Briggs: De Beausset brings Napoleon his son's portrait. Napoleon's proclamation.
Maude: De Beausset brings a portrait of the 'King of Rome' to Napoleon. Napoleon's proclamation
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Napoleon on the eve of battle. "The king of Rome." Napoleon's proclamation to his troops.
Translation:
XXVI.
The 25th of August, on the eve of the Borodino battle, the prefects of the palace of the emperor of the French, Mr. de-Bosse676 and Colonel Fabvier677 had arrived, the first from Paris, the second from Madrid, to Emperor Napoleon at his station in Valuev.
Disguised in a court uniform, m-r de Beausset (Mr. de-Bosse) ordered to carry ahead the brought to the emperor by himself parcel and entered in the first parting of the tent of Napoleon, where, in conversation with the surrounding him adjutants of Napoleon, he was occupied with the uncorking of the box.
Fabvier, not entering in the tent, stopped, talking with acquaintance generals, at the entry of it.
The Emperor Napoleon still had not went out from his bedroom and finished his toilette. He, snorting and groaning, turned that thick back, that overgrown fat breast under the brush, with which the valet rubbed his body. Another valet, holding with a finger a glass, sprinkled cologne on the groomed body of the emperor with such an expression, which said that he alone could know how much and where it was needed to splash the cologne. The short hair of Napoleon was wet and confused on his forehead. Yet his face, although swollen and yellow, expressed physical pleasure: well more, well tighter...678... he sentenced, shrinking and groaning, at the rubbing valet. An adjutant, entering in the bedroom from that, so that to report to the emperor about how much was in yesterday’s case of taken captives, delivering that what was needed, stood at the door, expecting permission to leave. Napoleon grimacing looked sneakily at the adjutant.
— No captives. — he repeated the words of the adjutant. —They force me to exterminate them. By worse for the Russian army, — he said. — Well more, well tighter...679 — he spoke, hunching over and substituting his fat shoulders.
— Good! Let de-Bosse enter, and Fabvier also,680 — he said to the adjutant, nodding his head.
— I am listening, Sire,681 — and the adjutant disappeared to the door of the tent.
The two valets quickly dressed his majesty, and he, in a guards blue uniform, with solid, fast steps got out to the reception room.
Bosse at this time with hurried hands, installed the brought by him present from the empress on two chairs, all before the entrance of the emperor. Yet the emperor so suddenly and soon dressed and got out that he did not have time to quite prepare the surprise.
Napoleon immediately saw that what they did and guessed that they were still not ready. He did not want to deprive their pleasure to make him a surprise. He pretended to be that he did not see the gentlemen Bosse, and the called upon to himself Fabvier. Napoleon listened, strictly frowning and silently to that what spoke Fabvier about the courage and devotion of his troops, fighting in Salamanca on the other end of Europe and who had only one idea — to be worthy of their emperor, and one fear — not to please him. The result of the battle was sad. Napoleon made ironic remarks in the time of the story of Fabvier, as if he did not assume that business could go otherwise in his absence.
— I should correct this in Moscow, — said Napoleon. — Goodbye,682 — he added and called upon de-Bosse, which in this rattling now had time to prepare the surprise, setting something on chairs, and covering something with a veil.
De-Bosse lowly bowed by that courtiers of the French bow, which were able to bow only old servants of the Bourbons and came up, giving an envelope.
Napoleon funnily turned to him and messed him behind his ear.
— You hastened, I am very glad. Well what speaks Paris? — he said, suddenly changing his before strict expression to the most affectionate.
— Sire, all Paris regrets about your absence,683 — as he must, replied de-Bosse. Yet although Napoleon knew that Bosse should say this or that like that, although he in his clear minutes knew that this was not true, it was nice to hear this from de-Bosse. He again honored him by touching him behind the ear.
— I am very sorry that I made you take a ride so far away,684 — he said.
—I see not less, as to find you, Sire, at the gates of Moscow,685 — said Bosse.
Napoleon smiled and, absent-mindedly holding up his head, turned back to the right. An adjutant with a floating step came up with a gold snuffbox and set it up. Napoleon took it.
— Yes, it happened well for you, — he said, putting the uncovered snuffbox to his nose: — you love to travel, in three days you see Moscow. You were right not waiting to see the Asian capital. You will make a pleasant journey.
Bosse bowed with gratitude for this attentiveness to his (unknown to him before this time) propensities to travel.
— Ah! This is what? — said Napoleon, noticing that all the courtiers looked at something, covered with a veil. Bosse with the court dexterity, not showing his back, did a half turn two steps backwards and in one and that same time pulled away the cover and spoke.
— A present of your majesty from the empress.
This was the in bright colors written Gerard portrait of the boy, born from Napoleon and the daughter of the Austrian emperor, whom for some reason all called the king of Rome.
A quite nice, curly boy with a look similar to the look of Christ at the Sistine madonna, was depicted playing with a cup and ball. The orb submitted an earthly orb, but the wand in the other hand — depicted a sceptre.
Although it was not really clear what was wanted to be expressed by the painter, presenting the so called king of Rome piercing the earthly orb with a stick, but this allegory, so the same as to all who saw the picture in Paris, so to Napoleon obviously seemed clear and was quite liked.
— The Roman king,686 — he said, in a graceful gesture of his hand pointing at the portrait. — Wonderful!687 — with the peculiar Italian ability to arbitrarily change the expression of his face, he came up to the portrait and made a view of pensive tenderness. He felt that what he will say and do now — was a story. And to him it seemed that the best that he may to do now — this was that, for he with his greatness, owing to which his son with a cup and a ball played with an earthly ball, for him to show, in counterposition to this greatness, a very simple fatherly tenderness. His eyes fogged up, he moved, turned his back to the chair (a chair jumped up under him) and sat down on it against the portrait. One gesture of his, and all on tiptoe went out, leaving him to himself and his feelings — the great human.
After sitting some time and touching, himself not knowing for what, before the roughness of the glare of the portrait, he got up and again called Bosse and the duty officer. He ordered to carry out the portrait before the tent, so that to not deprive the old guard standing about his tent, the happiness of seeing the Roman king, the son and heir of their adored sovereign.
How he saw, in that time, as he breakfasted with lord Bosse, who was honored by this honor, before the tent heard the enthusiastic clicks of runaways to the portrait of the officers and the soldiers of the old guard.
— Yes hello Emperor! Yes hello Roman king!688 — was heard an enthusiastic voice.
After breakfast, Napoleon, in the presence of Bosse, dictated his orders to the army.
— Short and energetic!689 — spoke Napoleon, when he read himself, written right away without amendments, the proclamation. In the order was:
"Warriors! Here is the battle, which so many of you wanted. Victory depends on you. It is necessary for us; it will deliver us all necessary, a comfortable apartment and a fast return to the fatherland. Act so, as you acted at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. Let later posterity with pride remember about your exploits on this day. And say about each of you: he was at the great battle under Moscow!"
— Under Moscow!690 — repeated Napoleon and, inviting to his walk the gentleman Bosse, who loved to travel, he got out from the tent to saddle horses.
— You are too kind, your majesty.691 — said Bosse to the invitation to accompany the emperor: he wanted to sleep, and he was not able and was afraid to ride on horseback.
Yet Napoleon nodded his head to the traveller, and Bosse was to go. When Napoleon got out of the tent, the shouting at the guardsmen before the portrait of his son still more intensified. Napoleon frowned.
— Take him off, — he said, with a graceful and majestic gesture pointing at the portrait. — It is still early to see the field of battle.
Bosse, closing his eyes and bowing his head, deeply sighed, by this gesture showing how he was able to appreciate and understand the words of the emperor.
676 m-r de Beausset (Mr. de Beausset)
677 Fabvier (Fabvier)
678 Allez ferme, allez toujours (Come on, always go)
679 Point de prisonniers, Il se font démolir. Tant pis pour l’armée russe. Allez toujours, allez ferme, (No prisoners, They are being demolished. Too bad for the Russian army. Come on, always go,)
680 C’est bien! Faites entrer m-r de Beausset, ainsi que Fabvier, (Bring in Mr. de Beausset, as well as Fabvier,)
681 Oui, Sire, (Yes, sir,)
682 A tantôt, (See you soon,)
683 Sire, tout Paris regrette votre absence, (Sir, all Paris regrets your absence,)
684 Je suis fâché de vous avoir fait faire tant de chemin, (I'm upset for having made you come so far,)
685 Sire! Je ne m’attendais pas à moins qu’à vous trouver aux portes de Moscou, (Sir! I did not expect less to find you at the gates of Moscow,)
686 Roi de Rome, (King of Rome,)
687 Admirable! (Admirable!)
688 Vive l’Empereur! Vive le Roi de Rome! Vive l’Empereur! (Long live the Emperor! Long live the King of Rome! Long live the emperor!)
689 Courte et énergique! (Short and energetic!)
690 De la Moskowa! (From Moscow!)
691 Votre Majesté a trop de bonté, (Your Majesty is too kind,)
Locations: Valuevo
Mentioned: Borodino, French, Madrid, Paris, Russian (russe in the French), Salamanca, Europe, Moscow (Moscou and Moskowa in the French), Asiatic, Austrian, Rome, Italian, Austerlitz, Smolensk, Friedland, Vitebsk
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We flip to Napoleon's side on the eve of Borodino. Tolstoy portrays him as fat, enjoying (in a sensual way?) the valets spraying him with cologne. He then pretends to not see the surprise they have ready for him, which of course is the painting of "The King of Rome. The translators' note points out that the events seem to have happened in the same way as Tolstoy describes, with Tolstoy adding irony (and I'd add, parody) to the account.
Tolstoy puts emphasis on Napoleon's ear pulling and the way his courtiers lie to him and the way he knows they are lying but enjoys their lies.
"It was not entirely clear precisely what the painter meant to express by presenting the so-called king of Rome skewering the terrestrial globe with a stick, but the allegory, to all those who had seen the picture in Paris, and to Napoleon himself, obviously seemed clear and quite pleasing."
Tolstoy, as he did with Palucci, emphasizes Napoleon's Italian-ness and plays up the stereotype of Italian excitability. Napoleon uses the portrait to rally the troops, then has the portrait put away because "It is still too early for him to look upon a field of battle."
Of course, there is one last bit of humor Tolstoy injects into the scene with Beausset not wanting to accompany the emperor because he is tired and can't really ride a horse, but at the same time not really being able to say no.
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 *):
M. de Beausset (the "Grand Chamberlain to the Emperor of the French". "...Bausset" in Briggs.)
Colonel Fabvier
Emperor Napoleon (also "sovereign".)
The empress (Napoleon's wife. Also "Austrian emperor's daughter", which makes the Austrian emperor a mentioned character as well.)
Gerard (the painter.)
The King of Rome (Napoleon's son, called this "for some reason". "the son and heir of their beloved monarch.")
Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 3 in Bell with a line break instead of a chapter break at the end.
Gibian: Chapter 26: line break after "great battle before Moscow!'"'.
Fuller: Some details, such as Napoleon's reflections on himself in history and the emphasis Tolstoy puts on his Italian-ness is removed, as well as the Beausset ending of the chapter. However, the chapter is preserved other than this.
Komroff: Chapter is preserved.
Kropotkin: Chapter 18: Chapter is preserved.
Bromfield: See Chapter 8 in post on Chapter 204.
Simmons: Chapter 26: Removed is the discussion with Fabvier about Spain. Some of the discussion about the painting is removed, as is the actual order of the day.
Additional Notes: Garnett: "Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon-Gerard (1770-1837) was an important court portraitist of the Empire and the Bourbon Restoration."
Gibran: "In Tolstoy's novel Napoleon always takes snuff when angry or encountering some obstacle, as for instance in the scenes with Balashev where his mood rapidly alternates. On the present occasion, though hearing flattering remarks to which he smiling replies, at the word "Moscow" his instinctive gesture of looking round for a snuffbox betrays an uneasiness at having advanced so easily into the heart of the country. His recent conversation with his captive General Tuchkov at Smolensk, and the proposal for peace he had then made, showed that before Borodino Napoleon felt seriously anxious at the course this strange war was taking--a war in which he had not once felt himself master of the situation, but had constantly had to reckon with conditions imposed upon him."
Roberts: Page 481: “Despite the experience of Calabria, he had not learned how effective a guerrilla insurgency can sometimes be against even the most powerful and well-disciplined army. It didn’t help that Napoleon interfered with his generals’ fighting of the war in Spain after he left, moving units from places where they had become familiar with the terrain, and sending orders to officers that arrived only after they had been irrelevant by events.”
Page 601: “Francois Gerard’s portrait of the King of Rome...The painting was lost in the retreat, but Gerard had made copies.”
Gay: xiii: Segur's is a chief source....At least four memorable incidents from War and Peace are straight out of Segur: the description of the uhlans drowning in the Viliya River and saluting the spot upon the shore where the Emperor had been standing some moments earlier; the scene in which the portrait of Napoleon's son is shown to the troops on the eve of Borodino; the description of the sluggish, ailing Napoleon at Borodino postponing his orders and complaining, "I don't yet see my chessboard clearly"; and the dramatic moment when the proud Napoleon stands on Poklonny Hill gazing at Moscow and cries: "There then, finally, is that famous city. It was high time."
Herold: Page 355: “The only icon there was a portrait of Napoleon’s one-year-old son, the king of Rome, which had just arrived from Paris. Napoleon had it exposed in his tent, expecting his officers to feel inspired by it for the next day’s battle...following morning...dawn until late afternoon...The Russians lost 40 percent of their total strength, yet only some eight hundred were taken prisoner. “Those Russians,” Napoleon observed to Caulaincourt, “let themselves be killed like machines….They are citadels that have to be demolished with canon.”...
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