Book 3 Part 2 Chapter 2 (Chapter 189 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Prince Bolkonsky and his daughter. Princess Mariya's idea of the war. The prince's break with Mlle. Bourienne. Correspondence with Julie. The old prince's activity. His restlessness at night.* Letter from Prince Andrei. The old prince's incredulity. His forgetfulness. His will.
*This peculiarity of Prince Bolkonsky is evidently imitated from Napoleon at St. Helena: see Bourrienne's Memoirs.
Maude: Prince Bolkonski and his daughter. His break with Mademoiselle Bourienne. Mary's correspondence with Julie. The old Prince receives a letter from Prince Andrew but does not grasp its meaning and confuses the present invasion with the Polish campaign of 1807
Briggs: Prince Bolkonsky's mind is going. Julie writes to Marya.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: At Bald Hills. The old prince estranges Mlle Bourienne. Julie writes to Princess Marya. A letter from Prince Andrei. The old prince's confusion.

Translation:

II.

On the next day after the departure of his son, Prince Nikolay Andreich called to himself Princess Marya.

— Well what, happy now? — he said to her, — Quarrelled with my son! Happy? You only were needed! Happy?... To me this hurts, hurts. I am old and fragile, and you wanted this. Well rejoice. Rejoice... — and after this Princess Marya in the continuation of weeks did not see her father. He was ill and did not go out of the office.

To her surprise, Princess Marya noticed that for this time of disease the old prince so the same did not allow to himself m-lle Bourienne. Only Tihon went for him.

In a week the prince got out and started again his former life, with special activity occupied buildings and gardens and ceasing all the former relationship with m-lle Bourienne. His view and cold tone with Princess Marya as if said to her: "here you see, you invented to me lies to Prince Andrey about my relationship to this Frenchwoman and quarrelled with me by it; but you see that I do not need you, or the Frenchwoman."

One half of the day Princess Marya carried out at Nikolushki, keeping for his lessons, herself giving him lessons of the Russian language and music and talked with Desala; another part of the day she carried out with books, the old-nanny and with the godly people that sometimes from the rear porch came to her.

About the war Princess Marya thought, as women think about war. She was afraid for her brother, who was there, horrified, not understanding it, before human cruelty, forcing them to kill each other; but not understanding the meanings of this war, seeming to her such the same as all the former wars. She did not understood the meaning of this war, despite that how Desala, her permanent interlocutor, was passionately interested in the underway war, tried to interpret to her his considerations and despite that how the who came to her godly people all with horror spoke about people's rumors about the invasion of the antichrist, and despite that how Juli, now Princess Drubetskaya, again marching with her in correspondence, wrote to her from Moscow patriotic letters.

"I am writing you by-Russian, my kind friend," — wrote Juli, — because of how I have hatred to all French, their care and to their language, which I cannot hear spoken... We in Moscow are all delighted through enthusiasm to our adored emperor.

My poor husband tolerates proceedings and hunger in Jewish taverns; but the news that I have, still more inspires me.

You have heard rightly about the heroic feat of Raevsky, embracing two sons who said: "Kill with or by them, but do not hesitate!" And really, although the enemy was twice stronger than us, we have not hesitated. We navigate the time, as we can: but in war, as in war. Princess Alina and Sophie are sitting with me the whole day, and we, miserable widows of alive husbands, behind lint make beautiful conversations; only you, my friend, do not get..." and etc.

Predominantly did not understand Princess Marya the meanings of this war alone because of how the old prince never spoke about it, not recognizing it and laughing behind dinner above Desala, who spoke about this war. The tone of the prince was so calm and sure that Princess Marya, not reasoning, believed him.

All July the old prince was extremely active and even lively. He laid still a new garden and new corps, a structure for the court. One thing that bothered Princess Marya was that how he slept little and, changing his habit of sleeping in the office, every day changing his place overnight. Then he ordered to smash his marching bed in the gallery, then he stayed on the couch or in the Voltarian armchair in the living room and dozed off not undressed, between by that as not m-lle Bourienne, but the boy Petrusha was reading to him; then he spent the night in the dining room.

In the first of August was received a second letter from Prince Andrey. In the first letter, received soon after his departure, Prince Andrey requested with obedience forgiveness at his father for that how he allowed himself to say to him, and requested him to return him to his mercy. In this letter the old prince responded to him by an affectionate letter, and after this letter distanced from himself the Frenchwoman. The second letter of Prince Andrey, written from below Vitebsk, after how the French occupied it, consisted of brief descriptions throughout the campaign with a plan, drawn in the letter, and of considerations about the further course of the campaign. In this letter of Prince Andrey submitted to his father the inconvenience of the situation near from the theatre of war, in the very lines of the movements of troops, and advised him to go to Moscow.

Behind dinner on this day in the words of Desala, who spoke about how, as he heard, the French now marched into Vitebsk, the old prince remembered about the letter of Prince Andrey.

— Received from Prince Andrey now, — said he to Princess Marya: — Not read it?

— No, father,622 — scaredly answered the princess. She could not read letters, about the reception of which she had not even heard.

— He writes about this war, — said the prince with that made by him habitual, contemptuous smile, with which he spoke always about real war.

— It must be very interesting, — said Desala. — The prince is in the condition to know...

— Ah, very interesting! — said m-llе Bourienne.

— Come, bring it to me, — turned the old prince to m-lle Bourienne. — You know, on the small table under the press-papier.

М-llе Bourienne happily jumped up.

— Ah no, — he frowningly shouted. — You go, Mihail Ivanych!

Mihail Ivanych got up and went in the office. Yet only how he got out, the old prince, anxiously looking back, threw his napkin and went himself.

— No one is able, all confused.

While he went, Princess Marya, Desala, m-lle Bourienne and even Nikolushka silently looked at each other. The old prince returned in a hasty step, accompanied by Mihail Ivanych, with the letter and plan that he, not given anything to read in the time of dinner, placed beside himself.

Going into the living room, he delivered the letter to Princess Marya and putting before himself the plan of new buildings, at which he turned his eye, ordered her to read out loud. Reading the letter, Princess Marya interrogatively looked at her father. He watched the plan, obviously immersed in his thought.

— What do you about this think, prince? — allowed himself Desala to turn with the issue.

— I? I?... — as would in an unpleasant awakening, said the prince, not lowering his eyes from the plan of buildings.

— It quite may be that the theater of war so moves closer to us...

— Ha-ha-ha! Theater of war! — said the prince. — I spoke and speak that the theater of war is Poland, and farther than the Neiman never will penetrate the enemy.

Desala with surprise looked at the prince, who spoke about the Neiman, when the enemy was now at the Dnieper; but Princess Marya, forgetting the geographic position of the Neiman, thought that her father spoke reality.

— In the thawing snow drowns the swamps of Poland. They only may not see, — spoke the prince, apparently thinking about the campaign of the year 1807, the former, as to him it seemed, so recent. — Bennigsen should before have marched into Prussia, the business would have accepted a different turnover...

— Yet, prince, — timidly said Desala, — in the letter it says about Vitebsk...

— Ah, in the letter? Yes... — displeased spoke the prince. — Yes... yes... — his face had accepted a suddenly dark expression. He was silent. — Yes, he writes, the French smashed, at what is this river?

Desala lowered his eyes.

— The prince nothing about this writes, — he quietly said.

— But doesn’t he write? Well, I myself have not invented the same. — All long was silent.

— Yes... yes... Well, Mihail Ivanych, — suddenly he said, lifting his head and pointing at the plan of buildings, — tell, how you want to replace this...

Mihail Ivanych came up to the plan, and the prince, talking with him about the plan of the new buildings, angrily looking at Princess Marya and Desala, went to himself.

Princess Marya saw the embarrassed and surprised look of Desala, aspiring to her father, noticed his silence and was amazed by that how her father forgot the letter of the son on the table in the living room; but she was afraid not only to speak and to question Desala about the reason of his embarrassment and silence, but was afraid and thought about this.

In the evening Mihail Ivanych, sent from the prince, came to Princess Marya for the letter of Prince Andrey, which was forgotten in the living room. Princess Marya gave the letter. Although to her this was unpleasant, she allowed herself to ask Mihail Ivanych, what her father did.

— All bothered, — with a respectfully-mocking smile, which forced Princess Marya to become pale, said Mihail Ivanych. — Very worried about the new corps. He read a little bit, but now — lowering his voice, said Mihail Ivanych — at the bureau, he must be occupied with the will. (In the latter time one of the loved activities of the prince was the occupation above papers which must stay after his death, and that he called his will.)

— But Alpatych is sent into Smolensk? — asked Princess Marya.

— How much with he already for a long time waited.

622 mon père, (my father,)

Time: on the day following the departure of his son, a week later, whole month of July, 1st of August
Mentioned: 1807

Locations: Prince Bolkonsky's house
Mentioned: French, Russian, Moscow, Vitebsk, Poland, Nyeman, Prussia, Smolensk

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Nikolai Bolkonsky blames his daughter for the argument he got into with his son Andrei. He has now rejected Bourienne, most likely because of Andrei’s censor of him. He seems to relapse to his old general sexism and attempts to take up the life he had at the beginning of the novel.

“About the war Princess Marya thought as women think about war. She feared for her brother, who was there; was horrified, not understanding it, at the cruelty of the people, which made them kill each other; but she did not understand the significance of this war, which seemed to her the same as all other wars.”

It is interesting, since Tolstoy puts no real value in women aesthetics and morals in his work, that Marya gets this passage and in her previous conversation with Andrei, he believed that forgiveness, a key Christian virtue was a woman’s action, somewhat seeming to put Tolstoy in line with these “woman” views.

Julie writes a letter in Russian, which she does not speak well and mentions Raevsky’s “heroic actions.”

The old prince rejects that the war is happening or is important until Andrei writes him letters about the troop positions and suggests that he go back to Moscow. He still misunderstands what is going on, which causes Marya to misunderstand and not see the danger. The old prince is working on what he calls his will.

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 Nikolai Andreyitch (also “father”, “mon pere”, and “old prince”.)

Princess Mariya

Prince Andrei (also “son” and “brother”.)

Mademoiselle Bourienne (also “Frenchwoman”.)

Tikhon

Dessalles

Nikolushka

Her (Marya’s) old nyanya (this is Praskovya Savishna.)

Napoleon (“Antichrist”)

Julie (also “now the Princess Drubetskaya”.)

Alexander (“emperor”)

Boris (“poor husband”)

Rayevsky (and his two sons.)

The Princess Alina (the only other Alina mention is Prince Vasily’s wife. It is not unreasonable that this is her.)

Sophie (obviously not Sonya, the other Sophie mentioned in the novel is the princess with the mole related to Pierre.)

Petrusha (see chapter 90.)

Mikhail Ivanuitch

Benigsen

Alpatuitch

(also the God’s people are mentioned, as are Nikolai’s serfs.)

Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 8 in Bell. No break.
Gibian: Chapter 2.

Fuller: We start with old prince Bolkonsky being active and getting into his routine and having a strange sleep schedule. He gets the letter from Andrei without the quarrel subplot. “Dessalle’s” is mistakenly referred to as the architect. The entirety of the conversation about the letter is kept and the chapter ends with a line break.

Komroff: Start of 1812: Book Ten. Raevsky and the fact that Boris is spending his time in “Jewish” taverns is removed from Julie’s letter. Otherwise, the chapter seems preserved despite occasional little details removed.

Kropotkin: The chapter is severely shortened and is without a break. The only things really preserved are the basics of Nikolai’s rejection of Bourienne after the conversation with his daughter and then the letter from Andrei. The dinner scene is removed and Dessalles and Julie are deleted from the chapter.

Bromfield: Andrei is just now leaving the Bolkonsky residence in this version but then it fast forwards to July where he receives the letter. He gets the maps out and has trouble understanding the difference between Vitebsk and Vilinus. We see him give instructions to Alpatych before sending him away. The chapter follows Bolkonsky around in trying to accomplish things for some reason rather than just summing it up. There is no break as the chapter heads into the next chapter of the latter version, so I will discuss it in future posts.
Simmons: Chapter 2: Julie's letter is removed. The chapter also ends early, without Bolkonsky's discussion with Michael Ivanovich and the plan to see Alpatych to Smolensk.

Additional Notes: Dole notes that Nikolai’s spending the night in the dining-room was a characteristic of Napoleon at St. Helena.

Mandelker (Anna Karenina): Page 769: "At the time of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812, the Russian aristocracy spoke and wrote primarily in French, as did the rest of the European nobility. In part to demonstrate patriotic sentiment at the time of the Napoleonic war, and later, in an effort to express Slavophile views, Russian became the preferred language. Many of the nobility hired tutors in order to study their own language. With the rise of a national literature and periodical press during the nineteenth century, most aristocrats gained a command of Russian, and would have been instructed in French, German, Old Church Slavonic, Latin, and occasionally Italian and Greek. However, the fluent French so common among the eighteenth-century aristocracy had become a rarity by the end of the nineteenth century."

Massie: Page 815: "In time, however, the assumption of state control over the church had an injurious effect on Russia. Individual parishioners could seek salvation and find solace from life's burdens in the glory of the Orthodox service and its choral liturgy, and in the warm communality of human suffering found in a church community. But a tame church which occupied itself with private spiritual matters and failed to stand up against successive governments on behalf of Christian values in questions of social justice soon lost the allegiance of the most dynamic elements of Russian society. The most fervent peasants and simple people seeking true religion gravitated toward the Old Believers and other sects. Students, educated people and the middle classes disdained the church for its conservative anti-intellectualism and slavish support of the regime."

Tolstoy and His Problems (Maude): The men who governed Russia, France, England, Sardinia, and Turkey, had quarrelled about the custody of the "Holy Places" in Palestine, and about two lines in a treaty made in 1774 between Russia and Turkey. They stopped at home, but sent other people — most of them poorly paid, simple people, who knew nothing about the quarrel — to kill each other wholesale in order to settle it. Working - men were taken from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Middlesex, Essex, and all parts of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Sardinia, and shipped, thousands of miles, to join a number of poor Turkish peasants in trying to kill Russian peasants. These latter had in most cases been forced, unwillingly, to leave their homes and families, and to march on foot thousands of miles to fight these people they never saw before, and against whom they bore no grudge. Some excuse had, of course, to be made for all this, and, in England, people were told the war was "in defence of oppressed nationalities." When some 50,000 men had been killed, and about £340,000,000 had been spent, those who governed said it was time to stop. They forgot all about the " oppressed nationalities," but bargained about the number and kind of ships Russia might have on the Black Sea. Fifteen years later, when France and Germany were fighting each other, the Russian Government tore up that treaty, and the other Governments then said it did not matter. Later still, Lord Salisbury said that in the Crimean War we "put our money on the wrong horse." To have said so at the time the people were killing each other would have been unpatriotic. In all countries truth, on such matters, spoken before it is stale — is unpatriotic.