Boris Godunov | Page 9

forbade me
To be the author of thy bliss. Perchance
I angered
Heaven; it was not mine to compass
Thy happiness. Innocent one, for
what
Art thou a sufferer? And thou, my son,
With what art thou
employed? What's this?
FEODOR. A chart
Of all the land of Muscovy; our tsardom
From
end to end. Here you see; there is Moscow,
There Novgorod, there
Astrakhan. Here lies
The sea, here the dense forest tract of Perm,

And here Siberia.
TSAR. And what is this
Which makes a winding pattern here?
FEODOR. That is
The Volga.
TSAR. Very good! Here's the sweet fruit
Of learning. One can view
as from the clouds
Our whole dominion at a glance; its frontiers,
Its
towns, its rivers. Learn, my son; 'tis science
Which gives to us an
abstract of the events
Of our swift-flowing life. Some day, perchance

Soon, all the lands which thou so cunningly
Today hast drawn on
paper, all will come
Under thy hand. Learn, therefore; and more
smoothly,
More clearly wilt thou take, my son, upon thee
The cares
of state.
(SEMYON Godunov enters.)
But there comes Godunov
Bringing reports to me. (To KSENIA.) Go
to thy chamber
Dearest; farewe1l, my child; God comfort thee.
(Exeunt KSENIA and NURSE.)
What news hast thou for me, Semyon Nikitich?

SEMYON G. Today at dawn the butler of Prince Shuisky
And
Pushkin's servant brought me information.
TSAR. Well?
SEMYON G. In the first place Pushkin's man deposed
That
yestermorn came to his house from Cracow
A courier, who within an
hour was sent
Without a letter back.
TSAR. Arrest the courier.
SEMYON G. Some are already sent to overtake him.
TSAR. And what of Shuisky?
SEMYON G. Last night he entertained
His friends; the Buturlins,
both Miloslavskys,
And Saltikov, with Pushkin and some others.

They parted late. Pushkin alone remained
Closeted with his host and
talked with him
A long time more.
TSAR. For Shuisky send forthwith.
SEMYON G. Sire, he is here already.
TSAR. Call him hither.
(Exit SEMYON Godunov.)
Dealings with Lithuania? What means this?
I like not the seditious
race of Pushkins,
Nor must I trust in Shuisky, obsequious,
But bold
and wily--
(Enter SHUISKY.)
Prince, I must speak with thee.
But thou thyself, it seems, hast
business with me,
And I would listen first to thee.

SHUISKY. Yea, sire;
It is my duty to convey to thee
Grave news.
TSAR. I listen.
SHUISKY. (Sotto voce, pointing to FEODOR.)
But, sire--
TSAR. The tsarevich
May learn whate'er Prince Shuisky knoweth.
Speak.
SHUISKY. My liege, from Lithuania there have come
Tidings to us--
TSAR. Are they not those same tidings
Which yestereve a courier
bore to Pushkin?
SHUISKY. Nothing is hidden from him!--Sire, I thought
Thou
knew'st not yet this secret.
TSAR. Let not that
Trouble thee, prince; I fain would scrutinise

Thy information; else we shall not learn
The actual truth.
SHUISKY. I know this only, Sire;
In Cracow a pretender hath
appeared;
The king and nobles back him.
TSAR. What say they?
And who is this pretender?
SHUISKY. I know not.
TSAR. But wherein is he dangerous?
SHUISKY. Verily
Thy state, my liege, is firm; by graciousness,

Zeal, bounty, thou hast won the filial love
Of all thy slaves; but thou
thyself dost know
The mob is thoughtless, changeable, rebellious,

Credulous, lightly given to vain hope,
Obedient to each momentary
impulse,
To truth deaf and indifferent; it feedeth
On fables;
shameless boldness pleaseth it.
So, if this unknown vagabond should

cross
The Lithuanian border, Dimitry's name
Raised from the grave
will gain him a whole crowd
Of fools.
TSAR. Dimitry's?--What?--That child's?--Dimitry's?
Withdraw,
tsarevich.
SHUISKY. He flushed; there'll be a storm!
FEODOR. Suffer me, Sire--
TSAR. Impossible, my son;
Go, go!
(Exit FEODOR.)
Dimitry's name!
SHUISKY. Then he knew nothing.
TSAR. Listen: take steps this very hour that Russia
Be fenced by
barriers from Lithuania;
That not a single soul pass o'er the border,

That not a hare run o'er to us from Poland,
Nor crow fly here from
Cracow. Away!
SHUISKY. I go.
TSAR. Stay!--Is it not a fact that this report
Is artfully concocted?
Hast ever heard
That dead men have arisen from their graves
To
question tsars, legitimate tsars, appointed,
Chosen by the voice of all
the people, crowned
By the great Patriarch? Is't not laughable?
Eh?
What? Why laugh'st thou not thereat?
SHUISKY. I, Sire?
TSAR. Hark, Prince Vassily; when first I learned this child Had
been--this child had somehow lost its life,
'Twas thou I sent to search
the matter out.
Now by the Cross and God I do adjure thee,
Declare
to me the truth upon thy conscience;
Didst recognise the slaughtered

boy; was't not
A substitute? Reply.
SHUISKY. I swear to thee--
TSAR. Nay, Shuisky, swear not, but reply; was it
Indeed Dimitry?
SHUISKY. He.
TSAR. Consider, prince.
I promise clemency; I will not punish

With vain disgrace a lie that's past. But if
Thou now beguile me, then
by my son's head
I swear--an evil fate shall overtake thee,
Requital
such that Tsar Ivan Vasilievich
Shall shudder in his grave with horror
of it.
SHUISKY. In punishment no terror lies; the terror
Doth lie in thy
disfavour; in thy presence
Dare I use cunning? Could I deceive
myself
So blindly as not recognise Dimitry?
Three days in the
cathedral did I visit
His corpse, escorted thither by