A "Vanya" sampler

Compare different English editions of Anton Chekov's plays, and you find subtle and striking differences in the wording. Here is a short excerpt from Intiman Theatre's new "Uncle Vanya," followed by the same lines as they appear in other English versions.

As adapted for Intiman by Craig Lucas

Astrov: I like life, capital L, but not this: provincial, philistine, I hate it, I despise it. I swear there's nothing good in my life. You know when you walk through woods late at night and suddenly you see a light, you forget how tired you are, the dark, [the] branches hitting you in the face ...

As adapted by Paul Schmidt ("The Plays of Anton Chekhov," HarperCollins, 1997)

Astrov: I do, I love life — in general. But our life, this stupid clod-hopping life we lead around here — I can't stand it. I hate it with every fiber of my being. And my own personal life ... hell, it's a complete mess. You know how it is sometimes: You're out in the woods at night and you see a light in the distance, and all of a sudden you forget how tired you are, you forget the darkness and the branches that scratch your face.

As adapted by Ronald Hingley ("Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, The Wood-Demon," Oxford University Press, 1964)

Astrov: I do like life in general, but the kind of provincial, parochial life we get in Russia — that I simply can't stand, in fact I heartily despite it. As for my own private life, well, heaven knows there's absolutely nothing good about that. You know, sometimes when you walk in a wood on a dark night there's a glimmer of light shining in the distance, isn't there? Then you don't notice how tired you are or how dark it is or how the thorns and twigs hit you in the face.

Misha Berson, Seattle Times theater critic