Sunday, July 15, 2018

Book 1 Part 3 Chapter 8 (Chapter 55 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: The emperors review the troops. Nikolai's enthusiasm. Nikolai on horseback.
Briggs: Nikolay is inspired by a close view of the Emperor inspecting the troops.
Maude: The Emperor's review of the army. Enthusiasm of Nicholas
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Review of the Russian army by the emperors Alexander and Franz. Nikolai's enthusiasm.

Translation:

VIII.
On the next day of the meeting with Boris and Rostov was the review of the Austrian and Russians troops, the fresh coming from Russia, and those which have returned from the trip with Kutuzov. Both emperors, the Russian with the heir tsesarevich and the Austrian with the Archduke, made this review of the allied 80 thousand army.

From early morning the troops began to move smartly scrubbed and cleaned, lining up in the field before the fortress. That moved thousands of feet and bayonets with fluttering henchmen, and by command the officers stopped, wrapped up and built into intervals, going around other such the same masses of infantry in other uniforms; that measured stomp and clatter was heard in the smart cavalry in blue, red, and green sewn uniforms with embroidered musicians ahead, on black, ginger, and gray horses; that, stretching out with its copper sound trembling in the carriages, cleaned, brilliant guns and with its smell of oil seal, crawled between the infantry and cavalry the artillery was placed in designated places. Not only were the generals in complete parade form, from dragged before thick and thin waistlines and reddened, backed collars, necks in scarves and all orders; not only the spaced, disgraced officers, but every soldier, — with fresh, washed and shaved faces and to the last opportunity shined clean ammunition, each horse groomed so that as satin, its glowing coat and thread to thread lied a soaked mane, — all felt that they were committed to something serious, significant and solemn. Every general and soldier felt their insignificance, realizing themselves as a grain of sand in this sea of people, and together felt their power, realizing themselves as part of this huge whole.

From early morning began the tense chores and efforts, and at 10 all had come into required order. On the huge field became ranks. All of the army was elongated into three lines. In front was the cavalry, in the back the artillery, more in the back the infantry.

Between every nearby troop was as a street. Abruptly separated alone from the different three parts of this army: Kutuzov (at which on the right flank on the front of the lines were standing the Pavlograd), coming from the Russian army and the guards of regiments and the Austrian army. But all were standing under one line, under one superior and in the same order.

As the wind to leaves flashed an excited whisper: "Ride! Ride!" was heard a frightened voice, and to all troops ran a wave of fuss for the last preparations.

Ahead of Olmutz appeared the moving group. And at this same time, although the day was windless, a light stream of wind ran through the army and as a slightly hesitated weather vane the peak of the loose banners shabbied about its poles. It seemed, the army itself by this easier movement expressed their joy at the approaching sovereigns. Was heard one voice: "still!" then, as a rooster at dawn, repeated voices at different ends. And all fell silent.

In the dead silence was heard only the clattering of horses. That was the suite of the emperors. The sovereigns pulled up to the flank and heard the sounds of the trumpeters of the first cavalry regiment, playing the general march. It seemed, this was not played by the trumpeters, but by the army itself, rejoicing in the approach of the sovereign, naturally issuing these sounds. From behind these noises was clearly heard the one young, affectionate voice of Emperor Aleksandr. He said his greeting, and the first regiment snapped: "Hooorah!" so deafeningly, continuously, and happy that the people themselves were terrified of the number and the strength of those communities which they formed.

Rostov, standing up at the first ranks of Kutuzov’s army, to which first drove the sovereign, feeling that same feeling, what every person in this army felt, — that sense of self-forgetfulness, the proud consciousness of power and passionate attraction to that who was the cause of these celebrations.

He felt that from one word of this human depended all of this community (and he, tied with it, — was an insignificant grain of sand) and would go into fire and water, to crime, or to dare into the greatest heroism, and because of that he could not tremble and not freeze in seeing these approaching words.

— Hooorah! Hooorah! Hooorah! — thundered to all parties, and one regiment behind the other took the sounds of the sovereign of general march; then "Hooorah!..." the general march and again "Hooorah!" and "Hooorah!", which, all getting stronger and arriving, blended into a deafening rumble.

While the sovereign was not driving more, every regiment in its silence and stillness seemed as a lifeless body; only compared with the sovereign, the regiment perked up and thundered, joining to roar throughout the lines, which now the sovereign drove through. In the scary, deafening sound of these voices, in the middle of the masses of troops, motionless, as petrified in their quadrangles, carelessly, yet symmetrically and, the main thing, freely moved hundreds of riders in the suites and ahead of them two men — the emperors. In them was that completely concentrated restrainedly passionate attention throughout these masses of people.

The nice, young Emperor Aleksandr, in a horse guards uniform, in a triangular hat, wearing with the field, his enjoyable face and sonorous, quiet voice attracted all the force of attention.

Rostov stood near from the trumpeters and from afar his own vigilant eyes found the sovereign and watched for his approach. When the sovereign approached in the distance of 20 steps and to Nikolay he was clear, in all details, he considered the beautiful, young and happy face of the emperor, he experienced the feeling of tenderness and delight, like which he still did not feel. All — any feature, all movement — seemed to him lovely in the sovereign.

Stopping against the Pavlograd regiment, the sovereign said something in French to the Austrian emperor and smiled.

Seeing this smile, Rostov himself unwittingly started to smile and felt still the strongest flow of love to his sovereign. He wanted to express something of his love to the sovereign. He knew that this was impossible, and he wanted to cry. The sovereign called the regimental commander and said to him a few words.

"My God! Would that have been with me, should the sovereign have turned to me! — thought Rostov: — I would have died from happiness."

The sovereign turned to the officers:

— All, gentleman (each word was heard by Rostov as a sound from the sky), I thank you from throughout my soul.

How happy would be Rostov, if he could now die for his tsar!

— You deserved St. George’s banners and will be worthy of them.

"Only to die, to die for him!" thought Rostov.

The sovereign still said something that was not heard by Rostov, and the soldiers, tearing their breasts, screamed: "Hooorah!"

Rostov shouted too, crouching to his saddle, what was in his forces, wishing to harm himself by this screaming, only so that to express his quite excitement to the sovereign.

The sovereign stood some seconds against the hussars, as if he was in indecision.

"How could there be indecision in the sovereign?" thought Rostov, but then even this hesitation seemed to Rostov majestic and charming, as all that was done by the sovereign.

The hesitation of the sovereign went on for another moment. The foot of the sovereign, with a narrow, sharp toed boot, as carried at that time, touched to the groin of his angled bay mare on which he rode; the hand of the sovereign in a white glove picked up the reins and he set off, accompanied by the disorder of the floundering sea of adjutants. Farther and farther he drove off , stopping at the other regiments, and, finally, only his white plume was seen by Rostov from behind the suites surrounding the emperors.

In the number of the gentlemen suites Rostov saw Bolkonsky, lazily and loosely sitting on his horse. Rostov remembered yesterday’s quarrel with him and presented the question, should — or should I not should call him. "Of course, I should not, — thought now Rostov... — and if I think and speak about this at such a moment, as now? At the moment of such feeling of love, delight and selflessness, what means all our quarreling and grudges!? I love all, to all forgive now," thought Rostov.

When the sovereign had travelled to almost all the regiments, the troops began to pass by him in a ceremonial march, and Rostov on again the bought from Denisov Bedouin drove through in lock with his squadron, i.e. one and completely in view before the sovereign.

Not riding as far as the sovereign, Rostov, a great rider, two times planted his spurs into Bedouin and led him happily to this rapid gait trot, which the heated Bedouin went by. Bending the foaming muzzle to his breast, separating its tail and as if to fly in the air and not touching to the earth, gracefully and highly throwing up and changing legs, Bedouin, also felt in himself the look of the sovereign, passing well.

Rostov himself, burying backwards his legs and picking up his stomach and feeling himself one piece with the horse, with a frowning, yet blessed face, a devil, as said Denisov, drove past the sovereign.

— Well done Pavlograds! — spoke the sovereign.

"My God! How happy would I be, if he told me now to throw myself into a fire," thought Rostov.

When the review was over, the officers, again coming to Kutuzov, began to converge in groups and began conversations about awards, about the Austrians and their uniforms, about their front, about Bonaparte and about his bad work now, especially when approached still corps from Essen, and Prussia will accept our side.

But more only in all circles talked about the sovereign Alexander, delivered each of his words, moved by and admiring them.

All only wanted one thing: under the leading sovereign go against the enemy. Under the command of the sovereign himself they could not be conquered or, so thought after the review Rostov and the majority of officers.

All after the review were sure of victory more than they could be after two won battles.


Time: the day following

Location: See previous chapter, outside of Olmutz
Mentioned: Austrian, Russia (and Russian), Prussia

Pevear and Volkhonsky Notes: Tolstoy goes all out in the military description. The repetition of now makes it sound almost like a descriptive poem. “Every general and soldier sensed his own nullity, aware of being a grain of sand in this sea of people, and at the same time sensed his strength, aware of being part of this enormous whole.”
“In the front, the cavalry; behind them, the artillery; further behind, the infantry.”
“Like wind in the leaves”
“Like cocks at dawn”
The arriving of Alexander.
Rostov and every man: “ a feeling of self-forgetfulness, a proud awareness of strength, and a passionate attraction to him who was the cause of this solemnity.”
“An insignificant speck”
They would all follow him no matter what. His presence makes them come alive.
Rostov is keensighted, unlike the nearsighted Pierre and others in the novel.
Rostov wants to die for him. When he sees Andrei again: “I love everybody, I forgive everybody now,”
Despite the dire circumstances of reality, Alexander’s presence is enough to make the Russians believe they will win. He is reality-altering because those that follow him have such respect.


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 *):

Boris

Nikolai Rostof

Kutuzof

Czar Alexander (“Emperor of Russia”, “Emperor Alexander”, and “the sovereign”, capitalized and uncapitalized in Dole.)

Grand Duke (“tsesarevitch” in Dole.)

Emperor of Austria (Bell goes ahead and gives us Emperor Francis)

Archduke (should be Ferdinand)

The regimental commander (since this is in front of Rostof’s unit, this should be Bogdanuitch)

Andrei (only “Bolkonsky”)

Bedouin

Denisof

Bonaparte

Essen


(of course many many soldiers and parts of the army)


Abridged Versions: End of chapter 5 for Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 7.
Fuller: Entire chapter is removed
Komroff: The majority of the description early in the chapter is removed. Rostov sees Bolkonsky, but doesn’t have the inner monlogue that his appearance inspires. A lot of Rostov’s inner thoughts in the chapter are removed. The bits
about the horse are removed, and the end of the chapter, the reaction, is removed as well. Line break.
Kropotkin: Entire chapter is removed
Bromfield: Chapter 5: Some of Rostov’s inner monloguing isn’t here, Denisov and the horse isn’t here, and Bolkonsky isn’t here.
Simmons: Chapter 7: cut and replaced with "The Russian and Austrian Emperors review the allied army before Olmutz. Nicholas Rostov, in the ranks of the Pavlograd hussars, is ecstatic over the majestic appearance and words of
his Emperor, Alexander I.


Additional Notes:

Raeff: (page 190): "erotically tinged relationship is found again in the reign of Alexander I--as witness the exaltations of Karazin (and their literary equivalent in Tolstoy's Nicholas Rostov).

Montefiore: Page 242: “Alexander and his brother Constantine simultaneously lived two lives--one at Tsarskoe Selo was the empress where they dressed in French--style court dress, and another at Catchina with the grand duke
where they wore Prussian military uniform.” 


The Peasant and the Army by John S. Curtiss: The peasant-soldier’s faith in the Tsar greatly impressed Greene. The enlisted man suspected that his generals were fools, and was sure that his commissaries were rascals, especially
when his uniform proved to be shoddy, his boots went to pieces, and his biscuits were filled with weevils. But he never thought of censuring the Tsar for these abuses. In fact, he usually dismissed these manifestations with the rueful
wish: “Ah, if the Tsar only knew!”--reasoning that the monarch, the best friend of the soldier, would surely correct these evils if he learned of them. But since the Tsar could not know everything, the enlisted man could expect no relief
and so he would go on doing his duty faithfully, hoping that some day things would be better.”


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