Briggs: Even in retreat the absurd Napoleon is described as a 'great man'.
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Critique of French historical accounts of the retreat. Greatness and heroism reconsidered.
Translation:
XVIII.
It would seemed at this campaign the flight of the French, when they did all that only could be, so that to ruin themselves; when or in the same movement of this crowd, began from the turning at the Kaluga road and to the flight of the chief from the army, was not the slightest sense, — it would seem, in this period of the campaigns of the now impossible history, attributing the action of the masses to the will of one human, to describe this retreat to their sense. But no. Mountains of books were written by historians about this campaign and everywhere is written the orders of Napoleon and his thoughtful plans — maneuvers, leading the army and the ingenious orders of his marshals.
The retreat from Little-Yaroslav then, when to him was given the road at an abundant edge, and when to him was open that parallel road, by which then Kutuzov pursued him, the unnecessary retreat by the ravaged road is explained to us by different thoughtful considerations. By so the same thoughtful considerations are described his retreat from Smolensk to Orsha. Then describing his heroism at Red, where he as if would prepare to accept battle and himself command, goes with a birch stick and speaks:
— Already I submitted as emperor, now it is time to be the general.997 — And, despite that, immediately again after this, runs farther, leaving to the arbitrariness of fate the scattered parts of the army, located back.
Then described to us is the greatness of the soul of the marshals, in particular Ney, the greatness of soul, consisting in that he at night made his way in the forest to bypass across the Dnieper and without banners and artillery and without nine tenths of the troops came running to Orsha.
And finally the last departure of the great emperor from the heroic army is presented to us by historians, as something great and ingenious. Even this last act of flight, in the language of humanity called the last degree of villainy, which is taught to be ashamed by every child, and this act in the language of historians gets an excuse.
Then, when now it is impossible to farther pull out such elastic threads of historical reasoning, when the action is now obviously nasty to that of all that humanity calls good and even fair, is an in the historians salvatory concept of greatness. Greatness is as if it excludes the opportunity of steps of good and evil. For the great — no evil. There is no horror which could be delivered to blame to that who is great.
"This is majestic!"998 — speak the historians, and then now there is no good or evil, but "grand", and "not grand." Grand — okay, not grand — bad. Grand is a property, by their concepts, of some kind of special creatures, called by them heroes. And Napoleon, clearing out in a warm fur coat home from the perishing of not only his friends, but (by his opinion) people he led here, feels que c’est grand (how majestic this is), and his soul was calm.
"From the stately (he as something grand999 sees himself) to the funny is only one step,"1000 he spoke. And all the world for 50 years repeats: Grand! Great! Napoleon is great. From the stately to the funny is only step.1001
And to anyone in their head it will not come that the acknowledgement of greatness, the immeasurable measure of good and evil, is only the acknowledgement of their insignificance and the immeasurable little things.
For us, with the given to us by Christ measure of good and evil, there is no immeasurable. And there is no greatness, where there is no simplicity, good and truth.
997 J’ai assez fait l’Empereur, il est temps de faire le général, (I've done enough as the Emperor, it's time to be the general,)
998 C’est grand! (This is great!)
999 sublime (sublime)
1000 Du sublime au ridicule il n’y a qu’un pas (From the sublime to the ridiculous there is only one step)
1001 Sublime! Grand! Napoléon le grand! Du sublime au ridicule il n’y a qu’un pas. (Sublime! Great! Napoleon is great! From the sublime to the ridiculous there is only one step)
Locations: Kaluga, Maly-Yaroslavets, Smolensk, Orsha, Krasnoe, Dnieper
Mentioned: French
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Tolstoy discusses how the movement of the French troops described in the previous chapter are often attributed to Napoleon and his marshals by historians, though this is impossible. Napoleon's flight from his army is then discussed, "which every child is taught to be ashamed of".
"It is as if greatness excludes the possibility of the measure of good and bad. For the great man there is no bad."
"For us, with the measures of good and bad given us by Christ, nothing is immeasurable. And there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, and truth."
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 *):
Napoleon (also "emperor" and "Napoleon le grand")
Kutuzof
Ney
Abridged Versions: Page 177 of Dole is basically unreadable.
No break in Bell.
Gibian: end of Chapter 4.
Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Entire chapter is cut.
Kropotkin: Entire chapter is cut.
Simmons: Entire chapter is cut.
Additional Notes:
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