Briggs: Natasha's jealous love. Little Nikolay's desire to be worthy of his father.
Translation:
XVI.
Natasha, staying with her husband alone, also talked so, as only talks a wife with her husband, i.e. with extraordinary clarity and speed of understanding and informing the thoughts of each other, a path nasty to all rules of logic, without means of judgments, reasoning and conclusions, but in a completely special way. Natasha to such an extent was used to speaking with her husband by this way, that the surest sign of how something was not okay between her and her husband, for her served the logical movement of the thoughts of Pierre. When he started to prove, speaking judiciously and calmly, and when she, carried away by his example, began to do the same, she knew that this indispensably led to a quarrel.
With this time itself, as they stayed alone, Natasha with wide open, happy eyes came up to him quietly, and suddenly, quickly grabbing him behind the head, pressed it to her breast and said: "Now all, all mine, mine! Do not leave!" — with this time began this conversation, horrid to all laws of logic, horrid now because of how at one and that same time was spoken about a complete institution of subjects. This simultaneous discussion of a lot not only did not hinder the clarity of understanding, but, the opposite, was the surest sign that they quite understand each other.
As in dreaming all to be wrong, pointless and contradicting, besides the feeling, leading to dreaming, so in this communication, otherwise to all laws of reason, consistent and not clear speech, was but only the feeling which led them.
Natasha told Pierre about the everyday living of her brother, about how she suffered, living without husband, and about how she still more had fallen in love with Marie, and about how Marie in all relations bettered her. Saying this, Natasha recognized sincerely that she saw the superiority of Marie, but together with that she, saying this, demanded from Pierre for him all the same to prefer her to Marie and to all other women, and now again, especially after how he saw many women in Petersburg, would repeat this to her.
Pierre, answering the words of Natasha, told her how unbearable it was for him in Petersburg to visit evenings and dinners with ladies.
— I really have forgotten how to speak with ladies, — he said, — I was simply bored. Especially, as I was so busy.
Natasha intently looked at him and continued:
— Marie, this is such a beauty! — she said. — She knows how to understand children. She as if only their soul sees. Yesterday, for example, Mitenka had become capricious...
— Ah how he looks like his father, — interrupted Pierre.
Natasha understood why he made this comment about the similarities of Mitenka and Nikolay: to him was unpleasant the memory about his dispute with his brother-in-law and he wanted to know about this the opinion of Natasha.
— In Nikolenki is this weakness that if that is not acceptable by all, he for that will not agree. But I understand, you cherish an open field,1025 — she said, repeating words, once said by Pierre.
— No, the main thing, — said Pierre, — for Nikolay thought and reasoning, — is fun, almost a transmission of time. Here he collects a library and for a rule puts not to buy new books, not reading the purchased— Sismondi, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, — with a smile added Pierre. — Because you know, as I to him... — he was starting to mitigate his words; but Natasha interrupted him, giving the feeling that this was not needed.
— So you speak, for him thought is fun...
— Yes, but for me all the rest is fun. I all the time in Petersburg as in a dream saw all. When I take an idea, then all the rest is fun.
— Ah, how I pity that I did not see how you greeted with the children, — said Natasha. — Who was more than all gladdened? Liza, right?
— Yes, — said Pierre and continued that what occupied him. — Nikolay speaks, we must not think. And I cannot. I have not talked already about how in Petersburg I felt (I to you can say this), that without me all this is broken apart, everyone pulling on their side. Yet I succeeded in uniting all, and then my idea was so simple and clear. Because I did not speak that we must oppose something and someone. We can make a mistake. But I speak: take hand with hand those that love good, and let one know — active virtue. Prince Sergius is a nice person and smart.
Natasha would not doubt that the idea of Pierre was a great idea, but one thing embarrassed her. This was that he was her husband. "Is it really such an important and desired person for society — together with that is my husband? From what did this happen?" She wanted to express to him this doubt. "Who and who are those people that could solve, if he really is smarter than all?" she asked herself and sorted out in her imagination those people that were very respected by Pierre. Nobody of all people, judging by his stories, he so respected, as Platon Karataev.
— Do you know about what I think? — she said: — About Platon Karataev. How was he? Would he have approved of you now?
Pierre was not at all surprised by this question. He got the movement of the thoughts of his wife.
— Platon Karataev? — he said and thought, apparently sincerely trying to represent to himself the judgment of Karataev about this subject. — He would not have got it, however, maybe, yes.
— I terribly love you! — said suddenly Natasha. — Terribly. Terribly!
— No, he would not have approved, — said Pierre, thinking. — What he would have approved of, this is our family life. He so desired to see in all goodness, happiness, calm, and I with pride would have shown him us. Here you speak of parting. But you do not believe what special feeling I have to you after separation...
— Yes here still... — was beginning Natasha.
— No not that. I never stopped loving you. And to love more cannot be; but this is especially... Well, yes... — he did not finish talking, because of how their meeting look finished the rest of the talking.
— What nonsense, — suddenly said Natasha, — the honeymoon and that very happiness in the first time. The opposite, now is very best. If only would you not leave. Remember, how we quarreled. And always I was to blame. Always I. And about what we quarreled — I do not even remember.
— All about the same, — said Pierre smiling, — jealousy...
— Do not say it, I cannot stand it, — cried out Natasha. And a cold, evil shine lit up in her eyes. — You saw her, — she added, keeping silent.
— No, and would I have seen her, I did not find out.
They kept silent.
— Ah, do you know? When you in the office spoke, I watched you, — began talking Natasha, apparently trying to drive away an oncoming cloud. — Well as two drops of water you now look like the boy. (She so called her son.) Ah, time to go to him... It has come... But a pity to go away.
They fell silent for a few seconds. Then suddenly at one and that same time they turned to each other and began to speak something. Pierre started with complacency and hobby; Natasha, — with a quiet, happy smile. Facing, they both stopped, giving each other the road.
— No, what did you say? Say it, say it.
— No, you say it, mine is such nonsense, — said Natasha.
Pierre said that what he started. This was the continuation of his arrogant reasoning about his success in Petersburg. To him it seemed in this moment that he was called up to give a new direction to all Russian society and all the world.
— I wanted to say only that all thoughts that have huge consequences are always simple. All my idea is that should people viciously be tied between themselves and form a force, then people honestly need to do only that very same. Because it is so simple.
— Yes.
— But what did you want to say?
— Mine is such nonsense.
— No, all the same.
— Yes nothing, nonsense, — said Natasha, still lighter came out a smile; — I only wanted to say about Petya: now the nurse approaches to take him from me, he bursted out laughing, squinted and snuggled up to me — I rightly thought that he hid. — Terrible dear. — Here he shouts. Well, goodbye! — and she went from the room.
In that same time downstairs, separate Nikolinki Bolkonsky, in his bedroom, as always, burned a lamp (the boy was afraid of the dark, and he could not wean from this lack of). Desala slept high on his four pillows and his Roman nose issued uniform sounds of snoring. Nikolinka, only now waking up, in a cold sweat, with wide-open eyes, sat on his bed and watched before himself. A terrible dream woke him up. He saw in the dream Pierre and himself in helmets, these what were drawn in the issuing of Plutarch. He with Uncle Pierre went ahead of huge troops. This army was drawn up of white, oblique lines, filling the air like that spiderweb that flies in autumn and which Desala called the threads of the Virgin1026, and ahead was a glory, such the same as this thread, but only somewhat tighter. — They — he and Pierre — carried easily and happily all nearer and nearer to the goals. Suddenly the thread which moved them became weak, got confused; and became heavy. And Uncle Nikolay Ilyich stopped before them in a formidable and strict pose.
— This you have done? — he said, pointing at the broken sealing wax and feathers. — I loved you, but Arakcheev told me, and I will kill the first who moves forward. — Nikolinka turned back to Pierre; but Pierre already was not. Pierre was his father — Prince Andrey, and his father did not have an image or form, but he was, and seeing him, Nikolinka felt the weakness of love: he felt himself powerless, boneless and liquid. His father caressed and pitied him. Yet Uncle Nikolay Ilyich all nearer and nearer loomed on them. Horror swept Nikolinka and he awoke.
"Father, — he thought. — Father (despite that in the house were two similar portraits, Nikolinka never imagined Prince Andrey in human style), father was with me and caressed me. He approved of me, he approved of Uncle Pierre. — What he would say — This I will do. Mutsiy Stsevola burned his hand. Yet from what in my life will there not be the same? I know, they want for me to be taught. And I will learn. Yet at sometime I will stop; and then I will do. I only about one thing beg God: so that will with me be that, what was with the people of Plutarch, and I will do that same. I will do better. All will recognize, all will fall in love, all will be delighted by me." And suddenly Nikolinka felt sobbing, grabbed his chest, and cried.
— Are you unhealthy?1027 — was heard the voice of Desala.
— No,1028 — was the response of Nikolinka and he lied down on the pillow. "He is kind and good, I love him," he thought about Desala. "But Uncle Pierre! Oh, what a marvelous person! But father? Father! Father! Yes, I will do that what even he would be satisfied..."
1025 ouvrir une carrière, (to open a quarry,)
1026 le fil de la Vierge. (the thread of the Virgin.)
1027 Etes-vous indisposé? (Are you indisposed?)
1028 Non, (No,)
—————
Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: St. Petersburg, Russian, Roman
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We go to the Natasha and Pierre side of the conversation. Just as when Pierre and Andrei saw each other after not seeing each other for years, a variety of conversations flow into each other but "This simultaneous discussion of many things not only did not hinder their clarity of understanding, but, on the contrary, was the surest sign that they fully understood each other...it was not the words that were consistent and clear, but only the feeling that guided them."
Pierre says that "for Nikolai thoughts and arguments are an amusement, almost a pastime. Here he's collecting a library and has made it a rule not to buy a new book before he's read what he's bought". The two wonder if Platon Karataev would approve of what they are doing.
Pierre believes "since vicious people band together and constitute a fore, honest people need only do the same." Natasha brings up a story about their son Pety and we line break into Nikolenka Bolkonsky, who has woken up from a dream where he and Pierre were wearing helmets and charging while Nikolai stood in front of them. Nikolenka decides that he will do something that even his father will be proud of (with the "he" in italics like his pronoun was referred to by Natasha when she was waiting for him earlier in the novel).
End of Part One.
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 *):
Natasha
Pierre (also "husband" and "uncle Pierre".)
Nikolai Ilyitch (also "brother", "brother-in-law", "uncle", and "father". See chapter 133 for variations on "Ilyitch".)
Countess Marya ("Marie")
Mitya (or "Mitenka")
Liza (or "Lisa")
Prince Sergii ("Prince Sergi" in Wiener and Mandelker. "Prince Sergey" in Garnett, Briggs, and Maude.)
Platon Karatayef
Petya (also "our little lad"
The nurse (see the nyanya in the last few chapters)
Nikolenka Bolkonsky
Dessalles
Prince Andrei (also "father")
Arakcheyef
Abridged Versions: In Bell, all the Natasha and Pierre conversation is cut, going straight to the Little Nicolas section. Bell adds The End, see next chapter for a note on how the Bell translation handles the second epilogue.
Line break in Briggs after "and she walked away". Line break in the same place in Dole, Maude, and Mandelker.
End of Part First in Dole.
End of Part the First in Wiener.
End of Part One in Edmonds, Dunnigan, Mandelker, Garnett, and Briggs.
End of First Epilogue in Maude
Gibian: line break after "and she left the room". End of First Epilogue.
Komroff: Chapter is preserved and is the end of the book.
Kropotkin: Chapter 10: Chapter is preserved and is the end of the book.
Simmons: A little bit of the discussion about logic going out the window during these conversations is removed. The mention of Nicholas's books are removed. The end of their episode is removed, removing the jealousy section and the last discussion Pierre gives about his time in Petersburg (including one of the most notable quotes of the novel), and Natasha going to feed her son. The Nicholas Bolkonsky section is preserved. End of book.
Additional Notes:
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