Editing Boris Godunov (opera) (section)

===Part 2 / Act 1===
[[File:Ivan Biblibin 241.jpg|thumb|[[Ivan Bilibin]]'s design for the Cell Scene (1900s)]]
''Scene 1: Night. A Cell in the [[Chudov Monastery]] [within the Moscow Kremlin] (1603)''

Pimen, a venerable monk, writes a chronicle ("Yet one last tale") of Russian history. The young novice Grigoriy awakes from a horrible (and prophetic) dream, which he relates to Pimen, in which he climbed a high tower, was mocked by the people of Moscow, and fell. Pimen advises him to fast and pray. Grigoriy regrets that he retired so soon from worldly affairs to become a monk. He envies Pimen's early life of adventure. Pimen speaks approvingly of [[Ivan IV|Ivan the Terrible]] and his son [[Feodor I|Fyodor]], who both exhibited great spiritual devotion, and draws a contrast with Boris, a [[regicide]].
:[''Original 1869 Version only:'' At Grigoriy's request, Pimen tells the vivid details of the scene of the murder of Dmitriy Ivanovich, which he witnessed in [[Uglich]].]
Upon discovering the similarity in age between himself and the murdered [[Tsarevich]], Grigoriy conceives the idea of posing as the [[Pretender]]. As Pimen departs for [[Matins]], Grigoriy declares that Boris shall escape neither the judgment of the people, nor that of God.

[[File:Shishkov - Inn.jpg|thumb|left|Shishkov's design for the Inn Scene (1870)]]
''Scene 2: An Inn on the Lithuanian Border (1603)''

There is a brief orchestral introduction based on three prominent themes from this scene.
::[''Revised 1872 Version only:'' The Hostess enters and sings the 'Song of the Drake' ("I have caught a gray drake"). It is interrupted towards the end by approaching voices].
The vagrants Varlaam and Misail, who are dressed as monks and are begging for alms, and their companion Grigoriy, who is in secular garb, arrive and enter. After exchanging greetings, Varlaam requests some wine. When the Hostess returns with a bottle, he drinks and launches into a ferocious song ("So it was in the city of Kazan") of [[Ivan IV|Ivan the Terrible's]] [[Siege of Kazan (1552)|siege of Kazan]]. The two monks quickly become tipsy, and soon begin to doze. Grigoriy quietly asks the Hostess for directions to the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuanian]] border. The Hostess mentions that the police are watching the ordinary roads, but they are wasting their time, because there is an alternative, less well-known way to get to the border. Policemen appear in search of a fugitive heretic monk (Grigoriy) who has run off from the [[Chudov Monastery]] declaring that he will become Tsar in Moscow. Noticing Varlaam's suspicious appearance and behavior, the lead policeman thinks he has found his man. He cannot read the [[ukase|ukaz]] (edict) he is carrying, however, so Grigoriy volunteers to read it. He does so, but, eyeing Varlaam carefully, he substitutes Varlaam's description for his own. The policemen quickly seize Varlaam, who protests his innocence and asks to read the ukaz. Varlaam is only barely literate, but he manages to haltingly read the description of the suspect, which of course matches Grigoriy. Grigoriy brandishes a dagger, and leaps out of the window. The men set off in pursuit.