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Chapter 17 - Moscow after the Emperor’s visit
After the Emperor had left Moscow, life flowed on there in its usual course, and its course was so very usual that it was difficult to remember the recent days of patriotic1 elation2 and ardor3, hard to believe that Russia was really in danger and that the members of the English Club were also sons of the Fatherland ready to sacrifice everything for it. The one thing that recalled the patriotic fervor4 everyone had displayed during the Emperor’s stay was the call for contributions of men and money, a necessity that as soon as the promises had been made assumed a legal, official form and became unavoidable.
With the enemy’s approach to Moscow, the Moscovites’ view of their situation did not grow more serious but on the contrary became even more frivolous5, as always happens with people who see a great danger approaching. At the approach of danger there are always two voices that speak with equal power in the human soul: one very reasonably tells a man to consider the nature of the danger and the means of escaping it; the other, still more reasonably, says that it is too depressing and painful to think of the danger, since it is not in man’s power to foresee everything and avert6 the general course of events, and it is therefore better to disregard what is painful till it comes, and to think about what is pleasant. In solitude7 a man generally listens to the first voice, but in society to the second. So it was now with the inhabitants of Moscow. It was long since people had been as gay in Moscow as that year.
Rostopchin’s broadsheets, headed by woodcuts of a drink shop, a potman, and a Moscow burgher called Karpushka Chigirin, “who — having been a militiaman and having had rather too much at the pub — heard that Napoleon wished to come to Moscow, grew angry, abused the French in very bad language, came out of the drink shop, and, under the sign of the eagle, began to address the assembled people,” were read and discussed, together with the latest of Vasili Lvovich Pushkin’s bouts9 rimes.
In the corner room at the Club, members gathered to read these broadsheets, and some liked the way Karpushka jeered10 at the French, saying: “They will swell11 up with Russian cabbage, burst with our buckwheat porridge, and choke themselves with cabbage soup. They are all dwarfs12 and one peasant woman will toss three of them with a hayfork.” Others did not like that tone and said it was stupid and vulgar. It was said that Rostopchin had expelled all Frenchmen and even all foreigners from Moscow, and that there had been some spies and agents of Napoleon among them; but this was told chiefly to introduce Rostopchin’s witty13 remark on that occasion. The foreigners were deported14 to Nizhni by boat, and Rostopchin had said to them in French: “Rentrez en vousmemes; entrez dans la barque, et n’en faites pas une barque de Charon.” — “Keep to yourselves; get into the barque, and don't make it into a barque of Charon.” — There was talk of all the government offices having been already removed from Moscow, and to this Shinshin’s witticism15 was added — that for that alone Moscow ought to be grateful to Napoleon. It was said that Mamonov’s regiment16 would cost him eight hundred thousand rubles, and that Bezukhov had spent even more on his, but that the best thing about Bezukhov’s action was that he himself was going to don a uniform and ride at the head of his regiment without charging anything for the show.
“You don’t spare anyone,” said Julie Drubetskaya as she collected and pressed together a bunch of raveled lint17 with her thin, beringed fingers.
Julie was preparing to leave Moscow next day and was giving a farewell soiree.
“Bezukhov est ridicule18, but he is so kind and good-natured. What pleasure is there to be so caustique?”
“A forfeit19!” cried a young man in militia8 uniform whom Julie called “mon chevalier,” and who was going with her to Nizhni.
In Julie’s set, as in many other circles in Moscow, it had been agreed that they would speak nothing but Russian and that those who made a slip and spoke20 French should pay fines to the Committee of Voluntary Contributions.
“Another forfeit for a Gallicism,” said a Russian writer who was present. “‘What pleasure is there to be’ is not Russian!”
“For caustique — I am guilty and will pay, and I am prepared to pay again for the pleasure of telling you the truth. For Gallicisms I won’t be responsible,” she remarked, turning to the author: “I have neither the money nor the time, like Prince Galitsyn, to engage a master to teach me Russian!”
“Ah, here he is!” she added. “Quand on . . . No, no,” she said to the militia officer, “you won’t catch me. Speak of the sun and you see its rays!” and she smiled amiably22 at Pierre. “We were just talking of you,” she said with the facility in lying natural to a society woman. “We were saying that your regiment would be sure to be better than Mamonov’s.”
“Oh, don’t talk to me of my regiment,” replied Pierre, kissing his hostess’ hand and taking a seat beside her. “I am so sick of it.”
“You will, of course, command it yourself?” said Julie, directing a sly, sarcastic23 glance toward the militia officer.
The latter in Pierre’s presence had ceased to be caustic24, and his face expressed perplexity as to what Julie’s smile might mean. In spite of his absent-mindedness and good nature, Pierre’s personality immediately checked any attempt to ridicule him to his face.
“No,” said Pierre, with a laughing glance at his big, stout25 body. “I should make too good a target for the French, besides I am afraid I should hardly be able to climb onto a horse.”
Among those whom Julie’s guests happened to choose to gossip about were the Rostovs.
“I hear that their affairs are in a very bad way,” said Julie. “And he is so unreasonable27, the count himself I mean. The Razumovskis wanted to buy his house and his estate near Moscow, but it drags on and on. He asks too much.”
“No, I think the sale will come off in a few days,” said someone. “Though it is madness to buy anything in Moscow now.”
“Why?” asked Julie. “You don’t think Moscow is in danger?”
“Then why are you leaving?”
“I? What a question! I am going because . . . well, because everyone is going: and besides — I am not Joan of Arc or an Amazon.”
“If he manages the business properly he will be able to pay off all his debts,” said the militia officer, speaking of Rostov.
“A kindly29 old man but not up to much. And why do they stay on so long in Moscow? They meant to leave for the country long ago. Natalie is quite well again now, isn’t she?” Julie asked Pierre with a knowing smile.
“They are waiting for their younger son,” Pierre replied. “He joined Obolenski’s Cossacks and went to Belaya Tserkov where the regiment is being formed. But now they have had him transferred to my regiment and are expecting him every day. The count wanted to leave long ago, but the countess won’t on any account leave Moscow till her son returns.”
“I met them the day before yesterday at the Arkharovs’. Natalie has recovered her looks and is brighter. She sang a song. How easily some people get over everything!”
“Get over what?” inquired Pierre, looking displeased30.
Julie smiled.
“What knights? What do you mean?” demanded Pierre, blushing.
“Oh, come, my dear count! It is the talk of Moscow — C’est la fable33 de tout26 Moscou. Je vous admire, ma parole d’honneur!”
“Forfeit, forfeit!” cried the militia officer.
“What is ‘the talk of all Moscow’?” Pierre asked angrily, rising to his feet.
“Come now, Count, you know!”
“I don’t know anything about it,” said Pierre.
“I know you were friendly with Natalie, and so . . . but I was always more friendly with Vera — that dear Vera.”
“No, madame!” Pierre continued in a tone of displeasure, “I have not taken on myself the role of Natalie Rostova’s knight31 at all, and have not been their house for nearly a month. But I cannot understand the cruelty . . . ”
“Qui s’excuse s’accuse,” — “Who excuses himself, accuses himself.” — said Julie, smiling and waving the lint triumphantly35, and to have the last word she promptly36 changed the subject. “Do you know what I heard today? Poor Marya Bolkonskaya arrived in Moscow yesterday. Do you know that she has lost her father?”
“Really? Where is she? I should like very much to see her,” said Pierre.
“I spent the evening with her yesterday. She is going to their estate near Moscow either today or tomorrow morning, with her nephew.”
“Well, and how is she?” asked Pierre.
“She is well, but sad. But do you know who rescued her? It is quite a romance. Nikolai Rostov! She was surrounded, and they wanted to kill her and had wounded some of her people. He rushed in and saved her. . . . ”
“Another romance,” said the militia officer. “Really, this general flight has been arranged to get all the old maids married off. Catiche is one and Princess Bolkonskaya another.”
“Do you know, I really believe she is un petit peu amoureuse du jeune homme.”*
* “A little bit in love with the young man.”
“Forfeit, forfeit, forfeit!”
“But how could one say that in Russian?”
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1
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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2
elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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7
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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bouts
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| n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作 | |
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jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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12
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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13
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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14
deported
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| v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止 | |
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witticism
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| n.谐语，妙语 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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lint
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| n.线头；绷带用麻布，皮棉 | |
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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19
forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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20
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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21
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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23
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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24
caustic
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| adj.刻薄的，腐蚀性的 | |
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25
stout
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| adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的 | |
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tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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27
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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28
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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29
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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30
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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31
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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32
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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33
fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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34
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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35
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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36
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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