Briggs: Five prisoners are brutally executed. Pierre and the others are spared.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre witnesses the execution of five prisoners.
Translation:
XI.
From the home of Prince Shcherbatov the captives were all led downwards by Devichsky (Girlish) weed, to the left of the Devichsky (Girlish) monastery and let down to the garden, at which stood a pillar. Behind the pillar was dug a big pit with freshly dug out earth, and about the pit and pillar stood a semicircle of a big crowd of people. The crowd consisted of a little number of Russians and more numbers of Napoleonic troops beyond the building: Germans, Italians and French in dissimilar uniforms. At the right and left pillar were standing the fronts of French troops in blue uniforms with red epaulettes, in boots and shakos.
The criminals were placed by famous order, which was on the list (Pierre stood sixth), and let down to the pillar. Some drums suddenly stroked from two parties and Pierre felt that from this sound as if was ripped off part of his soul. He lost the ability to think and consider. He could only see and hear. And his only one wish was so that soon was done something scary that must be done. Pierre looked around at his friends and considered them.
Two men from the edges were shaved prisoners. One was tall and lean; the other black, shaggy, muscular with a flattened nose. The third was a yardman, 45 years-old, with graying hair and a full, well fattened body. The four was an extremely nice peasant with a lavish, light brown beard and black eyes. The fifth was a factory worker, yellow, lean, little, 18 years-old, in a smock.
Pierre heard that the French consulted how to fire, by one or by two. — By two, — cold and calmly was the response of the older officer. Was made a movement in the ranks of the soldiers and it was noticeable that all were in a hurry and not so in a hurry, as in a hurry so that to do an understandable for all business, but as so in a hurry, so to finish a necessary, but unpleasant and incomprehensible business.
A French civil servant in a scarf came up to the right side of the ranks of criminals and read in Russian and in French the sentence.
Then two French pairs came up to the criminals and took, by the direction of the officer, two prisoners, standing from the edges. The prisoner, coming up to the pillar, stopped and while were bags, silently looked around himself, as if watching a shot down animal to a suitable hunter. One all crossed, another scratched his back and made a lip movement like that to a smile. The soldiers, in a hurry with their hands, began to tie their eyes, to put on bags and bind to the pillar.
12 shooters with guns in a measured solid step came out from behind the ranks and stopped at 8 steps from the pillar. Pierre turned away, so that to not see what will be. Suddenly was heard a crackle and a rattling, appearing to Pierre louder than the most scary projectile of thunder, and he turned back. There was smoke, and the French with pale faces and trembling hands did something at the pits. Was led another two. So the same, such the same eyes, and these two looked at all, in vain alone eyes, silently, asking for defense and apparently not understanding and not believing that what will be. They could not believe because of how they only knew that such was for them life, and because of it they did not understand and did not believe that it could be to take it away.
Pierre wanted not to look and again turned away; but again, as if the terrible explosion struck his hearing, and together with these sounds he saw smoke, someone with a bloody and pale frightened French face again did something at the pillar, — with trembling hands pushing each other. Pierre, heavily breathing, looked around himself, as if asking: what such is this is? That same question was in all the viewers that met to the look of Pierre.
On all the faces of the Russians, on all the faces of the French soldiers, officers, all without exception, he was reading such the same fright, horror and battle that was in his heart. "And who again finally does this? They all suffered so the same as I. Who again? Who again?" in a second flashed in the soul of Pierre.
— Shooters of the 86th regiment, forward!934 — screamed someone. Was led the fifth, standing nearby with Pierre — alone. Pierre did not get that he was saved, that he and all the rest were given here only for presence at the execution. He with all increasing horror, not feeling joys, or reassurance, watched on that what was done. The fifth was the factory worker in the smock. Only what was before him touched, as he in horror jumped back and grabbed for Pierre (Pierre flinched and ripped off from him). The factory worker could not go. He was dragged under the shoulders, and he shouted something. When he was let down to the pillar, he suddenly shut up. He as if suddenly got something. Whether he got that it was in vain to shout, or that it was impossible for him to be a killed person, he became at the pillar, expecting bandages together with the others, and as a wounded animal looked back around himself with his brilliant eyes.
Pierre now could not take it on himself to turn away and close his eyes. His curiosity and excitement throughout the crowd at this fifth homicide reached to the higher extent. So the same as the others, this fifth one seemed calm: he wrapped his bathrobe and scratched one barefoot foot about another.
When he began to tie his eyes, he corrected himself the knot on the back of his head, which cut him; then, when he was leaned to the bloody pillar, he collapsed backwards and, so as he was in this position awkwardly, he mended and, smoothly putting his legs, quietly leaned. Pierre did not drive from him with his eyes, not omitting the slightest movements.
Was heard the squad, after the commanders was heard the shots of 8 guns. Yet Pierre, how much he tried to remember then, did not hear the slightest sound from the shots. He saw only how for some reason suddenly lowered in the ropes the factory worker, how appeared blood in two places, and how the very ropes, from the weight of the hanging body, bloomed, and the factory worker unnaturally lowered his head, and tucking his leg, sat down. Pierre ran up to the pillar. Nothing held him. Around the factory worker something was done by frightened, pale people. One old mustachioed Frenchman was shaking his lower jaw, when he untied the ropes. The body lowered. The soldiers awkwardly and hastily dragged him behind the pillar and began to push him in the pit.
All obviously and undoubtedly knew that they were criminals, which needed to rather hide the traces of their crimes.
Pierre looked in at the pit and saw that the factory worker lied there knees up, close to his head, one shoulder higher than the other. And this shoulder frantically, evenly lowered and lifted. Yet now shovels of earth rained down on all of the body. One of the soldiers angrily, viciously and painfully shouted at Pierre for him to return. Yet Pierre did not get him and stood at the pillar, and nothing drove him away.
When now all the pit was filled up, was heard the squad. Pierre was taken somewhere to his place, and the French troops, standing front by both sides of the pillar, having done a half turn began to pass in a measured step by the pillar. 24 shooters with discharged guns, standing in the middle of the circle, adjoined running to their places at that time as the company passed by them.
Pierre watched now the senseless eyes of these shooters, which in pairs ran out from the circle. All, besides one, had joined to the company. A young soldier with a dead-pale face, in a shako, dumped backwards, put down the gun, all still stood against the pit at this location, from which he shot. He as drunk staggered, did that forward, then backwards a few steps, so that to support his falling body. An old soldier, a noncommissioned officer, ran out of the ranks and, grabbing behind the shoulder of the young soldier, dragged him to the company. The crowd of Russians and French became dispersed. All went silently with omitted heads.
— This teaches them to set fires,935— said someone of the French. Pierre turned back to who spoke and saw that this was a soldier who wanted to be comforted than someone to that this was done, but could not be. Not finishing the talking started, he waved his hand and went away.
934 Tirailleurs du 86-me, en avant! (Skirmishers of the 86th, forward!)
935 Ça leur apprendra à incendier, (It will teach them to set fires,)
Locations: Virgin Field, Virgin Monastery
Mentioned: Russians, Germans, Italians, French
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Pierre and the rest of the prisoners are brought out to a post and a pit that gets quite a description and the prisoners around Pierre get descriptions as well. He hears the French talk about how they are going to shoot them in twos and watches how they hurry. As Pierre can't watch, they shoot the first two, put them in the pit and the next set "could not believe it, because they alone knew their life was for them, and therefore did not understand or believe that it could be taken from them." Pierre continues to wonder who is doing this, as everyone, both the French and the Russians, are afraid and horrified. They bring up the man beside Pierre but do not bring up Pierre. The factory worker they do shoot behaves as a wounded animal.
"He only saw how the factory worker suddenly slumped down in the ropes for some reason...The soldiers carried it clumsily and hastily behind the post and began to push it down into the pit. They all obviously knew without question that they were criminals, who had to quickly conceal the traces of their crime."
Pierre watches one of the soldiers find himself forced to be dragged back into the company.
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 Shcherbatof
Napoleon (mentioned in context of Napoleonic troops.)
Pierre
Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: line break instead of chapter break.
Fuller: Chapter is preserved and with it at the end of the page, it is hard to tell if there is a line break.
Komroff: Descriptions of a lot of the people around Pierre are missing. The sergeant who has to be dragged back to the line afterwards is also removed. Appears to be followed by a line break, though at the end of the page, so it is difficult to say.
Kropotkin: A few details about the factory hand before he gets shot is removed. The sergeant who has to be dragged back to the line afterwards is also removed. End of Chapter 7.
Simmons: entire chapter is cut.
Edmundson: Act 4 Scene 9: We get Pierre tell his name at the execution scene since there is no Davout scene.
Additional Notes:
Additional Notes:
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