Briggs: Pierre stays on to do his deed. The drunken Makar Bazdeyev has a pistol.
Maude (chapters 27-29): Pierre: his plan to kill Napoleon. Bazdeev's drunken brother fires at Captain Ramballe who regards Pierre as a friend
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre at Bazdeev's. His plan to assassinate Napoleon. Indecision. Makar Alexeevich gets hold of the pistol. French officers come in.
Translation:
XXVII.
The divergent stars by Moscow sucked in the French on the day of the 2nd of September, only in the evening reached the quarter in which lived now Pierre.
Pierre was found, after the two last, alone and unusually carried out days, in a condition close to madness. To all his essence controlled one obsessive idea. He himself did not know how and when, but this idea controlled him now so that he remembered nothing of the past, understood nothing of the current; and all that he saw and heard was happening before him as in a dream.
Pierre went from his home only so to get rid from the complicated confusion of the requirements of life encompassing him and which he, in the condition then, was not in the force to untangle. He went to the apartment of Iosif Alekseevich under the pretext of parsing the books and papers of the deceased, only because of how he sought reassurance from vital alarm, but with memories about Iosif Alekseevich connected in his soul the peace of eternal, calm and solemn thoughts, completely opposite of the worried confusion in which he felt himself retractable. He sought quiet asylum and really found it in the office of Iosif Alekseevich. When he, in the dead silence of the office, sat down leaning on his hand above the dusty writing table of the dead man, in his imagination very calmly, one behind another, began to present the memories of the last days, in particular the Borodino battle and this irresistible for him feeling of his insignificance and deceit in comparison with the truth, the simple and forcible categories of people that imprinted on his soul under the name: they. When Gerasim woke him up from his reverie, Pierre came to the idea about how he would accept participation in the alleged — as he knew this — folk protection of Moscow. And with this purpose he immediately again asked Gerasim to get his caftan and pistol and declared to him his intention, hiding his name, to stay in the house of Iosif Alekseevich. Then, in the continuation of the first alone and idly carried out day (Pierre a few times tried to and could not stop his attention on masonic manuscripts) to him a few times vaguely presented the before coming idea about the cabalistic meaning of his name in communication with the name of Bonaparte; but this idea about how he, l'Russe Besuhof (the Russian Bezuhov), was intended to place a limit on the authority of the beast, came to him still only as another of the dreams that unreasonably and without a trace ran through his imagination.
When, buying the caftan (with only the purpose to participate in the folk protection of Moscow), Pierre met the Rostovs, and Natasha said to him: "You are staying? Ah how this is okay!" in his head flashed the idea that it really would be okay, even should Moscow be taken, for him to stay in it and perform that what he had predetermined.
On the next day he, with one thought not to pity himself and not lag behind or from them, went for the Trehgornaya outpost. Yet when he returned home, making sure that Moscow will not be protected, he suddenly felt something that before presented only to him as an opportunity, now made necessity and inevitable. He should, hiding his name, stay in Moscow to meet Napoleon and kill him, or to die, or to stop the misfortune throughout Europe, which happened, by the opinion of Pierre, from Napoleon alone.
Pierre knew all the details of the assassination attempt of a German student on the life of Bonaparte in Vienna in the year of 1809 and knew that what this student was to shoot. And that danger, which he exposed his life in the performance of his intentions, still stronger excited him.
Two equally-strong feelings irresistibly attracted Pierre to his intent. The first was the feeling of the need of victimhood and misery in the consciousness of common misfortunes, that feeling, owing to which he on the 25th went to Mozhayck and drove in to the most ardor of the battle, now running from his home and, instead of the habitual luxury and cleanliness of life, sleeping not undressed on the hard couch and eating only the food from Gerasim; another was that undefined, exclusively-Russian feeling of contempt to all conditional, artificial, human, to all that that is considered by the majority of people the highest good and peace. For the first time Pierre experienced this strange and charming feeling at Slobodskoy palace, when he suddenly felt that wealth, power, and life, all that what with such trying hard arrange and guard people, all this, if it is worth something, then only to that enjoyment with which all this can be thrown.
This was that feeling, owing to which the hunter recruit drinks the last kopek, the washed down person interrupts mirrors and glasses without every visible cause and knew that this will cost him the last of his money; that feeling, owing to which a person, making (in the vulgar sense) insane affairs, as would try with personal power and force, stating the presence of higher, standing beyond human conditions, trial above life.
With the day itself, as Pierre for the first time experienced this feeling in Slobodskoy palace, he incessantly was found under its influence, but now he only found complete satisfaction. Besides this, in a real moment, Pierre was supported in his intentions and deprived of the opportunity to deny from him that what now was done to him on this way. And his escape from home, and his caftan, and the pistol, and his statement to the Rostovs that he was staying in Moscow, — all suffering would not only have meaning, but all this would be despicable and funny (to why Pierre was sensitive,) should he after only this, so the same as others, left from Moscow.
The physical state of Pierre, as this always is, coincided with the moral. The unusual, rude food, vodka, which he drank this day, absent wine and cigar, the dirty, unchanged linen, on two half sleepless nights, carried out on the short couch without a bed, all this supported Pierre in the condition of irritation, close to insanity.
—————
It was now the 2nd hour after noon. The French now marched in Moscow. Pierre knew this, but instead so that to act, he thought only about his enterprise, sorting out all his slightest, future details. Pierre in his daydreaming did not submit to himself the lively process of applying the blow, or of the death of Napoleon, but with extraordinary brightness and with sad enjoyment submitting himself to his death and his heroic bravery.
"Yes, one behind all, I should commit or die!" he thought. "Yes, I will go... and then suddenly... pistol or dagger?" thought Pierre. "However, all care. Not I, but the hand of providence executes you... I will say (thought Pierre of the words that he will pronounce, killing Napoleon). — Well what but take me and execute me," spoke farther to himself Pierre, with a sad, but solid expression his face, lowering his head.
In that time as Pierre, standing up by the middle of the room, reasoning with himself in such a way, the door of the office opened, and at the doorstep appeared the completely changed figure of the always before timid Makar Alekseevich. His bathrobe was opened wide. His face was red and ugly. He, obviously, was drunk. Seeing Pierre, he was embarrassed in the first moment, but, noticing the embarrassment on the face of Pierre, immediately cheered up and staggered, his thin feet getting out to the middle of the room.
— They became frightened, — he said in a hoarse, gullible voice. — I speak: not handed over, I speak... whether it is so, sir? — he thought and suddenly, seeing the pistol on the table, suddenly and quickly grabbed it and ran out the corridor.
Gerasim and the janitor, marching, followed behind Makar Alekseich, stopped him at the canopy and began to take away the pistol. Pierre, coming in the corridor, with pity and disgust watched this half crazy old man. Makar Alekseich, grimacing from efforts, held the pistol and shouted in a hoarse voice, apparently to himself imagining something solemn.
— To arms! To boarding! A lie, it is not taken away! — he shouted.
— Will you, please, will you. Mercy, please, leave. Well please, baron..., — spoke Gerasim, careful behind elbows trying to turn Makar Alekseich to the door.
— Who are you? Bonaparte!... — shouted Makar Alekseich.
— This is not okay, sir. Will you please go in the room, to your rest. Please, the pistol.
— Away, slave scorned! Do not touch! Do you see? — shouted Makar Alekseich, shaking the pistol. — To boarding!
— Take, — whispered Gerasim to the janitor.
Makar Alekseich was grabbed for the hand and dragged to the door.
The canopy filled with ugly sounds of fuss and drunk, wheezing sounds out of breath voices.
Suddenly a new piercing female shout rang out from the porch, and the cook ran in at the canopy.
— They! Father dear!... God, it is they. Four, on horse!... — she shouted.
Gerasim and the janitor released the hands of Makar Alekseich, and in the quieted down corridor clearly was heard the knock of several hands on the entrance door.
Mentioned: last two days, 1809, 25th
Locations: the quarters of Osip Aleksyeevich (also cabinet...)
Mentioned: Pierre's house, Moscow, Three Hills' barrier, Vienna, Mozhaysk, Russian, Slobodski Palace, French
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Now we flip to Pierre, who "was in a state close to madness." He hides in Iosif's study for refuge. Most of the early chapter is a refresher of information already given, including the kaftan and pistol given to him by Gerasim. He feels that he is predestined to stop Napoleon because of the number of the beast.
"that ague, exclusively Russian feeling of disdain for everything conventional, artificial, human, for everything that most people consider the highest good in the world. Pierre had experienced that strange and fascinating feeling for the first time in the Slobodsky palace, when he had suddenly felt that wealth, and power, and life--all that people arrange and preserve with such care--all this, if it is worth anything, is so only because of the pleasure with which one can abandon it all."
"Pierre's physical state, as always happens, coincided with his moral state." Line break after "in a state of irritation close to insanity."
Makar Alexeich grabs the pistol and starts to wave it around, claiming to be able to use it against the French. He is then subdued, but this is followed with the French knocking on his door.
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 (also "l'Russe Besuhof")
Iosiph Alekseyevitch
Gerasim
Napoleon (also "Bonaparte" and "Beast".)
Natasha (the Rostofs are also mentioned in general.)
Makar Alekseyevitch
Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Line break after "in a state of irritation approaching insanity" in Wiener, Maude, Briggs, Edmonds, Mandelker, and Dunnigan.
Gibian: Chapter 14: line break instead of chapter break at the end.
Fuller: A lot of the information about Pierre staying at Iosiph's is removed. The analogy of the volunteer or drunkard is gone. Chapter cuts off with a line break after Pierre accepts that he may be executed for his attempt on Napoleon's life. This cuts out the Makar episode and the French knocking at his door.
Komroff: The discussion about his conversation with the Rostovs and the Pierre seeing himself as fulfilling a prophecy by killing Napoleon is removed. Rest of chapter seems preserved and is followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: That Pierre is staying at Iosiph's is removed and a lot of his setting up of himself as part of a prophecy is removed, as well as the reference to his conversation with the Rostofs. Chapter 11 ends at same point Fuller cuts off the chapter, removing the Makar episode (the next chapter will muddle things here, as the French are at the door, but in this version we aren't sure whose door they are supposed to be at).
Bromfield: No apparent corresponding episode.
Simmons: Chapter 14: some of the details about Pierre's plans to assassinate Napoleon and his connection to him are removed. The chapter also cuts off early (at "with a sad but firm expression.") and with a line break.
Additional Notes:
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