Chapter Summaries: Dole: Journey to Luisiya Gorui. Discussion of man's destiny. Freemasonry. The scene on the river. The ladder of existence. God. The lofty heavens again.
Briggs: A philosophical discussion on the ferry
Maude: Their talk on the ferry raft
Translation:
XII.
At night Prince Andrey and Pierre sat down on the pram and went to Bald Mountains. Prince Andrey, glancing at Pierre, interrupted the silence occasionally with speeches, proving that he was found in a good location of spirit.
He spoke to him, pointing at the field, about his economic improvements.
Pierre gloomily kept silent, answering in monosyllables, and seemed submerged in his thought.
Pierre thought about how Prince Andrey was unhappy, that he was mistaken, that he did not know the true light and that Pierre should come to help, enlighten and raise him. Yet only as Pierre had thought up how and what he would say, he foresaw that Prince Andrey by one word, by one argument could drop all of his studies, and he was afraid to start, was afraid to put forward the opportunity to ridicule his favorite sacred object.
— No, from what again do you think, — suddenly started Pierre, lowering his head and taking the view of a butting bull, —From what do you so think? You must not so think.
— About what do I think, — asked Prince Andrey with surprise.
— About life, about the appointment of man. This may not be. I so the same thought, and I was saved, do you know that? Freemasonry. No, do not smile. Freemasonry — this is not religious, not a ceremonial sect, as I thought, but freemasonry is the best, only expression of the best, eternal parts of humanity. — And he started to set out to Prince Andrey freemasonry, as he understood it.
He said that freemasonry is teaching Christianity, liberated from state and religious shackles; teaching equality, brotherhood and love.
— Only our holy brotherhood has valid meaning in life; all the rest is a dream, — spoke Pierre. — You remember, my friend, that beyond this union all execute lies and untruths, and I agree with you that a clever and good person has nothing remaining as you alone, living out their life, trying only to not interfere with others. But learn yourself our main beliefs, march into our brotherhood, give us yourself, let me lead you myself, and you will now feel yourself, how I felt, part of this great, invisible row, which starts invisible in heaven, — spoke Pierre.
Prince Andrey, silently, looking at himself, listened to the speech of Pierre. A few times he, not hearing from the noise of the carriage, asked again for Pierre’s unheard words. The particular shine, lighting up in the eyes of Prince Andrey, and by his silence Pierre saw that his words were not in vain, and that Prince Andrey did not interrupt him and did not laugh at his words.
They pulled up to the overflow of the river, which they needed to cross on the ferry. While established on the pram and horses, they passed on the ferry.
Prince Andrey, leaning about the railing, silently watched along the brilliant coming spilling of the sun.
— Well, what again do you think about this? — asked Pierre. — For what again do you keep silent?
— What do I think? I listened to you. All this is so, — said Prince Andrey. — But you say: march into our brotherhood, and we will indicate to you the objective of life and the appointment of man, and laws, managers in peace. And who again is we? — People? From what again do you know this? From what I do not see, what you see? You see in the land of the kingdom good and the truth, but I do not see it.
Pierre interrupted him.
— Do you believe in the future life? — he asked.
— In a future life? — repeated Prince Andrey, but Pierre did not give him time to answer and accepted this reiteration for negation, by more, that he knew the former atheistic beliefs of Prince Andrey.
— You say that you may not see kingdoms of good and the truth in the land. And I have not seen it and it cannot be seen, if we look at our life in the end only. In land, in this land (Pierre pointed out to the field), is not the truth — all are lies and evil; but in the world, in all the world is the kingdom of truth, and we now are children of the earth, but forever children only in the world. Don't I feel in my soul that I form part of this huge, harmonious whole? Don't I feel that I am in this huge countless quantity of creatures, in which manifests itself in the Deity, — the highest power as is wanted, — that I form one link, one stage of lower creatures to the highest? Shouldn’t I see, it is clear that I see these stairs, which lead from plants to person, that from what again can I guess that these stairs are interrupted by me, but do not lead farther and farther? I feel that not only can I not disappear, as nothing disappears in the world, but that I always will be and always was. I feel that besides me, there needs to live the spirit of me, and that in this world it is real.
— Yes, this is the teaching of Herder, — said Prince Andrey, — but it is not that, my soul, that will convince me, but life and death, here is what convinces. What convinces is that you see a dear to you being, who connected with you, before which you were to blame and hoped to justify (Prince Andrey’s voice trembled and he turned away) and suddenly this being suffers, tormented and is stopped... what for? Maybe, there was no answer! And I believe that it is... here that convinces, here is what convinced me, — said Prince Andrey.
— Well yes, well yes, — spoke Pierre, — isn't that the same as I speak!
— No. I speak only what convinces in the need of a future life is not arguments, but that when I go into life hand in hand with a human, and suddenly this person disappears there into nowhere, and you yourself stop before this chasm and you look there. And I looked in...
— Well, so what the same! You know that it is there and that it is someone? There is — a future life. That someone is — God.
Prince Andrey did not respond. The carriage and horses now for a long time were withdrawn on the other bank and now laid, and already the sun disappeared to half, and the evening frost covered the transporting pools of stars, but Pierre and Andrey, to the surprise of the lackeys, coachmen and carriers, were still standing on the ferry and spoke.
— If there is God and there is a future life, then there is truth, there is virtue; and the higher happiness of humanity consists so that to seek to achieve it. We need to live, need to love, need to believe, — spoke Pierre, — that to live not only now on this scrap of earth, but live and will live forever there in all (he pointed out to the sky). Prince Andrey stood, leaning on the railing of the ferry and, listening to Pierre, not lowering his eyes, watched the red glint of the sun by the blue spill. Pierre shut up. It was completely quiet. The ferry for a long time was stuck, and only the waves of the currents with a weak sound hit about the bottom of the ferry. To Prince Andrey it seemed that this rinsing of waves to the words of Pierre sentenced: "Really, believe this."
Prince Andrey sighed, and a radiant, childish, gentle look looked at the flushed, enthusiastic, but all timid before his preeminent friend, face of Pierre.
— Yes, if this was so! — he said. — However go sit down, — added Prince Andrey, and exiting from the ferry, he looked at the sky, which was pointed out to him by Pierre, and for the first time, after Austerlitz, he saw that high, eternal sky, which he saw lying at the Austerlitz field, and something for a long time asleep, something that was the best in him, suddenly happily and young woke up in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrey marched again into his habitual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he was not able to develop, lived in him. The appointment with Pierre was for Prince Andrey an epoch, with which began, although in appearance the same self, but in inner peace his new life.
Time: the evening
Locations: Lysyya Gory
Mentioned: Austerlitz
Pevear and Volkhonsky: It is a continuation of the argument, at least in a way. Again, Pierre is at first frightened by making arguments to Andrei and then does it anyway with enthusiasm.
Briggs: A philosophical discussion on the ferry
Maude: Their talk on the ferry raft
Translation:
XII.
At night Prince Andrey and Pierre sat down on the pram and went to Bald Mountains. Prince Andrey, glancing at Pierre, interrupted the silence occasionally with speeches, proving that he was found in a good location of spirit.
He spoke to him, pointing at the field, about his economic improvements.
Pierre gloomily kept silent, answering in monosyllables, and seemed submerged in his thought.
Pierre thought about how Prince Andrey was unhappy, that he was mistaken, that he did not know the true light and that Pierre should come to help, enlighten and raise him. Yet only as Pierre had thought up how and what he would say, he foresaw that Prince Andrey by one word, by one argument could drop all of his studies, and he was afraid to start, was afraid to put forward the opportunity to ridicule his favorite sacred object.
— No, from what again do you think, — suddenly started Pierre, lowering his head and taking the view of a butting bull, —From what do you so think? You must not so think.
— About what do I think, — asked Prince Andrey with surprise.
— About life, about the appointment of man. This may not be. I so the same thought, and I was saved, do you know that? Freemasonry. No, do not smile. Freemasonry — this is not religious, not a ceremonial sect, as I thought, but freemasonry is the best, only expression of the best, eternal parts of humanity. — And he started to set out to Prince Andrey freemasonry, as he understood it.
He said that freemasonry is teaching Christianity, liberated from state and religious shackles; teaching equality, brotherhood and love.
— Only our holy brotherhood has valid meaning in life; all the rest is a dream, — spoke Pierre. — You remember, my friend, that beyond this union all execute lies and untruths, and I agree with you that a clever and good person has nothing remaining as you alone, living out their life, trying only to not interfere with others. But learn yourself our main beliefs, march into our brotherhood, give us yourself, let me lead you myself, and you will now feel yourself, how I felt, part of this great, invisible row, which starts invisible in heaven, — spoke Pierre.
Prince Andrey, silently, looking at himself, listened to the speech of Pierre. A few times he, not hearing from the noise of the carriage, asked again for Pierre’s unheard words. The particular shine, lighting up in the eyes of Prince Andrey, and by his silence Pierre saw that his words were not in vain, and that Prince Andrey did not interrupt him and did not laugh at his words.
They pulled up to the overflow of the river, which they needed to cross on the ferry. While established on the pram and horses, they passed on the ferry.
Prince Andrey, leaning about the railing, silently watched along the brilliant coming spilling of the sun.
— Well, what again do you think about this? — asked Pierre. — For what again do you keep silent?
— What do I think? I listened to you. All this is so, — said Prince Andrey. — But you say: march into our brotherhood, and we will indicate to you the objective of life and the appointment of man, and laws, managers in peace. And who again is we? — People? From what again do you know this? From what I do not see, what you see? You see in the land of the kingdom good and the truth, but I do not see it.
Pierre interrupted him.
— Do you believe in the future life? — he asked.
— In a future life? — repeated Prince Andrey, but Pierre did not give him time to answer and accepted this reiteration for negation, by more, that he knew the former atheistic beliefs of Prince Andrey.
— You say that you may not see kingdoms of good and the truth in the land. And I have not seen it and it cannot be seen, if we look at our life in the end only. In land, in this land (Pierre pointed out to the field), is not the truth — all are lies and evil; but in the world, in all the world is the kingdom of truth, and we now are children of the earth, but forever children only in the world. Don't I feel in my soul that I form part of this huge, harmonious whole? Don't I feel that I am in this huge countless quantity of creatures, in which manifests itself in the Deity, — the highest power as is wanted, — that I form one link, one stage of lower creatures to the highest? Shouldn’t I see, it is clear that I see these stairs, which lead from plants to person, that from what again can I guess that these stairs are interrupted by me, but do not lead farther and farther? I feel that not only can I not disappear, as nothing disappears in the world, but that I always will be and always was. I feel that besides me, there needs to live the spirit of me, and that in this world it is real.
— Yes, this is the teaching of Herder, — said Prince Andrey, — but it is not that, my soul, that will convince me, but life and death, here is what convinces. What convinces is that you see a dear to you being, who connected with you, before which you were to blame and hoped to justify (Prince Andrey’s voice trembled and he turned away) and suddenly this being suffers, tormented and is stopped... what for? Maybe, there was no answer! And I believe that it is... here that convinces, here is what convinced me, — said Prince Andrey.
— Well yes, well yes, — spoke Pierre, — isn't that the same as I speak!
— No. I speak only what convinces in the need of a future life is not arguments, but that when I go into life hand in hand with a human, and suddenly this person disappears there into nowhere, and you yourself stop before this chasm and you look there. And I looked in...
— Well, so what the same! You know that it is there and that it is someone? There is — a future life. That someone is — God.
Prince Andrey did not respond. The carriage and horses now for a long time were withdrawn on the other bank and now laid, and already the sun disappeared to half, and the evening frost covered the transporting pools of stars, but Pierre and Andrey, to the surprise of the lackeys, coachmen and carriers, were still standing on the ferry and spoke.
— If there is God and there is a future life, then there is truth, there is virtue; and the higher happiness of humanity consists so that to seek to achieve it. We need to live, need to love, need to believe, — spoke Pierre, — that to live not only now on this scrap of earth, but live and will live forever there in all (he pointed out to the sky). Prince Andrey stood, leaning on the railing of the ferry and, listening to Pierre, not lowering his eyes, watched the red glint of the sun by the blue spill. Pierre shut up. It was completely quiet. The ferry for a long time was stuck, and only the waves of the currents with a weak sound hit about the bottom of the ferry. To Prince Andrey it seemed that this rinsing of waves to the words of Pierre sentenced: "Really, believe this."
Prince Andrey sighed, and a radiant, childish, gentle look looked at the flushed, enthusiastic, but all timid before his preeminent friend, face of Pierre.
— Yes, if this was so! — he said. — However go sit down, — added Prince Andrey, and exiting from the ferry, he looked at the sky, which was pointed out to him by Pierre, and for the first time, after Austerlitz, he saw that high, eternal sky, which he saw lying at the Austerlitz field, and something for a long time asleep, something that was the best in him, suddenly happily and young woke up in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrey marched again into his habitual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he was not able to develop, lived in him. The appointment with Pierre was for Prince Andrey an epoch, with which began, although in appearance the same self, but in inner peace his new life.
Time: the evening
Locations: Lysyya Gory
Mentioned: Austerlitz
Pevear and Volkhonsky: It is a continuation of the argument, at least in a way. Again, Pierre is at first frightened by making arguments to Andrei and then does it anyway with enthusiasm.
Pierre: “there is no truth--everything is falsehood and evil; but in the universe, in the whole universe, there is the kingdom of the true and we are now children of the earth, but eternally--children of the whole universe. Don’t I feel in my
soul that I make up a part of that huge harmonious whole?”
soul that I make up a part of that huge harmonious whole?”
Andrei: “life and death are what convince me...suddenly this being suffers, agonizes, and ceases to be...Why? It cannot be that there’s no answer!”
Andrei: “he looked at the sky Pierre had pointed to, and for the first time since Austerlitz saw that high, eternal sky he had seen as he lay on the battlefield, and something long asleep, something that was best in him, suddenly
awakened joyful and young in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrei re-entered the habitual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he did not know how to develop, lived in him.”
awakened joyful and young in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrei re-entered the habitual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he did not know how to develop, lived in him.”
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 *):
Prince Andrei
Pierre
(a reference is made to Herder’s doctrine, but Herder probably shouldn’t be considered a character.)
(servants, the drivers, and the ferry hands are all mentioned)
Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 10.
Gibian: Chapter 10.
Fuller: entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: In this chapter, basically all of Andrei’s responses are cut, making it a one sided conversation, with a lot of Pierre’s shortened. Line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 12: Entire chapter is cut
Simmons: Chapter 10: chapter is preserved.
Simmons: Chapter 10: chapter is preserved.
Additional Notes: Maude: “Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803), German philosopher who did much to promote the cult of irrationalism, and whose interest in the folk spirit and the value of intuition in creation did much to shape
German romanticism. Prince Andrew’s reflections on a future life are similar to those of Tolstoy after the death of his brother Nicholas.”
German romanticism. Prince Andrew’s reflections on a future life are similar to those of Tolstoy after the death of his brother Nicholas.”
Rancour-Laferriere: Page 132: “Andrei continues to speak to Pierre with the familiar ‘ty’. While Pierre maintains the respectful ‘vy’/ The narrator emphasizes the lopsidedness by often referring to ‘Prince Andrei’, but never speaking
(in the present context) of ‘Count Bezukhov’.”
Berlin: Page 223: “Herder...spoke of the history of humanity as being not a mere casual sequence of rigidly determined events, each external to one another, but as a process similar to that of the creation of a work of art...his vision
of the universe as a single growing whole in which the seeds planted by God - individual souls, the spirit of human institutions, societies, Churches, artistic movements - all developed in accordance with an inner purpose for which
it had been created.
Davis: Page 686: “J.G. Herder (1744-1803)...made an anti-rationalist contribution to the epistemological debate, propounding the idea that perception is a function of the total personality...conceiving of progress as something much
more complex than mere linear advancement.”
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