Maximum-assistance view: every word above everyday vocabulary is explained at every appearance; each name is introduced at its first appearance in the chapter.

Chapter 1

Happy families are all alike (the same); every unhappy (not happy) family is unhappy (not happy) in its own way.

Everything was in confusion (mixed-up disorder) in the Oblonskys (the Oblonsky family)’ house. The wife had discovered that the husband was carrying on an intrigue (secret plotting) with a French girl, who had been a governess (a woman teacher in a household) in their family, and she had announced to her husband that she could not go on living in the same house with him. This position of affairs had now lasted three days, and not only the husband and wife themselves, but all the members of their family and household (the people living together in one house), were painfully (with pain) conscious (aware) of it. Every person in the house felt that there was no sense in their living together, and that the stray (to wander off) people brought together by chance in any inn (a lodging house for travelers) had more in common with one another than they, the members of the family and household (the people living together in one house) of the Oblonskys. The wife did not leave her own room, the husband had not been at home for three days. The children ran wild all over the house; the English governess (a woman teacher in a household) quarreled (an angry dispute) with the housekeeper (the woman who runs a household), and wrote to a friend asking her to look out for a new situation for her; the man-cook (a cook who is a man) had walked off the day before just at dinner time; the kitchen-maid (a girl who works in the kitchen), and the coachman (the driver of a coach) had given warning.

Three days after the quarrel (an angry dispute), Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch (Oblonsky, Anna's brother, by his first name and patronymic) Oblonsky (Anna's brother, a genial Moscow official)—Stiva (a familiar form of Oblonsky's name), as he was called in the fashionable (in the fashion) world—woke up at his usual hour, that is, at eight o’clock (the time-keeping machine) in the morning, not in his wife’s bedroom (a sleeping room), but on the leather-covered (covered in leather) sofa (a long padded seat) in his study. He turned over his stout (fat and solid; brave), well-cared-for (kept in good order) person on the springy (giving back like a bent bow) sofa (a long padded seat), as though he would sink (to go down) into a long sleep again; he vigorously (with strong energy) embraced (to hold in the arms) the pillow (a head cushion) on the other side and buried (to lay in the earth) his face in it; but all at once he jumped up, sat up on the sofa (a long padded seat), and opened his eyes.

“Yes, yes, how was it now?” he thought, going over his dream. “Now, how was it? To be sure! Alabin (a Russian family name) was giving a dinner at Darmstadt (a German city); no, not Darmstadt, but something American. Yes, but then, Darmstadt was in America. Yes, Alabin was giving a dinner on glass tables, and the tables sang, Il mio (my, in Italian) tesoro (treasure, in Italian)—not Il mio (my, in Italian) tesoro (treasure, in Italian) though, but something better, and there were some sort of little decanters (a glass bottle for wine) on the table, and they were women, too,” he remembered.

Stepan Arkadyevitch’s eyes twinkled (to shine with quick small lights) gaily (merrily), and he pondered (to weigh in the mind) with a smile. “Yes, it was nice, very nice. There was a great deal more that was delightful (giving delight), only there’s no putting it into words, or even expressing it in one’s thoughts awake (not sleeping).” And noticing a gleam (a soft flash of light) of light peeping (to look through a small opening) in beside (at the side of) one of the serge (a strong cloth woven in slanting lines) curtains (a hanging cloth screen), he cheerfully (with good cheer) dropped his feet over the edge of the sofa (a long padded seat), and felt about with them for his slippers (a light indoor shoe), a present on his last birthday, worked for him by his wife on gold-colored (of the colour of gold) morocco (fine goatskin leather). And, as he had done every day for the last nine years, he stretched (to draw out) out his hand, without getting up, towards the place where his dressing-gown (a loose robe worn at home) always hung in his bedroom (a sleeping room). And thereupon (upon that; then) he suddenly remembered that he was not sleeping in his wife’s room, but in his study, and why: the smile vanished (to disappear) from his face, he knitted (to weave with needles; to draw together) his brows (the forehead).

“Ah, ah, ah! Oo!...” he muttered (to speak low in the throat), recalling (to call back to mind) everything that had happened. And again every detail of his quarrel (an angry dispute) with his wife was present to his imagination (the picture-making mind), all the hopelessness (absence of hope) of his position, and worst of all, his own fault.

“Yes, she won’t forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone) me, and she can’t forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone) me. And the most awful (awful: full of awe — the old sense here) thing about it is that it’s all my fault—all my fault, though I’m not to blame. That’s the point of the whole situation,” he reflected (to throw back; to think over). “Oh, oh, oh!” he kept repeating (to say or do again) in despair (loss of all hope), as he remembered the acutely (sharply) painful (full of pain) sensations (a feeling; a public stir) caused him by this quarrel (an angry dispute).

Most unpleasant (not pleasing) of all was the first minute when, on coming, happy and good-humored (cheerful and easygoing), from the theater (a building where plays are acted), with a huge pear (the sweet bell-shaped fruit) in his hand for his wife, he had not found his wife in the drawing-room (the sitting room for guests), to his surprise had not found her in the study either, and saw her at last in her bedroom (a sleeping room) with the unlucky (without luck) letter that revealed everything in her hand.

She, his Dolly (the eldest Shtcherbatsky sister, married to Oblonsky), forever fussing (needless anxious bustle) and worrying over household (the people living together in one house) details, and limited in her ideas, as he considered, was sitting perfectly still with the letter in her hand, looking at him with an expression of horror (shaking fear and disgust), despair (loss of all hope), and indignation (anger at unfairness).

“What’s this? this?” she asked, pointing to the letter.

And at this recollection (a memory), Stepan Arkadyevitch, as is so often the case, was not so much annoyed (irritated) at the fact itself as at the way in which he had met his wife’s words.

There happened to him at that instant (a moment; immediate) what does happen to people when they are unexpectedly (without warning) caught in something very disgraceful (shameful). He did not succeed (to follow; to prosper) in adapting (to fit to a purpose) his face to the position in which he was placed towards his wife by the discovery (a finding out) of his fault. Instead of being hurt, denying (to say no; refuse), defending (to guard against attack) himself, begging (to ask humbly) forgiveness (pardon), instead of remaining indifferent (without care or interest) even—anything would have been better than what he did do—his face utterly (completely) involuntarily (without willing it) (reflex (an automatic response) spinal (of the backbone) action, reflected (to throw back; to think over) Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was fond (loving) of physiology (the science of the body's workings))—utterly (completely) involuntarily (without willing it) assumed its habitual (usual by habit), good-humored (cheerful and easygoing), and therefore idiotic (utterly foolish) smile.

This idiotic (utterly foolish) smile he could not forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone) himself. Catching sight of that smile, Dolly shuddered (a shiver of horror) as though at physical pain, broke out with her characteristic (a marking trait; true to character) heat into a flood (a great overflowing of water) of cruel (hard-hearted) words, and rushed (to move with violent haste) out of the room. Since then she had refused to see her husband.

“It’s that idiotic (utterly foolish) smile that’s to blame for it all,” thought Stepan Arkadyevitch.

“But what’s to be done? What’s to be done?” he said to himself in despair (loss of all hope), and found no answer.