Briggs: Alexander renounces power. Why do bees exist? For no single reason.
Translation:
IV.
The movement of peoples began to fit to its shore. The waves dragged away many movements, and on the quieted down sea formed circles, by which carried diplomats, imagining that it was them producing the lull of movements.
Yet the quieted down sea suddenly lifted. To the diplomat it seems that they, by their disagreement, were the cause of this new pressure of forces; they waited for war between their own sovereigns; their position seems insoluble. Yet the wave, the lifting of which they feel, carries not from there where they await it. The lift of that same wave, from that same original point of movement was — Paris. Committed the last splash of movements from the west; the splash, which should it be allowed, seems insoluble, a diplomatic difficulty and placing the end of the militant movement of this period.
The person, devastating the French, alone, without conspiracy, without soldiers, comes to the French. Every watchman may take him; but by strange randomness, no one not only takes him, but all with delight meet this man, who was cursed a day to that backwards and will be cursed in a month.
This person still needs excuses for the last aggregate action.
The action is committed. The last role is played. The actor was ordered to undress and wash away the antimony and blush: he will not be needed anymore.
And passed a few years that this person, alone on his island, playing before himself a sorry comedy, intriguing and lying, justifying his deeds, when this excuse is now not needed, and showing all the world what such was that people took for force, when the invisible hand led them.
The steward, finishing the drama and undressing the actor, showed himself to us.
— See, why did you believe! Here he is! Whether you see now that not he, but I moved you?
Yet, blinded by forcible movements, people for long did not understand this.
Still more consistent and miserable represents the life of Aleksandr I, this face which stood at the head of the opposite movement from the east to the west.
What was needed for this man, who would, overshadowing the other, stand at the head of these movements from the east to the west?
Was needed a sense of justice, participation in the deeds of Europe, but a distant, not darkened by petty interests; was needed a predominance of moral heights above associates— the sovereigns of this time; was needed a meek and attractive personality; was needed a personal insult against Napoleon. And all this was in AIeksandr I; all this was prepared by countless so-called chances throughout his past life: education, liberal undertakings, surrounding advisers, Austerlitz, Tilsit, and Erfurt.
In the time of the folk war this face was in inaction, so as he was not needed. Yet as soon as was the miserable general European war, this face is given in the moment to his place, and connecting the European peoples leads his goals.
The objective is achieved. After the last war of the year 1815 Aleksandr was in the top possible human authority. How again does he use it?
Aleksandr I, the pacifier of Europe, the person from his young years strove only to benefit his peoples, the first instigator of liberal innovations in his homeland, now, when, it seems, he controls the greatest power, and because of it the opportunity to do good to his peoples, in that time as Napoleon in exile makes childish and deceitful plans about how he would have made happy humanity, if only he had the power, Aleksandr I, carrying out his vocation and sensing in himself the hand of God, suddenly recognizes the insignificance of this imaginary authority, turns away from it, delivers it to the hand of despised by him and despicable people, and speaks only:
—"Not us, not us, but a name to you!" I am a person too, as you; let me live, as a human, and think about my soul and about God.
—————
As in the sun and every atom of ether is an orb, finished in its very self, and together with that form only atoms inaccessible to a person by the immensity of the whole, — so each personality carries in its very self their goals and between that carries them so that to serve inaccessible to the person common goals.
A bee, sitting on a flower, stings a child. And the child is afraid of the bee and speaks that the objective of bees consists in so that to sting people. The poet admires the bee, biting at the cup of the flower, and speaks that the objective of bees consists in biting at the aroma of the flower. The beekeeper, noticing that the bee collects floral dust and sweet juice and brings them to the hive, speaks that the objective of bees consists in gathering honey. Another beekeeper, nearer studying the life of the swarm, speaks that the bee collects dust and juice for feeding young bees and taking out the middle, that its objective consists in the continuation of the family. The botanist notices that flying from the dust of the dioecious flower to the pistil, the bee fertilizes it, and the botanist in this sees the objective of bees. Another, watching the movement of plants, sees that the bee promotes this resettlement, and this new observer may say that in this consists the objective of bees. Yet the ultimate objective of bees is not exhausted in that, or another, or a third purpose, that is in the condition of an open minded human. The higher lifts the human mind to the opening of these goals, by that is obvious for him the inaccessibility of the ultimate goals.
Available for a person is only observation above the conformity of the life of bees with other phenomena of life. The same is needed to be said about the purposes of historical persons and peoples.
Mentioned: several years pass, 1815
Locations:
Mentioned: Paris, West, France, East, Europe (also European), Austerlitz, Tilset, Erfurt
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Now we look at the return of Napoleon, who comes back to fulfill one last act and then goes to St. Helena to write his memoirs. Tolstoy uses a lot of play language here, with "act, "pathetic comedy", and "the stage manager" that undresses Napoleon. We then flip to Alexander, who is described as having "a sense of justice", "concern for the affairs of Europe", "unobscured by petty interests", "a moral superiority over his associates", "a mild and attractive personality", and having "a personal grievance against Napoleon."
"After the final war of 1815, Alexander finds himself at the height of all possible human power. How does he use it?" By giving up his power to the ones that wanted it.
Line break after "think of my soul and of God."
Just as atoms are inaccessible to people, the purposes of people are inaccessible. We then get the analogy of bees, whose purpose is different depending on perspective.
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 *):
Napoleon (also "the man", and "the actor)
Alexander I
Abridged Versions: line break after "men long failed to understand this" in Dole.
line break after "Let me live like a man, and think of my soul and of God" in Dole. Line break in the same place in Bell, Briggs, Mandelker, Maude, Dunnigan, Edmonds, and Wiener.
End of Chapter 1 in Bell.
Gibian: End of Chapter 1.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.
Kropotkin: Entire chapter is cut.
Simmons: Entire chapter is cut.
Additional Notes:
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