown in the novel as concerned exclusively with forms or phenomena rather than with the individuals who appear before them. Of Ivan Il'ich it will be said that his great talent as an official is his ability to reduce even the most complex individual case into a properly executed one-page form. ↵
- Here is another example of a revealing choice of words. The Russian for "would get better" is, literally, "would right himself, would correct himself." As in the remark about "raising himself" this colloquial and metaphorical expression seems to contain a hidden, literal meaning. In the end, Ivan Il'ich does seem to "right himself" before he dies. Given the eventual outcome of the novel, these examples suggest that Tolstoy is telling two stories here: one of them is about the physical illness and death of Ivan Il'ich; the other concerns the spiritual condition of the protagonist. These two stories are related in that the second is, so to say, told through the first. Phrases which superficially refer to the first narrative are often also very important for the second. ↵
- "Trifling" translates the Russian word "ничтожное" (etymologically, "nothing at all"), suggesting that Ivan Il'ich, despite his hard work, had not managed to accumulate anything of significance. Thus, his life has come to nothing (Russian, ничто). ↵
- The separation among people, including the emotional distance separating them, is a prominent motif in the development of the novel. In a sense, the story of Ivan Il'ich's life is a history of his increasing and self-imposed isolation from those close to him. ↵
- The very serious topic of the death of a valued colleague is replaced by trivialities. The colleagues of Ivan Il'ich, like all of us, are unwilling to deal with the fact of death. They deny it, avoid it, eventually flee from it. Note that this process is reflected in detail in the behavior of Peter Ivanovich as he goes to pay a call of condolence on Ivan Il'ich's widow. He wishes that he could avoid it, he seeks to minimize his connection with the body of his dead friend, and he leaves the proceedings with unseemly haste so as to be able to join a game of cards in progress. ↵
- The thought "it's he who is dead and not I" is symptomatic of the belief in the separability of people from one another. We have already learned that the characters mentioned so far live far away from one another, and this passage is another example of the same idea--that other people, unpleasant occurrences, distressing situations can be kept at a distance, that each individual has a separate fate which can be controlled simply by avoidance of all perceived threats. We will see Ivan Il'ich again and again putting this distance between himself and various forms of unpleasantness. It will turn out, however, that this distancing carries with it the necessary consequence of closing the individual off from contact with others. Thus it is that two primary sets of images in the novel--pertaining to distance and enclosure--are causally related to one another. ↵
- "So-called," of course because they seem to lack any concern at all for Ivan Il'ich as an individual person. Their interest in him is, one might say, functional; he is a co-worker, a husband, a father, a deceased acquaintance whose funeral must be attended. ↵
- The Russian words for 'propriety' (приличие), 'appropriate, fitting' (прилично), and 'pleasant' (приятно) play a very important role in the novel's description of the life of Ivan Il'ich. They function as a sort of verbal leitmotiv of his life and the life of those around him. They suggest a life which is ruled by adherence to a known set of standards. One gets an image of the individual comfortably surrounded by well-marked boundaries of behavior within which the individual may be confident of a pleasant and well-regulated existence. In this way, the ideal life of propriety may be seen as an instance of the images of enclosure and distance. We already know that the end of such a life is the enclosure of the coffin and the distance which the living seek to put between themselves and the deceased. ↵
- One of the central artistic techniques of The Death of Ivan Il'ich is the concealment of one conception, image, or verbal motif inside another. The word "sympathy" in this passage is an example of this. It is derived from a Greek root (path-) which may designates either "feeling" or "disease." Thus, in English, we have both "sympathy" and "pathology." The Russian word for "sympathy" is "соболезнование," which also derives from the Greek, but in a different manner than its English counterpart. The English word simply imports the original Greek word "sumpathēs" (as redered in the Latin alphabet). The Russian word is a "calque": that is, the word is made by following the structure of the original but translating the Greek roots into their Russian equivalents. Thus, the Greek "sun-" ('with') becomes the Russian со- ('with') while the Greek "path-" ('feeling' or illness') becomes the Russian болезнь ('illness'), producing 'soboleznovanie.' Russians use this word exclusively for the function of expressing sympathy, condolence, or fellow feeling with someone, but its form may suggest that the sympathizer is suffering from the same disease. In other words, it produces an effect like that we can see in English when someone says "I feel your pain." We know that the function of the phrase is to provide comfort, but its form suggests that the pain is real and physical. We might call this technique the realization of metaphor. A phrase or behavior which is commonly used metaphorically is seen to have also the significance of literal reality. It is as though the metaphorical function of the phrase is taken for the reality of life when in it is a self-defeating attempt to conceal the reality of life. "I feel your pain" is what I say to comfort you in your suffering, but I don't really feel your pain. But it may also suggest that I do, in fact, suffer the same pain that you do, but I'm not yet aware of it or ready to admit to it in my own case. This technique recurs again and again in the text, eventually creating a structure in which that which is on the surface is, in fact, superficial and inadequately real, and that which lies below that carefully constructed surface is the truth about reality. This is as much as to say that The Death of Ivan Il'ich is a deeply symbolic work, fulfilling the classical definition of symbolism: a realibus ad realiora--the use of "real" things to show the way to "more real" things. ↵
- Peter Ivanovich's arrival at the home of Ivan Ilich is marked by rather obvious reminders of the fact that Ivan Ilich has died: the coffin lid leaning against the wall in the foyer, the black clothing worn by two ladies who have just arrived. Also present is a character with a prominent role in Chapter One, Schwartz, whose name (in German) signifies 'black'. Thus, from one point of view, Schwartz, who gives the impression of being impervious to death, is just one more memento mori among the several that are presented here. On the other hand, as in the next sentence, Schwartz is clearly presented as being somehow above and impervious to the death of Ivan Il'ich: he winks, he seems to say that Ivan Il'ich died because of his own foolishness, that Schwartz and Peter Ivanovich will not die, he has a playful character. At the same time, his clothing, like his name is all black and his manner is superficially solemn. In short, Schwartz is a puzzle. In what follows he will be directly and significantly compared with the dead Ivan Il'ich. ↵
- Actually, Peter Ivanovich is interested in playing a card game of French origin called "vignt," which much resembles the modern game of bridge. Card playing will be a major motif in the novel. It functions throughout as a symbol of a life of propriety. We will find that as Ivan Ilich grows older he values card-playing as an activity ever more. There is often an opposition, as here, between playing cards as an attractive, pleasant activity on one side and the harsh realities of life, the funeral, an illness, on the other. ↵
- The first mention of this character, who will play an increasingly important role in the story later on. Gerasim often expresses ideas and sentiments which the other characters in the story would find unpalatable. At the end of Chapter One, for example, Gerasim reminds Peter Ivanovich that "we will all come to it one day" when asked about his feelings concerning the death of Ivan Il'ich. In Russian, Gerasim is identified as a "bufetnyj muzhik," thereby linking him closely to the Russian peasant (Russ. 'muzhik'), even though he is working in an urban, domestic situation. ↵
- Here we see a distinct contrast between the solemnity and certainty manifested by the face of the dead Ivan Il'ich and the hesitation shown by Peter Ivanovich and the playfulness displayed by Schwartz. As if to point this contrast, the retreating Peter Ivanovich is, upon leaving the room wherein lies Ivan Il'ich, immediately presented with the restorative sight of Schwartz. ↵
- Note that the refreshing effect that Schwartz has upon Peter Ivanovich is emphatically associated with "play" (Russian "игра") and words built from this root: he "plays" with his hat; his figure is "playful"; his attitude suggests that there is no reason why the funeral service should keep them from "playing" cards; later his "playful" look suggests that Peter Ivanovich can still join them for bridge after he extricates himself from Praskovya Fyodorovna and the funeral sevice. Note also that the playful Schwartz is closely associated with the card game that will also turn out to be Ivan Ilich's favorite pastime. The association of the game of cards and a certain style of life is emphasized throughout the text. ↵
- In the extended scene between Peter Ivanovich and Praskovya Fyodorovna (Ivan Ilich's widow) we see many further indications of the artificiality of the relationships among these characters. Another interesting motif is the uncommonly important role played by material objects in the scene. The "faulty springs of the pouffe (an upholstered stool or ottoman)" are mentioned several times as disturbing the ritual of the visit of condolence. Later on, there will be further awkwardness when Praskovya Fyodorovna catches her shawl on the elaborately carved table edge. A direct connection is made between Ivan Ilich and the objects in this room. Later on we discover that the illness which killed him seemed to have stemmed from a fall which he had while attempting to show the draper just exactly how he wanted the curtains to be hung. Much in the manner of the games which they play, the objects with which these characters surround themselves seem to have an unusual significance in their lives. ↵
- Cf. Peter Ivanovich's uncertainty about what was the proper way to approach the coffin in an earlier scene. Clearly, image and appearance are much more important to these characters than the actual realities of the situations in which they find themselves. It is as though every situation has its rules, much like the rules of a game, which much be observed at all costs. ↵
- The hankie being clean, the widow has evidently not previously had occasion to weep into it. ↵
- The widow's evident clear-headedness in this discussion belies her claim that she is devastated by the death of her spouse. Note also that she "defined" (определила, lit. "put a limit to") "that which it was best (следует, lit. "it behooves (her)," "it is necessary") to take." Not only, then, is her grief insincere, but her approach to her responsibilities is associated with the setting of limits on the permissible, a notion that has been hinted at already and will become increasingly prominent as the story progresses. Finally, the grammar of the Russian leaves us in some doubt as to whether her main concern is the lot or the price of the lot. ↵
- She is also not so distracted by grief that when noticing that the table was endangered by his cigarette-ash, she immediately passed him an ash-tray. ↵
- Tolstoy's repetition here of the conjunction "as if" (Russ. как бы) plainly casts suspicion on the sincerity of the widow's grief. When she remarked above that she "thought it a pretense to give the impression that she was unable to see to practical matters because of her grief" she may have been telling more truth than she meant to; this passage suggests that it is her grief that is the pretense. ↵
- The widow's description of her dead husband's final hours is given from her own point of view; her concern is with how much she suffered, what was the effect on her, of her spouse's passing away. That his cries could be heard "through three doors" is a common way of saying that something was really loud; taken literally, however, it suggests that she had closed three doors upon her husband and his suffering in order to defend herself from him and it. The metaphor of the closed door, of shutting oneself off from unpleasantness is one we have seen already in Peter Ivanovich's hasty departure from the room in which the dead man was lying, and we will see it again and again in the life of Ivan Ilich himself. ↵
- The word рассуждение contains the same root as the word for "judge," "court," or "legal process" and is a subtle reminder of the occupation of both Ivan Ilich and Peter Ivanovich. To apply it to the manner in which Peter Ivanovich comforts himself in his sudden fright at the specter of death is to suggest that he has acted not truly as a judge--the arbiter of wisdom and truth--but rather so as to abandon his calling in order to "calm himself" ↵
- Tolstoy's depiction of the widow's insincere grief and shallow behavior has been merciless without being explicit; he concludes his portrait by putting her on display as she blows her nose and then remarks that she has finished blowing her nose. ↵
- This last clause represents a rather strange combination of the circuitous ("in accordance with the incidence of the death of her husband") and the rather coarsely direct ("get money from the government"); it confirms the image which has been created of Praskovya Fyodorovna. ↵
- It's worth noting the ambiguity of the son's being "terribly" similar to his father. A characteristic feature of the style of this story is the use of colloquial or foreign expressions not only in their everyday sense but also in a literal sense--perhaps it really is terrible, dreadful that the son is so like the father. ↵
- Note that with respect to the other characters the dead Ivan Ilich is referred to as the «мертвец» ("the dead man," "the corpse"), but in connection with Gerasim Ivan Ilich is here referred to as the «покойник» ("the late," "the departed," lit. "the one who is resting in peace"). In this way the difference (which will prove great) between Gerasim and the others is subtly signalled. ↵
- Thus, Peter Ivanovich has resolved the conflicted state of his feelings by not looking at "the dead man once, (not yielding) to any depressing influence, and (being) one of the first to leave the room." In this way, Peter Ivanovich, a judge, seems to refuse to accept jurisdiction over the situation which has arisen following the death of Ivan Ilich. He would rather make a hasty departure from the situation, observing the minimum required by propriety. His flight leaves us as readers, who have accompanied Peter Ivanovich so far, on our own in the midst of the story. Ivan Ilich's dead face had held a message also for us, and it has become our task to continue on interpreting that message, even without the company of Peter Ivanovich. ↵
THE DEATH OF IVAN ILICH
In the large building
of the judicial departments
during an interval
of a session
of the Melvinsky trial
the members (i.e., the judges) and the prosecutor
had gathered
in the office of Ivan Egorovich Shebek
and a conversation began
about the famous Krasovsky case
Fyodor Vasil'evich grew very warm
demonstrating that it was not subject to their jurisdiction
Ivan Egorovich stood up for his own point of view
while Peter Ivanovich
not having entered into the argument from the first
was not taking part in it
and was looking through the just delivered Gazette
Gentlemen!--said he
Ivan Ilich has died
Really
Here, read it (for yourself)
said he to Fyodor Vasil'evich
handing him the fresh, still fragrant (issue of the) paper
(With)in a black border
was printed
Praskovya Fyodorovna Golovina with profound (lit. from the soul) grief
informs relations and acquaintances
of the passing
of her beloved spouse
Judge of the Court Ivan Ilich Golovin
which occurred on the fourth day of February of this year of 1882
Funeral (lit. taking out of the body)
on Friday, at one o'clock of the afternoon
Ivan Ilich had been the colleague
of the assembled gentlemen
and all (of them) had liked him
he had been ill
already for several weeks
(they) said
that his illness was incurable
(his) place remained (empty) after him
but there had been consideration
about whether, in case of his death
Alekseev might be appointed to his place
to the place then of Alekseev
either Vinnikov or Shtabel'
So (it was) that
having heard about the death of Ivan Il'ich
the first thought
of each of the gentlemen
(who were) assembled in the office
was also about what significance
this death might have
on the transfers or promotions
of the members (of the court) themselves
or of their acquaintances
Now, probably
I will get the position
of Shtabel' or Vinnikov
thought Fyodor Vasil'evich
to me this (position) was long since promised
and this promotion
comprises for me
an 800-ruble raise in addition to an office
(I) will need to ask now
about the transfer
of (my) brother-in-law from Kaluga
thought Peter Ivanovich
(My) wife will be very happy
from now on
it will be impossible (for her) to say
that I have never done anything
for her relatives
it's just as I thought (lit. I just so thought)
that he wouldn't get up again (lit. that (it wouldn't happen) to him to raise himself again
Peter Ivanovich said aloud
It's too bad
Well what was it, exactly, that he had
The doctors were unable to say for sure (lit. 'to define it',)
That is, they would define (it), but variously
When I saw him
for the last time
to me it seemed
that he would get better
And I haven't been to his place
since the holidays
I kept meaning to
Do you know, did he have any property
It seems the wife has something small
But something insignificant
Yes, it will be necessary to go
They lived terribly far away
That is far away from you
From you everything is far away
So there, (he) cannot forgive me
that I live on the other side of the river
smiling at Shebek
said Peter Ivanovich
And (they) began speaking
about the great length of the distances (between things) in the city
and (they) went (back) to court
Besides the considerations evoked by this death in each (of them)
about transfers and possible changes in the service
which might follow from this death
the very fact of the death
of a close acquaintance
evoked in everyone
who found out about it
as always
a feeling of joy
that it was he who died
and not I
How about that, he's dead
but not me!
thought or felt everyone (who learned of it)
Beyond that, the close acquaintances
the so-called friends of Ivan Ilich
at the same time
thought unwillingly also about how
it now behooved them
to fulfill the very boring obligations of propriety
and to go to the funeral service
and to pay a visit of condolence to the widow
closest of all (to Ivan Ilich)
were Fyodor Vasilievich and Peter Ivanovich
Peter Ivanovich
had been (Ivan Ilich's) fellow student in law school
and considered himself
under an obligation to Ivan Ilich
Having at dinner passed along to his wife the news of the death of Ivan Ilich
and his thoughts about the possibility of the transfer of his brother-in-law to their district
Peter Ivanovich, without lying down for a rest
put on his dress coat
and drove over to Ivan Ilich's
At the entrance of the apartment (building) of Ivan Ilich
stood a carriage and two cabs
Downstairs
in the foyer by the coat rack
leaned against the wall
the cloth-of-gold-covered lid of a coffin
(decorated) with tassels and polished gold braid
Two women in black
were taking off their overcoats
One (lady), the sister of Ivan Ilich
(was) known (to Peter Ivanovich)
the other lady (was) a stranger (to him)
A colleague of Peter Ivanovich, (named) Schwartz
was coming downstairs
and, from an upper step having seen Peter Ivanovich (lit. "the one who was entering")
(he) stopped and winked at him
as though (he were) saying
What a mess Ivan Ilich has made of things
you and I are quite a different matter
The face of Schwartz with its English side-whiskers
and his entire thin figure in its dress coat
had, as always, an elegant solemnity
and that solemnity
which was always in contradiction to the playful character of Schwartz
here (i.e., at a funeral) had particular piquancy (lit. "salt")
So thought Peter Ivanovich
Peter Ivanovich let the ladies go ahead of him
and slowly set off behind them up the stairs
Schwartz did not start down
but remained upstairs
Peter Ivanovich understood why
he (i.e., Schwartz)
evidently wanted to come to an agreement
about where to play bridge that day
The ladies went upstairs to visit the widow
and Schwartz, with his firm lips compressed in seriousness and a playful look in his eye
with a motion of his brow directed Peter Ivanovich to the right
to the room of the corpse
Peter Ivanovich entered
as always happens
with uncertainty
about what he would have to do there
One thing he knew (for sure)
that making the sign of the cross on oneself in these situations never hurt
As to whether it was necessary also to bow while doing so
he was not quite sure
and therefore (he) chose a middle course
having entered the room
he began crossing himself
and bowing just a bit
Insofar as the motions of his hands and head permitted
he looked around the room at the same time
Two young men
one (of them) a high-school student
perhaps, nephews (of the deceased)
crossing themselves, were going out of the room
An old woman was standing there motionlessly
And a lady with strangely arched eyebrows
was saying something to her in a whisper
A church reader in a frock coat
a hale, decisive (fellow)
was reading something loudly
with an expression which excluded any contradiction
the butler's assistant, Gerasim
having passed in front of Peter Ivanovich with light steps
was scattering something over the floor
Having noticed this
Peter Ivanovich immediately
caught a light odor of decomposing corpse
at his last visit to Ivan Ilich
Peter Ivanovich had seen this peasant in (Ivan Ilich's) study
he was performing the duty of a sick nurse
and Ivan Ilich had particularly liked him
Peter Ivanovich continuously crossed himself
and kept bowing slightly
in an intermediate direction
between the coffin, the reader, and the icons on a table in the corner
Then, when the motion of crossing himself with his hand
began to seem to him (to be) already too prolonged
he came to a stop
and began to look at the dead man
The dead man was lying
as dead men always lie
particularly heavily
like the dead
having sunk with (his) rigid limbs
in the lining of the coffin
with his head eternally inclined on the pillow
and he was thrusting out
as dead men always thrust out
his yellow, waxen forehead
with bald spots at (his) sunken temples
and a protruding nose
(which was,) as it were, pressing down onto (his) upper lip
He had changed very much
had grown still thinner
since Peter Ivanovich had (last) seen him
but, as with all the dead
his face was more beautiful
(and)--the main thing--more significant
than it was when he was alive
On the face was an expression (that said that)
that which it was necessary to do
had been done, and done correctly
Beyond that, in that expression
there was also a reproach or a reminder to the living
This reminder seemed to Peter Ivanovich (to be) out of place
or, at least, irrelevant to him
Something became unpleasant for him
and therefore Peter Ivanovich hurriedly crossed himself one more time
and, as it seemed to him
too quickly, not in conformity with the proprieties
(he) turned and went to the door
Schwartz was waiting for him in the next room
having planted his feet wide apart
and playing with both hands with his top hat behind his back
One glance at the playful, wholesome, and elegant figure of Schwartz
refreshed Peter Ivanovich
Peter Ivanovich understood
that he, Schwartz, stands above (all) this
and does not give himself up to disturbing impressions
His appearance alone said
the incident of Ivan Ilich's funeral
can in no way
serve as a sufficient cause
for acknowledging the order of the session (to be) disrupted
that is, that nothing can interfere (with them) this very evening
shuffling, having just unsealed it, a pack of cards
while a servant would set out four fresh (lit., not burned down) candles
in general that there was no reason to suppose
that this incident might keep us
from spending this evening pleasantly, too
He, indeed, said this in a whisper to Peter Ivanovich as he passed by
suggesting that he join them for a game at Fyodor Vasilievich's
But, apparently, it was not Peter Ivanovich's fate
to play bridge this evening
Praskovya Fyodorovna, a short, fat woman
(who) despite all her efforts to effect the opposite
kept on growing wider and wider from the shoulders downward
(dressed) all in black
with her head covered in lace
and with the same strangely arched eyebrows as the lady who had been standing opposite the coffin
came out of her own room with (some) other ladies
and, having accompanied them to the door of the deceased, said
Now will be the funeral service (The service is just about to start)
go on in
Schwartz, having bowed in an indefinite way
stopped
apparently, not accepting and not declining this proposal
Praskovya Fyodorovna, having recognized Peter Ivanovich
sighed
went right up to him
took him by the hand and said
I know that you were the true friend of Ivan Ilich
and (she) looked at him
expecting from him
actions corresponding to these words
Peter Ivanovich knew
that (just) as there (i.e., in the room where the body lay) it had been necessary to cross himself
so here it was necessary to squeeze (her) hand
to sigh and to say: "Believe (me)"
And that is just what he did
And, having done this, he felt
that the desired result was achieved
that he (was) touched and she (was) touched
Let's go (along together)
until it (the service) begins in there (lit. as long as it has not begun in there)
I need to speak with you
said the widow
Give me your arm
Peter Ivanovich gave (her) (his) arm
and they set off to the inner rooms
past Schwartz
who sadly winked at Peter Ivanovich
So much for bridge
Don't worry
we will take another partner
You can cut in as a fifth (player)
when you get free (lit. separate yourself)
said his playful look
Peter Ivanovich sighed still more deeply and sadly
and Praskovya Fyodorovn gratefully squeezed his hand
Having gone into her upholstered-in-pink-cretonne and dimly lit (lit. with a dim lamp) parlor
they sat down by a table
she on the sofa
and Peter Ivanovich on a low pouffe with faulty springs which compressed itself unevenly beneath him as he sat upon it
Praskovya Fyodorovna wanted to warn him
that he should sit on a different chair
but found that warning not suitable to her position (i.e., as one distracted by profound grief)
and she changed her mind
While sitting down on the pouffe
Peter Ivanovich recalled
how Ivan Ilich had arranged this room
and (how) he consulted with him about this very pink-with-green-leaves cretonne
While sitting down on the sofa
and moving past the table
in general the entire parlor was filled with objects and furniture
the widow got the black lace of her black shawl caught on the decorative carving of the table
Peter Ivanovich arose in order to detach (it)
and the liberated-beneath-him pouffe
began to be agitated and to push up at him from below
The widow herself began to try to detach her lace
and Peter Ivanovich sat back down
squashing down the pouffe which was rebelling beneath him
But the widow did not entirely detach (the lace)
and Peter Ivanovich again got up
and again the pouffe rebelled and even squeaked
When all of this had finished
she took out a clean batiste handkerchief and began to weep
The episode with the lace and the battle with the pouffe, however, had sent a chill through Peter Ivanovich
and he sat still with a sullen look on his face
Sokolov, the butler of Ivan Ilich, interrupted this awkward situation
with a report that the space in the cemetery which Praskovya Fyodorovna had indicated, would cost two hundred rubles
She stopped crying
and, having glanced at Peter Ivanovich with the look of a victim
said in French that it was very hard for her
Peter Ivanovich made a silent sign
which expressed indubitable confidence that it could not be otherwise
(Have a) smoke, please
said she in a magnanimous and at the same time crushed (lit. "killed") voice
and (she) went into the question of the price of the place (in the cemetery) with Sokolov
Peter Ivanovich, while lighting up
heard how (lit. "that") she asked in detail about the various prices of ground
and defined that which it was best to take
Besides that
having finished (the business) about the place (in the cemetery)
she made full arrangements
also about the singers (in the church choir for the funeral)
Sokolov left
I do everything myself
said she to Peter Ivanovich
moving to one side the albums (in modern English parlance "coffee table books")
which were lying on the table
and, having noticed
that the ash (from his cigarette) was threatening the table
without delay
moved an ashtray towards Peter Ivanovich
and declared
I find (it to be) a pretense
to have you believe (lit. "to assure you") that I cannot from grief take care of practical matters
On the contrary, if anything can, not comfort, but (at least) distract me, then it is taking care of him (lit., cares about him)
She again took out her handkerchief
as though getting ready to weep
and suddenly
as though overcoming herself
she shook herself
and began to speak calmly
However, I have business (to discuss with) you
Peter Ivanovich inclined his head (lit., bowed)
not allowing to escape the springs of the pouffe
which had immediately begun twitching beneath him
In the final days he suffered terribly
He suffered a lot
asked Peter Ivanovich
Ah, horribly
(In) the final not minutes, but hours he screamed without ceasing
(For) three days in a row
without pause he screamed
It was unbearable
I cannot understand
how I bore it
through three doors it was heard
Ah! What I had to bear
And was he really conscious (the whole time)
Yes, - whispered she
right up to the last minute
He said goodbye to us a quarter of an hour before his death
and asked (us) to take Volodya away
The thought of the suffering of a man
whom he knew so closely
first as a merry little boy, a schoolboy
then as a grown-up colleague
despite the unpleasant consciousness of his own pretense and (that) of this woman
suddenly horrified Peter Ivanovich
He saw again that forehead
the pressing-down-on-the-lip nose
and it made him terrified for himself
Three days of terrible suffering and death
The same thing right now
any minute
might come also for me
thought he
and for a moment he became frightened
But at that very moment
he himself did not know how
to his aid came the usual thought
that this had happened to (lit. "with") Ivan Ilich
and not to (lit. "with") him
and that to (lit. "with") him this ought not and could not happen
that (by) thinking in this way he gives way to a gloomy attitude
which there is no reason to do
as (this) was obvious from (the look on) Schwartz's face
and, having made this judgement
Peter Ivanovich calmed down (lit. "calmed himself")
and with interest began to ask about the details of the passing of Ivan Ilich
as though death were the sort of (unusual) occurence
which is pertinent to Ivan Ilich
but not at all pertinent to him
After various exchanges about the details
of the really terrible physical sufferings
endured by Ivan Ilich
Peter Ivanovich learned about these details
only according to how the sufferings of Ivan Ilich acted upon the nerves of Praskovya Fyodorovna
the widow, evidently, found it necessary to get down to business
Ah, Peter Ivanovich, how hard (lit. "heavy") it is, how terribly hard, how terribly hard
and she again began to weep
Peter Ivanovich sighed
and waited while she blew her nose
When she had blown her nose
he said
Believe (me)
and again she spoke out
and she came out with that which was, evidently, her main business with him
this business consisted of questions
about how, in accord with the occasion of the death of her husband, to get money from the government (lit., treasury)
she pretended (lit., "made the appearance")
that she is asking Peter Ivanovich for advice about (Ivan Ilich's) pension
but he saw that she already knows (down) to the tiniest details
even that which he (himself) did not know
everything that it is possible to drag out of the government in accord with the occasion of that death
but that she wanted to find out
whether it wasn't possible somehow to drag out still a bit more money
Peter Ivanovich made an effort to think up such a method
but, having thought a bit
and out of propriety having scolded our government for its stinginess
said that, it seems, more is impossible
Then she heaved a sigh
and, evidently, began thinking of a method to rid herself of her visitor
He understood this
put out his cigarette, stood up, squeezed her hand and went into the hall
In the dining room with the clock
which Ivan Ilich was so happy that he had bought at an antique sale
Peter Ivanovich met a priest and several other acquaintances
who had come for the memorial service
and saw a known-to-him pretty young lady
the daughter of Ivan Ilich
She was all in black
her waist, very thin
seemed still thinner
she had a gloomy, decisive, almost angry countenance
She bowed to Peter Ivanovich
as though he were to blame for something
Behind the daughter stood
with the very same offended expression
a known to Peter Ivanovich rich young man
an examining magistrate
her fiance, as he had heard
He mournfully bowed to them
and was about to (lit., wanted) to pass into the room of the corpse
when from beneath the stairs
appeared the figure of (Ivan Ilich's) schoolboy-son
terribly similar to Ivan Ilich
This was a little Ivan Ilich
as Peter Ivanovich remembered him in Law School
His eyes were both tear-stained
and (were) such
as they (always) are
in impure boys at thirteen or fourteen years
The boy, having seen Peter Ivanovich
began to grimace severely and ashamedly
Peter Ivanovich nodded to him
and entered the room of the dead man
The funeral service began
candles, groans, incense, tears, sobs
Peter Ivanovich stood with a gloomy expression
looking (down) at his feet before him
He did not look even once at the dead man
and to the end he did not give way to ennervating influences
and was one of the first to leave
In the foyer there was no one
Gerasim, the butler's assistant
sprang out of the room of the deceased
rummaged with his strong hands through all the overcoats
in order to find the overcoat of Peter Ivanovich
and gave it (to him)
Well, brother Gerasim? - said Peter Ivanovich,
in order to say something
(It's) God's will
(We) all will be there
said Gerasim
showing his white, even, peasant's teeth
and, like a man in the full flush of intense labor
briskly opened the door
called the coachman
seated Peter Ivanovich (in the carriage)
and sprang back to the porch
as though thinking up what else there was for him to do
For Peter Ivanovich it was especially pleasant
to take a breath of clean air after the smell of incense, the corpse, and carbolic acid
Where to (lit., "to where will you order me)
asked the coachman
It's not (too) late
I can still stop by at Fyodor Vasilievich's
And Peter Ivanovich set off
And, in fact
he got to them just at the end of the first rubber
so that it was convenient for him to join in as a fifth
