Briggs: The Icon of Smolensk is deeply revered by the soldiers and Kutuzov.
Maude: Pierre ascends a knoll at Gorki, surveys the scene and inquires as to the 'position' occupied. A procession carrying the 'Smolensk Mother of God'. The reverence of the crowd and of Kutuzov
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre arrives in Gorki. He surveys the battlefield. The icon of the Smolensk Mother of God is brought. Prayer service. Kutuzov is there.
Translation:
XXI.
Pierre got out from the crew and past the working militias rising on that mound, from which, as said to him by the doctor, was seen the field of the battle.
It was 11 in the morning. The sun stood some to the left and the back of Pierre and brightly illuminated, through the clean, rare air, the huge amphitheater by the rising terrain opened before him as a panorama.
Up and to the left by this amphitheater, cutting open to him, curled the big Smolensk road, walking through sat down with a white church, lying at 500 steps ahead of the mound and lower to him (this was Borodino). The road passed under the village through the bridge and through descents and a lifting curl all higher and higher to the six seen versts behind the village of Valuev (at it stood now Napoleon). Behind the Valuev road was hiding the yellowed wood in the horizon. At this wood of birch and spruce, to the right from the direction of the roads, glittered in the sun further the cross and bell tower of the Kolotsky monastery. Throughout this blue, to the right and to the left from the forest and roads, at different places were seen smoking fires and undefined masses of our troops and the enemy. To the right, by the current of the rivers Koloch and Moscow, the terrain was gorge and mountainous. Between the gorge away was seen the villages of Bezzobovo (Toothless) and Zaharino. On the left the terrain was smoother, were fields with bread, and could be seen only a smoking, burnt village — Semenovskaya.
All of what saw Pierre to the right and left was so vague that the left, or right side of the field did not quite satisfy him in presentation. Everywhere was not the field of battle, which he saw, but fields, glades, troops, forests, smoke of bonfires, villages, mounds, streams; and how much it was assorted to Pierre, he at this alive terrain could not find positions, and could not even distinguish our troops from the enemy.
"I need to ask the knowing," he thought, and turned to an officer, with curiosity watching his non-military, huge figure.
— Let me ask, — turned Pierre to the officer, — this is what village ahead?
— Burdino or so? — said the officer, with the issue turning to his friend.
— Borodino, — was the mending response of the other.
The officer, apparently satisfied in the case to talk, moved to Pierre.
— There is ours? — asked Pierre.
— Yes, but out a little farther is the French, — said the officer. — They are out of visibility.
— Where? Where? — asked Pierre.
— The simple eye sees it. Yes here! — the officer showed his hand in the smoke, seen to the left behind the river, and on his face appeared that strict and serious expression, which Pierre saw in many faces, meeting him.
— Ah, this is French! But there?.. — Pierre showed to the left at the mound, about which were seen troops.
— This is ours.
— Ah, ours! But there?... — Pierre showed a different far away mound with a big wood beside the village, visible at the gorge, at which also smoked fires and something blackened.
— This is again he, — said the officer. (This was the Shevardin redoubt.) — Yesterday it was ours, but now his.
— So how again is our position?
— Position? — said the officer about a smile of pleasure, — I this can say to you clearly because of how almost all of our strengthening is built. Whether here, you see our center at Borodino, here, here. He pointed out to the village with the white church, formerly ahead. — Here is the crossing across the Koloch. Here, here, see, where still in the low ranks beveled hay lies, here, here and the bridge. This is our center. The right flank of ours is here (he pointed out cooly to the right, long away to the gorge), there is the Moscow-river, and there we built three redoubts very strongly. The left flank... — here the officer had stopped. — Whether you see, this is difficult to explain to you... Yesterday our left flank was out there, at Shevardin, out, see, where the oak is; but now we carried off backwards to the left wing, now it is out, see the village and smoke? — This is Semenovskaya, yes here, here, — he pointed out to the mound of Raevsky. — Whether only here the battle will hardly be. That he leads across here troops, this is cheating; he rightly will bypass to the right from Moscow. Well, yes where would it be, many tomorrow will not be count! — said the officer.
An old noncommissioned officer, approaching to the officer in the time of his story, silently seeing the end of the speech of his chief; but in this location he, obviously displeased at the words of the officer, interrupted him.
— For tours we need to go, — he said strictly.
The officer as if embarrassed, as if he got that one can think about many counts tomorrow, but should not speak about this.
— Well yes, send the third company again, — hastily said the officer.
— But who again, not from the doctors?
— No, I will so, — was the response of Pierre. And Pierre went below the mountain again past the militias.
— Ah, damned! — spoke the following behind him officer, pinching his nose and running past the working.
— Here they are!.. Carry, go... Here it is... Now enter... — suddenly was heard a voice, and the officers, soldiers and militias ran forward by the road.
From below the mountains from Borodino was lifted a church procession. Ahead of all by the dusty road harmoniously went the infantry with removed shakos and guns, omitted. Behind the infantry was heard church singing.
Overtaking Pierre, without hats running, going towards it, were soldiers and militias.
— The mother is carried! The intercessor!.. Iverskaya!..
— The Smolensk mother, — corrected another.
The militias and those that were in the village, and those which worked in the battery, threw up their shovels and ran towards the church procession. Behind the battalion, walking by the dusty road, went robed priests, one old man in a cowl with clergy and singers. Behind them soldiers and officers carried a big, with a black face on metal coating, icon. This was the icon exported from Smolensk and from this time carried behind the army. Behind the icon, around it, ahead of it, going with all parties, ran and bowed on the land with naked heads crowds of the military.
Rising on the mountain, the icon stopped; the holding in towels icon people had changed, the sexton lit again the censer, and had begun a prayer. The hot rays of the sun sheerly beat from above; the weak, fresh wind played on the hair of the open heads and the ribbons which were on the cleaned up icon; singing quietly distributed from below the open sky. A huge crowd with the open heads of officers, soldiers, and militias surrounded the icon. Behind the priest and sexton in the purified location were standing bureaucratic people. One bald general with a George on his neck stood behind all behind the back of the priest and not crossing, (obviously a German) patiently waited for the end of the prayer service, which he counted fit to listen to probably for the excitement of patriotism in the Russian people. Another general stood in a warlike pose and shook his hand before his breast, looking back around himself. Between this bureaucratic circle Pierre, standing in a crowd of peasants, found some acquaintances; but he did not watch them: all his attention was swallowed up by the severe expression of the persons in this crowd of soldiers and militias, monotonously and greedily watching the icon. Only as the tired sexton (singing the twentieth prayer) began to lazily and habitually sing: "Save from trouble your slaves, Virgin," and the priest and deacon picked up: "like all by God to you come running, like an unbreakable wall and representation" — in all faces flared up again that same expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming minutes, which he saw below the mountain at Mozhayck and in fits and starts on many and many faces, meeting them on this morning; and more often lowered heads, was shaken hair, and heard sighs and strokes of crosses by breasts.
The crowd, surrounding the icon, suddenly opened up and pressed Pierre. Someone, probably a very major face, judging by the haste with which before him shunned, approached to the icon.
This was Kutuzov, travelling to the position. He, returning to Tatarinov, came up to the prayer. Pierre immediately again found Kutuzov by his special, distinguished from all figure.
In a long frock coat on his huge thick body, with a stooped back, with an open white head, and with a leaking, white eye on his swollen face, Kutuzov entered with his diving, swaying gait to the circle and stopped behind the priest. He crossed himself in a habitual gesture, took out his hand to the earth and, heavily sighing, lowered his gray-haired head. Behind Kutuzov was Bennigsen and his suite. Despite the presence of the commander in chief, who drew on himself attention from all the higher ranks, militias and soldiers, not looking at him, continued to pray.
When his prayer was over, Kutuzov came up to the icon, heavily lowered on a knee, bowing on the land, and for long tried to and could not get up from weight and weakness. The gray hair on his head twitched from effort. Finally he got up and with childish naivete pulled his lips to kiss the icon and again bowed, touching his hand to the earth. Generals followed his example; then officers, and behind them, crushing each other, stomping, panting and pushing, with excited faces, climbed soldiers and militias.
Mentioned: yesterday, to-morrow
Locations: Borodino (called "Burdino" by an officer.)
Mentioned: Smolensk, Valuevo, Kolocha, Moskva, Bezzubovo, Zakharino (Zakharyino in Pevear and Volokhonsky), Semenovskoe, French, Shevardino, Raevski's Mound (called a knoll in Dunnigan, Maude, and Mandelker. hill in Bell and Dole.), Iver Church, German, Russian, Mozhaysk, Tatarinovo
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Pierre is able to overlook everything and Tolstoy gives us quite a description. However, Pierre is unable to make sense of the battle and the first people he asks argues about the pronunciation of Borodino. After soldiers try to explain the position and bicker with each other, Pierre sees a church procession carrying the Mother of God from Smolensk. While the soldiers go to bow down to it, Tolstoy can't help himself from having "obviously a German" not cross himself. Kutuzov comes up to the prayer service and gets another description and bows before the icon.
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 *):
Pierre
Napoleon (the "he" also refers to Napoleon and his army as a whole.)
Kutuzof
Benigsen
Abridged Versions:
Gibian: Chapter 21.
Fuller: Some of the description of the icon procession is removed, but the chapter is basically preserved and followed by a line break.
Komroff: The description at the beginning of the chapter is shortened. The Buridino/Borodino joke is removed. The long-winded explanation by the officer is severely shortened. The rest of the chapter is preserved, followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: The description at the beginning of the chapter is shortened. The explanation by the soldiers is severely shortened and the icon episode is completely removed. No break again.
Bromfield: Plays out somewhat the same the same except the church procession is a much smaller production as far as focus, and the focus is on Bennigsen, not Kutuzov. Bennigsen talks to Pierre.
Simmons: Chapter 21: the discussion Pierre has with the officers about the position, as well as the Burdino/Borodino joke is removed, as is the German that doesn't cross himself.
Edmundson: Act Three Scene 15: After Pierre has the discussion with the officers, we see Napoleon giving his speech and then the episode with De Beausset and the painting of his son. Pierre then talks with a doctor and meets Kutuzov before we go back to Napoleon's conversation with De Beausset. Parts of Napoleon's rant to Balashev is also here. The conversation about whether the rice has been delivered is also here in the conversation with De Beausset. We go there to the Aide telling Kutuzov about the pillaging and then Andrei and Kutuzov have their conversation. Dolohov then appears and asks Pierre for forgiveness. Napoleon gives part of the disposition to De Beausset and his view of military strength. Andrei tells Kutuzov about the health of his father (who is not dead yet). From there we go to Bald Hills where Bolkonsky tells Maria and Little Nikolai to leave while he stays. In the middle of the conversation Bolkonsky has the stroke. Then we go to Pierre and Andrei.This episode plays out, including with Timohin, just about the same as in the book. This is followed by the procession of the icon of Smolensk. This allows for Andrei's reflection before the battle and happens simultaneously as Natasha's religious moment in the novel as well as a prayer from Maria. The battle begins and Edmundson says in the stage directions that the emphasis should be on Pierre's changing attitude toward it. Nikolai, Anatole, and Dolohov are all in the scene and Anatole gets Nikolai's lines from early in the novel expressing surprise that anyone would want to kill him. Dolohov also gets a line about crossing the line between life and death. Kutuzov only gets the positive report from an officer. As Pierre begins to run we get Napoleon's moment where he refuses to bring in more reinforcements. Then there is the exploding of the shell near Andrei before going back to Napoleon. Then we get Dolohov and a general giving conflicting to reports to Kutuzov (these happen concurrently rather than separately). Bolkonsky is then brought in while wounded and we even get the "Even in heaven they're going to jump the queue". After he sees Anatole losing his leg, he sees Natasha singing. We go from there to Bald Hills for the elder Bolkonsy's death scene. Kutuzov and an Aide talk about whether or not they will retreat and abandon Moscow. Napoleon has a moment with an aide in their request for reinforcements and a shortened moment with De Beausset wanting to congratulate him on a victory. Pierre then confronts Napoleon on what has happened and the two argue over what they really want and the purpose of the war. Pierre tells him that he will kill him in Moscow.
Additional Notes: Bell: Napoleon was very commonly spoken of as "Lui," both by his enemies and his admirers. A poem of Victor Hugo's begins “ Toujour: Lui, Luipartout.“
Additional Notes: Bell: Napoleon was very commonly spoken of as "Lui," both by his enemies and his admirers. A poem of Victor Hugo's begins “ Toujour: Lui, Luipartout.“
Durant: Page 703: All through September 6 the rival hosts prepared for battle...hardly anyone slept. At 2 A.M. Napoleon sent out a proclamation, to be read…”...the victory depends upon you...It will give us abundance, good winter quarters, and an early return to our fatherland.” That night, by order of Kutuzov, the priests who accompanied his army carried through his camp an icon of the “Black Virgin,” which had been rescued from burning Smolensk...Napoleon...spent much of the night issuing directions to his officers for the morrow’s tactics. It must have been difficult for him to sleep.”
Segur/Townsend: Page 60: "In the name of religion and equality he (Kutuzov) sought to incite the serfs to defend their masters' possessions. Holding up the icon that had taken refuge in their ranks, he appealed to their courage and fanned their indignation. He spoke of Napoleon as "a universal despot, a tyrannical disturber of the peace of the world, a worm, an arch-rebel who overthrew their altars and defiled them with blood; who exposed the Ark of the Lord, represented by the Smolensk icon, to the profanation of men and to the ravages of the seasons."...Shut up within a narrow circle by slavery, they were reduced to a limited number of sensations which became the only source of their needs, their desires, or their ideas."
Tolstoy's Letters (Christian): Page 546: “You want to institute Land Captains with birch-rods instead of Justice of the Peace; that is your business, but we will not be tried by your Land Captains, nor will we ourselves be appointed to this office. You want to make trial by jury a mere formality; that is your business, but we will not serve as judges, or as lawyers, or as jurymen. You want to establish lawlessness under cover of the “state of emergency”, that is your business, but we will not participate in it and will plainly call the “state of emergency” an illegality, and the death sentences inflicted without trial--murder. You want to set up classical grammar schools with military exercises and religious instruction, or Cadet Corps; that is your business, but we will not be teachers in them, or send our children to them, but will educate them as we consider best. You want to reduce the zemstvo to a nullity; we will not participate in it. You forbid the printing of what you don’t like; you can seize and burn books, and punish the printers, but you can’t prevent us from writing and talking, and we shall do so. You order us to swear allegiance to the Tsar; we will not do so, because it is stupid, false and base. You order us to serve in the army; we will not do so, because we consider mass murder to be an act just as offensive to our conscience as a single murder and, above all, the promise to kill whoever a commander orders is the basest act a man can perform. You profess a religion a thousand years behind the times, with the Iverskaya icon, relics and coronations; that is your business, but we not only do not acknowledge this idolatry and superstition to be religion, but we call it superstition and idolatry and are trying to rescue people from it.”
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