Briggs: The happiness and imperfections of family life.
Translation:
IX.
It was the eve of the winter’s Nikolina day, the 5th of December of the year 1820. In this year Natasha with children and husband, from the beginning of fall, stayed at her brother’s. Pierre was in Petersburg, where he went by his special deeds, as he spoke, in three weeks, and where he now lived already for a seventh. He was awaited every moment.
On the 5th of December, besides the family of the Bezuhovs, at the Rostovs stayed still the old friend of Nikolay, the retired general Vasiliy Fedorovich Denisov.
On the 6th, on the day of celebrations, in which came together visitors, Nikolay knew that his work was to take off the outer garment, to put on a frock coat, with narrow toes in narrow boots and go to the newly built by them church, but then take congratulations and propose snacks and speak about noble choices and the harvest; but on the eve of the day he still counted himself in the right to conduct as usual. Until lunch Nikolay calculated with the steward from the Ryazon village, by the property of the nephew of his wife, wrote two letters by deeds and walked on the threshing floor, and the cattle and horse courtyards. Accepting steps against the expected tomorrow common drunkenness by the occasion of the temple holiday, he came to dinner and, not having time with an eye to eye talk with his wife, sat down behind the long table at 20 appliances, for which gathered all the homemade. Behind the table was his mother, the living at her’s old lady Belova, his wife, three children, the governess, the governor, the nephew with his governor, Sonya, Denisov, Natasha, her three children, their governess and the old man Mihail Ivanych, the architect of the prince, living at Bald Mountains alone.
Countess Marya sat at the opposite end of the table. Only as her husband sat down in his place, by that gesture, with which he, by removing his napkin, fast moved the standing before him glass and cup, Countess Marya decided that he was not in spirit, as this sometimes with him was, in particular before soup and when he with all economical came to dinner. Countess Marya knew very well this mood of his and, when she herself was in a good location, she calmly awaited while he had a meal of soup and then now began to speak with him and forced him to recognize that he without causes was not in spirit; but now she completely forgot this observation of hers; she had become hurt that he without causes was angry at her and she felt herself miserable. She asked him where he was. He responded. She again asked whether all was okay by the farm. He unpleasantly grimaced from her unnatural tone and hastily replied.
"So I am not mistaken" thought Countess Marya: "And for what is he angry at me?" In the tone, which he responded to her, Countess Marya heard a grudge to herself and wished to stop the conversation. She felt that her words were unnatural; but she could not hold on so that to not make a few more issues.
The conversation behind dinner, thanks to Denisov, soon was made common and busy, and Countess Marya did not speak with her husband. When she came out from behind the table and came to thank the old countess, Countess Marya kissed, substituting her arm, her husband and asked for what he was angry at her.
— In you is always a strange thought: — and not a thought to be angry, — he said.
Yet the word always answered for Countess Marya: yes, he is angry and does not want to say it.
Nikolay lived with his wife so well that even Sonya and the old countess, wishing, from jealousy, for a disagreement between them, could not find a pretext for reproach; but between them had been minutes of hostility. Sometimes, it was after the most happy periods, in them was found suddenly a sense of alienation and hostility; this sense was more often only in the time of the pregnancy of Countess Marya. Now she was found out in this period.
— Well, messieurs et mesdames (gentlemen and ladies), — said Nikolay loudly and as would be funny (to Countess Marya it seemed that this was on purpose, so to offend her), — I for six hours have been on my legs. Tomorrow I really need to suffer, but now I will go relax. — And not saying anything more to Countess Marya, he went to the little sofa and lied down on the sofa.
"Here this is always so," thought Countess Marya. "With all he speaks, only not with me. I see, I see that I am disgusting to him. Especially in this position." She looked on her tall stomach and in the mirror at her yellow-pale and emaciated face with larger, than at other times, eyes.
And all to her had become unpleasant: the shout and laughter of Denisov, the conversation of Natasha, and in particular that look which at her hastily threw Sonya.
Sonya always was the first pretext which Countess Marya elected for her irritation.
After sitting with guests and not understanding anything of what they said, she slowly exited and went in the children's room.
The children on chairs rode to Moscow and invited her with themselves. She sat, played with them, but the idea about her husband and about his unreasonable annoyance, not ceasing, tormented her. She got up and went, with labor stepping on tiptoe, to the little sofa.
"Maybe, he is not sleeping; I will explain with him," she said to herself. Andryusha, the older boy, imitating her, went behind her on tiptoe. Countess Marya did not notice him.
— Marie, he is sleeping it seems; he is tired,1016 — said (as it seemed to Countess Marya) the everywhere meeting her Sonya at the big sofa. — Andryusha would not wake him up.
Countess Marya looked around, saw behind herself Andryusha, feeling that Sonya was right and it was from this she flared up and apparently with labor kept from hard words. She said nothing and, so that to not listen to her, made a sign of her hand, for Andryusha not to be noisy, but all the same he was walking behind her, and came up to the door. Sonya passed to another door. From the room in which Nikolay was sleeping was heard his even, familiar to his wife to the slightest shades, breaths. She, hearing these breaths, saw before herself his plain, nice forehead, mustache, all of his face, in which she so often for a long time saw when he slept in the silence of the night. Nikolay suddenly stirred and grunted. And in that same moment Andryusha from behind the door shouted:
— Daddy, Mama is standing here.
Countess Marya became pale from fright and began to make signs to her son. He shut up, and with the moment went on a scary for Countess Marya silence. She knew how Nikolay did not love for him to be woken up. Suddenly behind the door was heard a new groaning, a movement, and the displeased voice of Nikolay said:
— For a minute I am not given peace. Marie, you? What for did you bring him here?
— I came up only to look, I did not see... Excuse me...
Nikolay cleared his throat and shut up. Countess Marya walked away from the door and carried out her son to the children's room. In five minutes the small, black eyed three-year old Natasha, the darling of her father, upon learning from her brother that daddy was sleeping, but Mama was on the sofa, unnoticed by her mother, ran to her father. The black eyed girl boldly hid behind the door, came up in energetic small steps with her dull legs to the couch and, examining the position of her father, sleeping to her back, went up on tiptoe and kissed the lying under his head hand of her father. Nikolay turned around with a touching smile on his face.
— Natasha, Natasha! — was heard from the door the scared whisper of Countess Marya, — Daddy wants to sleep.
— No, Mama, he does not want to sleep, — with persuasiveness answered the small Natasha, — he is laughing. — Nikolay lowered his legs, rose and took in his hand his daughter.
— Rise, Masha, — he said to his wife. Countess Marya entered in the room and sat beside her husband.
— I did not see how he behind me came running, — she timidly said. — So.
Nikolay, holding in one hand his daughter, looked at his wife and, noticing the guilty expression on her face, with another hand hugged her and kissed her hair.
— Can I kiss mother? — he asked Natasha. Natasha shyly smiled.
—"Again," with an imperative gesture she said, pointing to that place where Nikolay kissed his wife.
— I do not know from what you think that I am not in spirit, — said Nikolay, answering to the question, which, he knew was in the soul of his wife.
— You cannot represent to yourself how I happen to be unhappy and lonely when you are such. To me it all seems...
— Marie, it is fully nonsense. How are you not ashamed, — he said funnily.
— To me it seems that you cannot love me, that I am so bad...And always...But now...In this...
— Ah, how you are funny! Not by good dear, but by dear good. This is only Malvina and other love for that they are beautiful; but my wife I don’t love? I do not love, but I do not know how you say it. Without you when we are here will run a cat, I am as if gone and can do nothing. Well, how do I love my fingers? I do not love them, but to try to cut them...
— No, I am not so, but I understand. — So you are not angry at me?
— Terribly angry, — he said, smiling and, getting up and having set his hair, began to walk by the room.
— You know, Marie, about what I have thought? — he started, now, when the reconciliation was done, immediately again beginning to think out loud to his wife. He did not ask about whether she was ready to listen to him; to him all cared. An idea had come to him, and had come to her. And he told her his intention to persuade Pierre to stay with them until spring.
Countess Marya listened to him, made remarks and began at her turn to think out loud her thoughts. Her thoughts were about the children.
— How women already are visible now, — she said in French, pointing at little Natasha. — You to us, women, reproach in illogicalities. Here she is — our logic. I say: papa wants to sleep, but she says: no, he is laughing. And she is right, — said Countess Marya, happily smiling.
— Yes, yes! — and Nikolay, taking in his strong hand his daughter, highly raising her, planted her on his shoulder, intercepting behind her legs, and began with her to walk by the room. On the father and on the daughter were equally pointlessly happy faces.
— But you know, you may be unfair. You love this too much, — whispering in French said Countess Marya.
— Yes, but what to do?.. I try to not show it...
At this time at the canopy and the front were heard sounds of blocks and steps, similar to the sounds of an arrival.
— Someone has arrived.
— I am sure that it is Pierre. I will go to recognize, — said Countess Marya and exited from the room.
In her absence Nikolay allowed himself to gallop his riding daughter around the room. Out of breath, he quickly threw off the laughing girl and pressed her to his breast. His jumping reminded him of dancing, and he, looking at the childish round happy face, thought about how she will, when he began to take her out as old man and, as happened when his dead father danced with his daughter the Danil Koopor, walk through with her the mazurka.
— It is him, Nicolas, — said in a few minutes Countess Marya, returning in the room. — Now came to life our Natasha. It was needed to see her excitement and how he got now for that what he was overdue. — Well, go soon, go! Break up finally, — she said, smiling looking at the girl, huddled to her father. Nikolay got out, holding his daughter behind the arm.
Countess Marya left to the sofa.
— Never, never would I believe, — she whispered to herself, — that I could be so happy. — Her face came out to smile; but in that very same time she sighed, and a quiet sadness was put in her deep glance. As if besides this happiness, which she tested, was another, unattainable in this life happiness, about which she unwittingly remembered in this moment.
1016 Chère Marie, il dort, je crois; il est si fatigué, (Dear Marie, he is asleep, I believe; he is so tired,)
Mentioned: three weeks, seven weeks, December 6 (also to-morrow), six o'clock
Locations: Lysyya Gory
Mentioned: St. Petersburg, Ryazan village, Moscow
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We bring Natasha and Pierre back into the narrative, as well as Denisov and Mikhail Ivanych, as they visit the Rostovs. However, we stay with the relationship of Marya and Nikolai, with a domestic episode of the latter coming in angry and Marya forgetting that this is not a slight against her.
"Sometimes, precisely after the happiest periods, a feeling of estrangement and hostility suddenly came over them; this feeling appeared most often at the time of Countess Marya's pregnancies."
Sonya becomes the victim of Marya's "irritation". However, there is a scene with the two children that shows Nikolai into a good humor and has Nikolai try to explain to Marya his love for her. Nikolai thinks about how his daughter Natasha will grow up and sees the parallel between himself and his father and Natasha.
Marya on the other hand, "Never, never would I have believed," she whispered to herself, "that one could be so happy." Her face shone with a smile, but at the same time she sighed, and her profound gaze showed a quiet sadness. As if, besides the happiness she experienced, there was another happiness, unattainable in this life, which she involuntarily remembered at that moment."
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")
Nikolai (also "brother", "papenka", "papa, "father", "Nicolas", and "husband".)
General Vasili Feodorovitch Denisof
Nikolushka ("wife's nephew")
Countess Rostova ("mother")
Mrs. Byelova
Countess Marya (also "his wife", "mamenka", "mamma", "Masha", and "Marie", also their three children, some undifferentiated, their governess, and their tutor.)
Dessalles ("tutor")
Sonya
Mikhail Ivanuitch
Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky ("the prince")
Andryusha (also "Little Andrei" in Mandelker. "Little Andrey" in Briggs.)
Natasha (also "daughter")
Malvina
Count Rostof ("father")
(Natasha's children are referenced in general, as is their governess. The Daniel Cooper is mentioned again.)
Abridged Versions: The chapter appears cut in Bell. See chapter 345.
Gibian: End of Chapter 2.
Komroff: Only the first couple paragraphs, which establishes which characters are there, are preserved. No break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 4: Chapter is preserved.
Simmons: a few details are removed. End of Chapter 2.
Additional Notes: Garnett on "Malvina and such heroines" (making it more of a reference than a mentioned character): "Name of a character in the "poems of Ossian"...by Scottish poet James Macpherson...helped shaped Romanticism. Napoleon brought the poems along with him to Moscow."
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