Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Book 1 Part 2 Chapter 5 (Chapter 31 Overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Nikolai refuses to apologize to the regimental commander. Discussion of the matter. Nikolai's pride. End of inaction.
Briggs: Nikolay is encouraged to apologize to his commanding officer.
Maude: Nicholas in trouble with his fellow-officers

Translation:

V. The night of this same day in the apartment of Denisov was a lively conversation between the officers of the squadron. — But I say to you, Rostov, that you need to excuse yourself before the regimental commander, — spoke, turning to the crimson red, excited Rostov, the tall staff captain, with graying hair, a huge mustache and large features on his wrinkled face. Staff Captain Kirsten was two times demoted into the soldiers for affairs of honor and two times served. — I cannot let anyone say that I lie! — cried out Rostov. — He said to me that I lied, but I told him that he lied. So with that it will remain. On duty he may appoint me every day and put me under arrest and in jail, but to force me to excuse myself because he, as regimental commander, considers it unworthy to himself to give me satisfaction, so... — Yes you wait, father; you listen to me, — interrupted the staff captain in his bass voice, calmly smoothing his long mustache. — you to other officers and the regimental commander said that the officer stole... — I am not to blame that the conversation called for other officers. It may be that it was not needed to speak to them, and I am not a diplomat. I then went to the hussars, thinking that here is no need for subtleties, but he said to me that I lied... So let him give me satisfaction... — This is all okay, not thinking that you are a coward, and not in this business. Ask Denisov, how this appears to someone if a cadet demanded satisfaction in the regimental commander? Denisov, having a bite of his mustache with a gloomy look, listening to the conversation, apparently not wishing to march into it. To the question of the staff captain he negatively shook his head. — You to the officers and the regimental commander spoke about these dirty tricks, — continued the staff captain. — Bogdanych (Bogdanych was the name of the regimental commander) you besieged. — Not besieged, but he said that I untruthfully spoke. — Well yes, and you have spoken to him stupid things, and need to be excused. — Or for what! — shouted Rostov. — I did not think this of you, — serious and strictly said the staff captain. — You may not want to be excused, but you father, not only before him, but before all the regiment, before all of us, you are to blame. But here is so: if you thought and consulted how to get along with this business, but that you above all the officers swelled up. What now to do for the regimental commander? You need to give to the court the officer and mess up all of the regiment? From one villain all the regiment is to be disgraced? So what is it to you? But for us, not so. And Bogdanych did well, when he said to you that you untruthfully speak. Unpleasant, and what to do, father, himself attacked. But now, as a business he wants to hush up, so you from behind arrogance which you do not want to be excused, but want to say everything. You’re a shame that you stand by, and that you have to be excused before an old and honest officer! What would there be was there no Bogdanych, in all honest and brave, the old colonel, so you’re a shame to mess up the regiment for nothing? — the voice of the staff captain started to tremble. — You, father, in the regiment for less than a year; now here, tomorrow going over into the adjutants; you don’t give a damn who will say: “Between the Pavlograd officers there are thieves!” but we do not care at all. So, if that, Denisov? Not care at all? Denisov kept entirely silent and did not move, occasionally looking with his brilliant, black eyes at Rostov. — It is your own arrogance dear, to not want to be excused, — continued the staff captain, — But we, the elderly, as we have grown, yes and tempered, given by God, and happened in the regiment, so we honor the regiment’s journey, and Bogdanych knows this. Oh, such a journey, father! But this is no good, no good! Hurt there or not, but I always say the mother truth. No good! And the staff captain got up and turned away from Rostov. — Really, damn take it! — shouted, jumping up, Denisov. — Well, Rostov, well! Rostov, blushing and turning pale, watched one, then another officer. — No, gentleman, no... you do not think... I extremely understand, you in vain think about me so... I.. for me... I am for the honor of the regiment... and what? In this case I will show, and for me to value honor... Well, I care about all, really, I am to blame!.. — tears were standing in his eyes. — I am to blame, to blame!... Well, what more?... — Here is this, count, — turning, shouted the staff captain, hitting his large hand on his shoulder. — I say to you, — shouted Denisov, — he is a little nice. — So the better, count, — repeated the staff captain, as if for his acknowledgement he began to dignify his title. — Come and be excused, your excellency, yes my lord. — Gentleman, I’ll do everything, nothing against my words you will hear, — in a pleading voice spoke Rostov, — but to be excused I cannot, by God, I cannot, how I want to! How will I be excused, with exactly little forgiveness to ask? Denisov bursted out laughing. — You're again worse. Bogdanych is vindictive, you’ll pay for stubbornness, — said Kirsten. — By God, not stubbornness! I cannot describe to you, what feeling I have, I cannot... — Well, it’s your will, — said the staff captain. — What again, where has this bastard gone? — he asked Denisov. — Said he is sick, tomorrow by order will be excluded, — spoke Denisov. — This is a disease, otherwise cannot be explained, — said the staff captain. — Really there disease is not a disease, but not to get caught eye to eye with me —I will kill him! — bloodthirstily screamed Denisov. Into the room entered Zherkov. — How are you? — the officers turned suddenly to the entering. — A trip, gentleman. Mack is in captivity and gave up with the army, really. — Liar! — I saw myself. — How? You saw Mack living? With hands, with feet? — A trip! A trip! To give his bottle for such news. You the same here hit? — Again into the regiment demoted, for the devil, for Mack. An Austrian general complained. I congratulated him with the arrival of Mack... what you, Rostov, out of the bathhouses? — Here, brother, we are in such a porridge on the second day. Entered a regimental adjutant and confirmed the news brought by Zherkov. Tomorrow was ordered an address. — A trip, gentleman! — Well, and thank God, we stayed up.

Time: the evening of the same day
Mentioned: to-morrow and on the following day

Locations: Denisov's quarters
Mentioned: Austrian

Pevear and Volkhonsky notes: “Staff Captain Kirsten had twice been broken to the ranks for affairs of honor and had twice won back his commission”
Honor for Rostov is not being called a liar, not apologizing for being right. “I’m no diplomat” he says. See earlier Rostov section.
Staff captain tells him that he did not think before he acted: “Should he (the regimental commander) prosecute the officer and besmirch the whole regiment? Disgrace the whole regiment because of one scoundrel?” Accuses Rostov of
being cocky. Rostov gets kind of in the middle of being berated by a circle, kind of like Pierre at Pavlovna’s party. He realizes he is to blame, but still doesn’t want to apologize. Doesn’t want to be “like a little boy asking forgiveness”
Zherkov is in this part of the story as a punishment for his actions two chapters ago.


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 *):

Denisof

Rostof (also called “your illustriousness” and “count” while being berated)

Captain Kirsten (as in Dole, Garnett, and Wiener. “Kirstein” in Bell.)

Bogdanuitch (as in Dole. “Bogdanich” in Mandelker, Maude, and Edmonds. “Bogdanynch” in Briggs and Dunnigan. “regimental commander”, but shouldn't be confused with the previous regimental commander, as this is a different
regiment.)

Lieutenant Telyanin (not by name, but as “worthless scamp” (to take a quote from Dole) and “scoundrel” (to take a quote from Wiener))

Zherkof

General Mack (just “Mack”)

The Austrian General

Regimental adjutant (again, since we are talking about a different regiment, this seems to be a different adjutant from others mentioned)

(other officers are referenced)


Abridged Versions: Bell ends chapter 14.
Gibian: Chapter 4.
Fuller: Chapter is removed
Komroff: The description of Captain Kirsten, and even his name, is removed. He is just referred to as staff-captain. Zherkov’s section of the chapter is shortened and we don’t get the reason why he was sent back to the regiment.
Kropotkin: Kirsten’s long speech is shortened. Zherkov’s section is shortened much like in Komroff.
Bromfield: Plays out the same as the “standard version”
Simmons: Chapter 4: Zherkov comes in the scene before Rostov can really apologize so we don't get him breaking down.


Additional Notes:

Dole: “Karl Bogdanovitch Schubert, sportively called in imitation of peasant usage, by the diminished form of the patronymic, Bogdanuitch, son of Bogdan (Deodat or Theodore)."

Mandelker introduction: "We can already glimpse the future author of War and Peace in the first paragraph of "The Raid", where he writes that he is "more interested to know in what way and under the influence of what feeling one soldier kills another than to know how the armies were arranged at Austerlitz and Borodino". The patriotism and excitement of his Sevastopol sketches secured his status as one of Russia's major authors."

Fremont-Barnes: Page 50: "Sir Robert Wilson, a British military liaison officer who spent years attached to Russian Army HQ, described the typical Russian soldier thus: The infantry is generally composed of athletic men between the ages 18 and 40, endowed with great bodily strength, but generally of short stature, with martial countenance and complexion; inured to the extreme of weather and hardship, to the worst and scantiest food; to marches for days and nights, or four hours repose and six hours progress; accustomed to laborious toils, and the carriage of heavy burthens (sic); ferocious, but disciplined; obstinately brave, and susceptible of enthusiastic excitements; devoted to their sovereign, their chief, and their country. Religious without being weakened by superstition; patient, docile, and obedient; possessing all the energetic characteristics of a barbarian people, with the advantages engrafted by civilization. Brett-James, 1812, p. 73"

Page 63: "Mack, sensing imminent catastrophe, became incapable of making a decision, so that on the night of 14/15 October, 6,000 cavalry left Ulm under Prince Schwarzenberg and Archduke Ferdinand with the intention
of linking up with Werneck - and thus leaving Mack to cope as best he could in Ulm." 

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