Briggs: Two Frenchmen emerge from the woods, Ramballe and his orderly.
Translation:
IX.
Fifth company stood beside the forest itself. A huge bonfire brightly burned in the middle of the snow, illuminated by the aggravated by the frost branches of the woods.
In the middle of the night the soldiers of fifth company heard in the wood steps by the snow and the crackle of branches.
— Guys, a witch, — said one soldier. All raised their heads; listened, and from the forest, in the vivid light of the bonfire, came forward two, holding on each other, weirdly clothed human figures.
These were the two, hiding in the wood, Frenchman. Hoarsely saying something in incomprehensible soldiers language, they came up to the bonfire. One was taller by height in an officer hat and seemed to be really weakening. Coming up to the bonfire, he wanted to sit, but fell on the land. The other, a little, stocky, tied with a handkerchief by the cheeks soldier, was stronger. He raised his friend and, pointing at his mouth, spoke something. The soldiers surrounded the French, spread to the sick an overcoat and to both were brought porridge and vodka.
The weakening French officer was Rambal; the bandaged by a handkerchief was his valet Morel.
When Morel drank the vodka and finished the kettle of porridge, he suddenly was painfully amused and started, not ceasing, to speak something not understood by the soldiers. Rambal refused from food and silently lied on his elbow at the bonfire, his senseless red eyes looking at the Russians soldiers. Occasionally he issued a lingering moan and again fell silent. Morel, showing on his shoulders, inspired to the soldiers that this was an officer, and that he needed to warm up. The officer of the Russians, approaching to the bonfire, sent to ask the colonel whether or not to take him to himself to warm up the French officer; and when he returned and said that the colonel told to bring the officer, Rambal was delivered, for he was walking. He got up and wanted to go, but staggered and would have fell, if the standing beside him soldier had not supported him.
— What? Will it not be? — with a mockingly wink, said one soldier, turning to Rambal.
— Eh, fool! What lies awkwardly! That peasant, right a peasant, — was heard from different parties the reproaches of the joking soldiers. Rambal was surrounded, raised by two hands, intercepting them, and carried in the hut. Rambal hugged the neck of the soldier and when he was carried, pitifully began talking:
— Oh, well done! Oh, my kind, kind friends! These people! Oh, my kind friends!1007 — and as a child, bowed his head down on the shoulder of one soldier.
Between that Morel sat in the best location, surrounded by soldiers.
Morel, a little, stocky Frenchman, with inflamed, watery eyes, tied by a womanish handkerchief, in excess of caps, was dressed in a female fur coat. He, apparently drunk, embracing the hand of a soldier, sat beside him, singing in a hoarse, breaking voice a French song. The soldiers held for the sides, looking at him.
— Well now, well now, teach, so? I will lively transport it. So?.. — spoke the joker songwriter who embraced Morel.
And hello Henry IV! And hello this brave king! and etc.1008
Sang Morel, winking his eye.
Ce diable à quatre… (The devil with four)
— Vivarika! Vif Seravaru! Sitting... — repeated the soldier, waving his hand really to detect the tune.
— You see cleverly! Th-th-th-th-th!.. — rose from different parties coarse, joyous laughter. Morel, frowning, laughed too.
— Well, go ahead more, more!
Had a triple ability,
drink, fight
and be a lover...1009
— Ah because it is too foldable. — Well, well, Zaletaev!..
— Kyu... — with an effort reprimanded Zaletaev. — Kyu-yu-yu... — he pulled out, carefully bulging his lips, — letriptala, de bu de ba and detravagala, — he sang.
— Ah, important! Here is such an custodian! Oh...th-th-th-th! — what, want more?
— Give him that porridge; because he will soon not be eaten up with hunger.
He was given more porridge; and Morel, chuckling, began for the third kettle. Joyful smiles were standing on all the faces of the young soldiers watching Morel. The old soldiers, considering it indecent to engage in such trifles, lied with different parties of the bonfire, but occasionally, raising on their elbows, with a smile looked at Morel.
— Also people, — said one of them, dodging in an overcoat. — And wormwood is in its root grownup.
— Oo! Lord, Lord! How starry, passionate! To frost... — and all fell silent.
The stars, as if knowing that now nothing will not see them, played out in the black sky. Flashing up, then putting out, then with a start, they were troublesome about something joyful, but mysteriously whispered between themselves.
1007 Oh, mes braves, oh, mes bons, mes bons amis! Voilà des hommes! oh mes braves, mes bons amis!
(Oh, my braves, oh, my good, my good friends! Here are men! oh my braves, my good friends!)
1008 Vive Henri quatre,
Vive ce roi vaillant!
(A French song). (Long live Henri the Fourth, Long live this valiant king!)
1009 Qui eut le triple talent,
De boire, de battre
Et d’être un vert galant....
(Who had the triple talent, to drink, to fight, And to be a gallant young....)
Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: French, Russian
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Still following the soldiers, two Frenchmen, who turn out to be Ramballe and Morel, come up to them and surrender. Morel is in good shape but Ramballe acts like a child and is lead away to get warm. After Morel sings a song with the Russians and drinks with them, the Russians conclude that "They're also people...Even wormwood grows on its root."
As in the last chapter, there is emphasis on the stars, which are personified at the end of the chapter.
Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):
Ramball
Morel
Zaletayef ("Zaletayev" in Briggs and Dunnigan. "Zaletaev" in Wiener, Garnett, and Mandelker. "Zaletaiew" in Bell.)
Abridged Versions: Line break in Garnet after "A bear, lads", said one soldier."
Line break instead of chapter break in Bell.
Gibian: End of chapter 3.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.
Kropotkin: Entire chapter is cut.
Simmons: Entire chapter is cut.
Additional Notes: Bell: "A popular old French song. "Long live Henri IV...". The Russian soldier's gibberish is an imitation in sound of the French words."
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