Chapter Summaries: Dole: Princess Mariya. Her interview with Mlle. Bourienne. Bourienne urges her to accept General Rameau's protection. Princess Mariya's indignation. Her interview with Dron. Dron's falsehood. Princess Mariya's proposal to share the corn.
Briggs: Princess Marya speaks to Dron.
Maude: Mademoiselle Bourienne advises Princess Mary to appeal to the French for protection. Princess Mary speaks to Dron
Briggs: Princess Marya speaks to Dron.
Maude: Mademoiselle Bourienne advises Princess Mary to appeal to the French for protection. Princess Mary speaks to Dron
Translation:
X.
After the burial of her father, Princess Marya locked herself in her room and let in nobody to herself. To the door came up a girl to say that Alpatych came to interrogate about the orders of departure. (This was yet before the conversation of Alpatych with Dron.) Princess Marya raised from the couch on which she lied, and through the shuttered door spoke that she would to nowhere and never ride and asked for her to be left alone.
The window of the room in which lied Princess Marya, was to the west. She lied on the couch facing the wall and, sorting out with her fingers buttons on a leather pillow, seeing only this pillow, and her obscure thoughts were focused on one: she thought about the irreversibility of death and about her sincere abominations, which she did not know before, and which appeared in the time of the disease of her father. She wanted to, but did not dare, pray, not daring in this sincere condition, in which she was found out, to handle with God. She long lied in this position.
The sun called on the other side of the home and the oblique, evening rays, in the open window, illuminating the room and part of the morocco pillow at which watched Princess Marya. The move of her thoughts suddenly paused. She unconsciously raised, straightened her hair, got up and came up to the window, unwittingly inhaling in herself the cool clear, but windy evening.
"Yes, now you conveniently admire the night! He really is not, and nothing disturbs you," she said to herself, and lowering in the chair, she fell head onto the windowsill.
Someone cried at her head. She looked around. This was m-lle Bourienne, in a black dress and patches. She quietly came up to Princess Marya, with a sigh kissed her and immediately again cried. Princess Marya looked around at her. All the former confrontations with her and jealousy to her was remembered by Princess Marya; remembering that, how she in the latter time had changed to m-lle Bourienne, could not see her, and, began to see how unfair were those reproaches, which Princess Marya in her soul made to her. "Yes and whether I, whether I, willing his death would condemn someone!" she thought.
Princess Marya lively introduced herself to the position of m-lle Bourienne, in latter time distant from her society, but together with that dependent on it and living in a stranger’s house. And she began to pity her. She meekly and interrogatively looked at her and handed her hand. M-lle Bourienne immediately cried, began to kiss her hand and speak about the grief comprehended by the princess, made herself a participant in this grief. She said that the only comfort in her grief was that how the princess allowed her to split him up with her. She said that all former misunderstandings must be destroyed before the great grief, that she feels herself pure before all, and that she from there sees her love and gratitude. The princess listened to her, not understanding her words, but occasionally looking at her and listening to the sounds of her voice.
— Your position is doubly terrible, pretty princess, — keeping silent a little, said m-lle Bourienne. — I understand that you could not and may not think about yourself; but my love to you obliges me to do this... Alpatych was with you? Did he speak with you about departure? — she asked.
Princess Marya did not answer. She did not understand what and who should go. "Can something be undertaken now, to think about something? Don't all care?" she did not answer.
— Whether you know, pretty princess645 — said m-lle Bourienne. — Whether you know that we are in danger, that we are surrounded by the French; going now is dangerous. Should we ride, we almost for sure will be hit in captivity, and God knows...
Princess Marya watched her friend, not understanding what she said.
— Ah, should some know how I all, all care now.— she said. — Of course, I for what would not want to leave from him... Alpatych spoke to me something about departure... Talking with him, I can want nothing, nothing...
— I spoke with him. He hopes that we succeed to leave tomorrow; but I think that now it would be better to stay here, — said m-lle Bourienne. — Because of how, I agree, chère (pretty) Marie to get into the hand of the soldiers or rioting peasants on the road — would be terrible. M-lle Bourienne got of her reticule a declaration (not in ordinary Russian paper) from the French General Ramo about that the residents who had not left their houses would be given due patronage to the French authorities, and gave it to the princess.
— I think that it is better to turn to this general, — said m-lle Bourienne, — and I am sure that you will be given due respect.
Princess Marya read the paper, and dry sobbing pulled up to her face.
— Through whom have you received this? — she said.
— Probably, recognized that I am a Frenchwoman by name, — blushing said m-lle Bourienne.
Princess Marya with the paper in hand got up from the window, and with a pale face, exited from the room and went into the former office of Prince Andrey.
— Dunyasha, call to me Alpatych, Dronushkoy, someone! — said Princess Marya, — And tell Amalya Karlovna, for her not to enter to me, — she added, upon hearing the voice of m-lle Bourienne. — Go soon! Go soon! — said Princess Marya, horrified at the thought about that she could stay in the authority of the French.
"So that Prince Andrey knew that she was in the authority of the French! For her, the daughter of Prince Nikolay Andreich Bolkonsky, to request the gentleman General Ramo to manifest her patronage and enjoy his benefits!" This idea led her to horror, forced her to shudder, blush and feel a still untested by her seizure of anger and pride. All that only was heavy and, the main thing, insulting in her position, lively presenting to her. "They, the French, will settle in this house; sir general Ramo will occupy the office of Prince Andrey; will for fun sort through and read his letters and paperwork. Mademoiselle Bourien will be taken with honors in Bogucharov.646 I will be given a little room from mercy; the soldiers will ruin the fresh grave of my father, so that to take off with his crosses and stars; they will tell me about victories above the Russians, will feignedly express empathy to my grief...", thought Princess Marya not her own thoughts, but feeling in herself the duty to think for herself the thoughts of her father and brother. For her personally she could all care, where would she stay and what would be with her or not; but she felt herself together with that representative of deceased father and Prince Andrey. She unwittingly thought their thoughts and felt their feelings. What would they have said, what would they have done now, that very thing she felt necessary to do. She went in the office of Prince Andrey and, trying to penetrate his thoughts, considered her position.
The demands of life, which she counted destroyed with the death of her father, suddenly with a new, still unknown force sprang up before Princess Marya and covered her.
Agitated, red, she went by the room, demanding to herself Alpatych, then Mihail Ivanovich, then Tihon, then Dron. Dunyasha, the nurse and all the girls could say nothing about what was the least fair about what was declared by m-lle Bourienne. Alpatych was not at home: he left to the chief. Called Mihail Ivanych the architect, revealed to Princess Marya with sleepy eyes, could not say anything to her. He exactly with that same smile of consent, with which he used in the continuation of fifteen years and responded, not expressing his opinions, in the treatment of the old prince, responding to the questions of Princess Marya, so that nothing certain could be brought out from his answers. Called old valet Tihon, with a fallen and haggard face, wearing on himself an imprint of incurable grief, responding: "I am listening" to all the questions of Princess Marya and barely held on from sobs, looking at her.
Finally entered in the room the headman Dron, and low bowing to the princess, stopping at the lintel.
Princess Marya walked by the room and stopped against him.
— Dronushkoy, — said Princess Marya, seeing in him an undoubted friend in Dronushkoy himself, which from their annual trips to the fair in Vyazma brought her any time and with a smile gave her his special gingerbread. — Dronushkoy, now after our misfortunes, — she began and fell silent, not in her forces to speak farther.
— All under the Lord goes, — with a sigh he said. They kept silent.
— Dronushkoy, Alpatych left somewhere, I do not know who to turn to. Whether you speak the truth to me, that it cannot be to leave?
— From what again do you not go, your excellency, you can go, — said Dron.
— To me it has been said that it is dangerous from the enemy. Darling, I can not understand anything, with me is nobody. I indispensably want to go at night or tomorrow in the early morning. — Dron kept silent. He sneakily looked at Princess Marya.
— No horses, — he said, — I and Yakov Alpatych spoke.
— From what again no? — said the princess.
— All from God’s punishment, — said Dron. — What horses were, under the troops were dismantled, but some died, now a year such. Not that for horses to feed, but as would themselves from hunger not die! And so by three days they do not eat sitting. There is nothing, ravaged to the end.
Princess Marya carefully listened to that what he spoke to her.
— The men are busted? In them is no bread? — she asked.
— From hunger they die, — said Dron, — there are not those carts.
— And from what again have you not said, Dronushkoy? Cannot there be help? I will do all that I can... — For Princess Marya it was weird to think that now, at such a moment, when such grief filled her soul, could be people rich and poor and that the rich could not help the poor. She vaguely knew and heard that there was lordly bread and that it was given to the men. She knew also that her brother, or her father would not refuse the in need men; she only was afraid to be mistaken somehow in the words about this distribution of bread to the men, which she wanted to order. She was happy that how to her presented a pretext of care, such for which she was not ashamed to forget her grief. She began to question Dronushkoy about the details of the needs of the peasants, and about what is the master's at Bogucharov.
— Because in you is bread of the master, brother? — she asked.
— The master’s bread is all intact,— with pride said Dron, — our prince did not order to sell.
— Give it out to the men, give out all that they need: I by the name of my brother allow you, — said Princess Marya.
Dron did not reply and deeply sighed.
— You distribute to them this bread, should it quite be for them. To all distribute. I order you by the name of my brother, and say to them: that ours is theirs. We pity nothing for them. So to them say.
Dron intently watched the princess, in that time as she said.
— Fire me, mother, for God, lead from me the keys, accept, — he said. — I served 23 years, did nothing bad, fire me, for God.
Princess Marya did not understand what he wanted from her and from what he requested to get fired himself. She answered to him that she never doubted his devotion, but that she was all ready to do for him and for the peasants.
645 chère Marie, (dear Marie,)
646 M-lle Bourienne lui fera les honneurs de Bogucharovo. (Miss Bourienne will do him the honors of Bogucharovo.)
Mentioned: to-morrow, tonight, early to-morrow morning, three days
Locations: Bogucharovo
Mentioned: French, Russian, Vyazma Fair
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We flip to before Alpatych’s conversation with Dron in which Marya locks herself up in her room.
“She was thinking of the irrevocability of death and of her own inner loathsomeness, which she had not known about till then, and which had shown itself during her father’s illness.”
She still obviously feels guilty for wishing for her father’s death.
Bourienne enters and like Natasha judging the woman at the church service, judges her at first and then immediately reproaches herself, feeling sorry for Bourienne since she has nowhere to go. Bourienne argues that they should stay instead of leaving and have the French protect them. This whips Marya into shape as family pride makes her want to leave at once rather than falling into the hands of the French and have the house be taken over by the French, “feeling it her duty to think for herself the thoughts of her father and brother.”
She summons everyone, eventually getting to Dron, who tells her that there are no horses and the peasants are starving.
"It was strange for Princess Marya to think that now, at a moment when such grief filled her soul, there could be rich and poor people, and that the rich would not help the poor."
She tells Dron to give the peasants the grain and Dron again tries to give his keys up.
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 *):
Princess Mariya (also "Marie" and "daughter".)
Prince Nikolai Andreyitch Bolkonsky (also "father" and "master".)
Dunyasha (her maid)
Yakof Alpatuitch
Dron (also "Dronushka" and "starosta".)
Mademoiselle Amalie Karlovna Bourienne (the first time we see the middle name. Edmonds, Mandelker, and Dunnigan do not print the first two names in the chapter.)
General Rameau (also "M. le general Rameau".)
Prince Andrei
Mikhail Ivanovitch (also "the architect".)
Tikhon (also "old valet".)
The old nyanya
(also mentioned are soldiers, maids, and peasants.)
Abridged Versions:
Gibian: Chapter 10.
Gibian: Chapter 10.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Chapter seems preserved other than an occasional removed detail or sentence. Followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 7: Maria doesn't talk to herself about her father. She also doesn't tell everyone to keep Bourienne away form her and her self-reflection after that conversation is shorter.
Bromfield: Chapter 6: Marya's self-reflection at the beginning of the chapter is shorter. She also wants Bourienne to go away and Bourienne won't, so she calls Dunyusha. There also isn't the parade of subordinates before getting to Dron. This happens afterward. No chapter break.
Simmons: Chapter 10: a lot of the description early in the chapter is cut. The discussion with Bourienne is also much shorter. We also get to Dron quicker, removing the parade of subordinates. Their conversation is also much shorter.
Simmons: Chapter 10: a lot of the description early in the chapter is cut. The discussion with Bourienne is also much shorter. We also get to Dron quicker, removing the parade of subordinates. Their conversation is also much shorter.
Additional Notes:
The Vyazma fair and its gingerbread is a famous delicacy that was also mentioned by Alexander Pushkin.
Tolstoy's Letters (Christian): Page 122: “My idea was this: three creatures died--a lady, a peasant and a tree. The lady is pitiful and loathsome because she has lied all her life, and lies when on the point of death. Christanity, as she understands it, doesn’t solve the problem of life and death for her. Why die when you want to live? With her mind and her imagination she believes in the future promises of Christianity, but her whole being kicks against it, she has no consolation (except a pseudo-Christian one)--but her place is already reserved. She is loathsome and pitiful. The peasant dies peacefully just because he is not a Christian. His religion is different, even though by force of habit he has observed the Christian ritual: his religion is nature, which he has lived with. He himself felled trees, sowed rye and reaped it, and slaughtered sheep; sheep were born, and children were born, and old men died, and he knew this law perfectly well and never deviated from it as the lady did, but looked it fairly and squarely in the face. Une brute, you say; but how can une brute be bad? Une brute is happiness and beauty, and harmony with the whole world, and not discord as in the case of the lady. The tree dies peacefully, honestly and beautifully. Beautifully--because it doesn’t lie, doesn’t put on airs, isn’t afraid, and has no regrets. There you have my idea, and of course you don’t agree with it; but it can’t be disputed--it is in my soul, and in yours too.”
Caryl Emerson (Where Bakhtin Misses the Mark on Tolstoy)
"For Tolstoy...Life is a matter not of seeking eternal confrontation with other equally and externally valid ideas, but of processing an idea or a situation at the proper time to guarantee the survival of the organism. For all his robust fullness of setting, Tolstoy is a master of mapping the ways in which people are not free. The choices a person can make depend on a very specific and restricted immediate context. Thus Tolstoy’s obsession with timing...Gary Saul Morson to suggest that War and Peace, that unclassifiable work, is closer to satire than to any other genre"
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