Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky was lying on the Platz hill where he had fallen with the flagpole, blood dripping from his body, and he did not know that he was moaning softly, sadly, like a child . It was almost dusk, he stopped moaning, and became completely quiet.He did not know how long his unconscious state lasted.Suddenly he felt that he was still alive, and his head was in severe pain as if it was blown apart, which was very uncomfortable. "Where is this high sky, where is this high sky that I don't know until now, and I just saw it now?" This was the first thing that came to his mind.

"I don't know this kind of pain." He thought for a while. "Yes, so far I know nothing, nothing. But where am I?" He began to listen and heard the approaching hoofbeats and voices speaking in French.He opened his eyes.Above him is still the high sky and the clouds floating higher, through which you can see the boundless blue sky.He did not turn his head, did not see the people who could tell by the sound of hooves and voices that they had galloped towards him and stopped. The riders galloping towards him were Napoleon and his two adjutants.Bonaparte gave his final orders while inspecting the battlefield: to strengthen the battery that fired at the August embankment, and to inspect the casualties on the battlefield.

"Debeauxhommes!" said Napoleon, looking at a dead grenadier.He was lying on his stomach, the back of his head was black, his face was buried in the soil, and a hand that had become stiff stretched far, far away. "Les munitions despieces depositions on te puisees, sir!" said an adjutant galloping from the position of the batteries that shot at the village of August. -------- ①French: Glorious people! ② French: Your Majesty, there are no more shells! "Faite savancercelles de lareserve," said Napoleon, taking a few steps aside, and stopping before the supine Prince Andrew, whose flagstaff was thrown beside him (the French had taken the flag as a prize of war. ).

"Voilaunelellemost," said Napoleon, looking at Bolkonski. Prince Andrei knew in his heart that this was referring to him when Napoleon said this.He heard someone call the speaker a sive. ③ But these words sounded to him like hearing the buzzing of flies, and he was not only not interested, but also ignored them, and immediately forgot them completely after hearing them.There was a burning pain in his head, he felt his blood drained, and he saw the distant high eternal sky above him.He knew it was Napoleon—his hero, but at this moment, compared with what was going on between his heart and the endless high sky and the flying clouds in it, it seemed to him that Napoleon Tiny, so insignificant.At this moment, no matter who stood before him, no matter what was said about him, he didn't care, he was only happy that people stopped in front of him, all he hoped was that people would come to his rescue, Bringing him back to life, he felt life was so precious because the earth understood it differently now.He mustered all the strength in his body, trying to move his body slightly and make a sound.He moved his foot feebly, uttering a weak, pained moan of pity for himself.

"Oh! he is still alive," said Napoleon, "lift up the young man and send (Cejeunehomme) to the Wound Station!" -------- ①French: order to transport the shells from the reserve. ②French: This is a good death. ③French: Your Majesty. After saying this, Napoleon went to meet Marshal Lannes. The marshal took off his top hat and galloped towards the emperor, smiling slightly while congratulating him on his victory. Andrei didn't remember anything after that, because someone put him on a stretcher, and he lost consciousness due to the shock of the stretcher's walking and probing the wound at the wound station.He did not come to himself until the end of the day, when he was taken to a field hospital along with other wounded and captured Russian officers.During the transfer, he felt that his energy had regained a little bit, and he was able to look around and even speak.

When he awoke he first heard a few words from the officer of the French guard, and he said hastily: "Stop here, the emperor is coming soon, and it will please him to see these captured gentlemen." "Now, there are too many prisoners. Almost all the Russian troops have been captured. This will probably tire him," said another officer. "Oh, there is such a thing! It is said that this is the commander of the whole guard of Emperor Alexander," said the first officer, pointing to the captured Russian officer in the white uniform of the heavy cavalry. Bolkonsky recognized Prince Repnin whom he had met in Petersburg society.Another nineteen-year-old boy, also a wounded heavy cavalry officer, stood beside him.

Bonaparte came at a gallop, and he reined in his horse. "Who's the officer?" he said, seeing the captives. Someone named Colonel Prince Repnin. "Are you commander of the heavy cavalry of Emperor Alexander?" asked Napoleon. "I commanded a cavalry company," replied Repnin. "Praise from a great commander is the best reward for a soldier," said Repnin. "It is my pleasure to reward you," said Napoleon. "Who is this young man standing by your side?" Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtren. Napoleon glanced at him and said with a smile:

"Ilest venubien jeune s frötteranous."① -------- ①French: He insisted on coming to fight with us, he was too young. "Youth does not prevent me from being a warrior," Sukhtren said in that broken voice. "Good answer," said Napoleon, "young man, the future is bright." In order to make the most of the spoils—the captives—Prince Andrei was also brought forward for the Emperor's own eyes, and he could not fail to attract the Emperor's attention.It seems that Napoleon, remembering that he had seen him on the battlefield, turned to him and spoke, using the very word "youth" (jeunehomme), which Bolkonsky added for the first time in contrast. into his memory.

"Well, it's you, young man?" he said, turning his face towards him. "What do you think? My champion." Although five minutes ago Prince Andrei could have said a few words to the soldiers who carried him, now, looking straight at Napoleon, he was silent... It seemed to him that at this moment there was nothing to do with him. The interests that fascinated Napoleon were so insignificant compared with the righteous and benevolent altitude he saw and understood, and it seemed to him that the base vanity and the joy of victory in his hero were so small. ,—so that he could not answer his question.

And, in comparison with the solemn and grandiose thoughts which arose in him, he was feeble and miserable, waiting for his imminent death, all of which seemed so futile and insignificant.Prince Andrew looked into Napoleon's eyes, and thought of the insignificance of great deeds, the insignificance of life, whose meaning no one can understand, and of the worthlessness of death, which, in fact, no one among the living can understand and explain meaning. The emperor turned his face away without waiting for an answer, and said to one of the officials before leaving: "Tell them to take care of these gentlemen, send them to my campsite, and ask my doctor Larry to examine their wounds. Goodbye, Prince Repnin." And he galloped on.

There was a gleam of complacency and happiness on his face. The soldiers carrying Prince Andrei took off the little gold statuette that Princess Marya had been hanging on her brother's body, which they had discovered by chance, but seeing the emperor's gentle treatment of the prisoners, they hastened to return the statuette. to him. Prince Andrei did not see how the little statue was hung on him again, but suddenly the statue on the fine gold chain hung from the breast of his uniform. "That would be great," thought Prince Andrew, looking at the little statue that his sister had hung on his chest with great affection and admiration, "if everything was as it was in Princess Mary's mind. As simple and clear as imagined, it would be great. It would be great to know where to find help in this life, and what will happen after the coffin is closed! If I can say this now: God , spare me! . . . Then how happy and peaceful I will be! But to whom shall I say this? Or to that indeterminate, incomprehensible power to which I not only cannot appeal, And can't express to it in words: is it all great, or small," he murmured, "or to the God that Princess Marya sewed in this sachet? Except what I know There is nothing, nothing to believe in, but the smallness of one thing, and the greatness of something incomprehensible, but all-important!" The stretcher was hoisted and they set off.As soon as the stretcher was jolted, he would feel unbearable pain again, and the state of chills and fever became more severe, and he began to utter delirium.The thoughts of his father, his wife and his sister, his hopes for the future, the tenderness he experienced on the eve of the battle, the small, insignificant Napoleon's body and the height above all of them—these are the things that came out of his febrile state. The main basis of vague ideas. The quiet life of Bald Mountain and the easy domestic happiness came to his mind.He was already enjoying this kind of happiness, and suddenly the short Napoleon appeared in front of him, with cold, ignorant and mediocre eyes, looking lucky because of other people's misfortune, so pain and doubts began to follow, only Only the sky promises comfort.These hallucinations, mixed together by the early hours of the morning, then merged into a hazy state of insensibility, which, according to Larrey, Napoleon's physician, ended in death rather than recovery in nine out of ten cases. . "C'estunsujetnerveuxetbilieux," said Raleigh. "Iln'en rechapperapas."① -------- ①French: This is a nervous, irritable person who will not recover. Prince Andrew was among the other irreparably wounded, who had been handed over to the care of the local population.