War and Peace

Chapter 48

The busyness of the Lostavs' family during the last days in Moscow changed Masha's melancholy and heavy mood, and she was glad to forget her troubles in the actual activities.But when she knew that the Duke of Andrele was in their house, she felt pity for them, but she was secretly happy. She had a superstitious idea that God did not want her to be separated from Maral.

At Troitz Abbey, the Rostaff family took a day off from their journey for the first time.There was an opportunity that day to send a message to the army, and the countess immediately wrote to her son.

When Martha knew that Natess and Duke André had re-established their relationship, and that Malar could not marry Princess Molière, she happily felt that she had regained that spirit of self-sacrifice, which she was used to and did not want to marry. Willing to live with this sacrifice.And so, on the same day, she wrote that moving letter, which shocked Malal, with tears in his eyes.When writing the letter, she felt that she was doing something tolerant, and she couldn't write the letter because her black eyes were blurred by tears of excitement several times.

[Nine]

In the detention center, the officers and soldiers who had captured Bin-Air feared and revered him.Their attitude showed that they doubted Bin-Air's identity, wondered whether he was an important person, and their fear was born of their confrontation with Bin-Air in the street just now.

Those detained with Bin Air were all Russian lower class people.They perceived that Bin-Air was a nobleman, and they kept away from him, and hated him all the more because he spoke French.Hearing their teasing and ridicule towards him, Bin-Air was very sad.

On the third day, the French interrogated Bin Air.From Bin-Air's point of view, since he has the power and the knowledge to convict him, there is no need for such tricks of interrogation.Because any of your questions can be used as incriminating evidence.On the fourth day, a fire broke out in Zubovsky Tucheng.Bin Air and thirteen others were dispatched to a merchant's carport in the Crimean Shoals.In this carport Bin-Air lived for another four days.Bin-Air learned from the jokes of the French soldiers that they, the prisoners, were waiting for the marshal's final decision all the time. Bin-Air could not tell which marshal it was from their conversation.In the eyes of these soldiers, the Marshal is the true symbol of supreme power.

Before September [-]th, that is, before the second interrogation, Bin-Air felt the most helpless.

[ten]

On September [-]th an officer came to the shed, a very useful figure, judging from the attitude of the guards.He ordered the guards to lead Bin-Air and thirteen others to the Square of Our Lady.

The bells in Our Lady's Square reminded Bin-Air that it was Sunday, the day of the Birth of the Virgin, but hardly anyone thought of the holiday.There are scorched fires everywhere, and occasionally a few ragged Russians can be seen. They found the French soldiers and hid.

Bin-Air and the rest of the prisoners were taken to the right of the Marian Square, not far from the monastery.Here, a white house with a large garden was the residence of Prince Shcherbatov, and Bin Ayr used to come here by car.But now, the place has been occupied by the French army, and their General Daou, who is famous for his cruelty, lives here.Dawu raised his eyes to find Bin-Air in front of him, and they looked at each other for a few seconds.

This meeting of eyes saved Bin-Air's life, this meeting of eyes freed them from the troubles of war and law, and turned their relationship into a human relationship.At the same time, they realized that in the vast universe, both of them are descendants of human beings, and they should be brothers.

At this time, an adjutant came to report something to Dawu.After hearing the adjutant's report, Dawu looked natural, and he started buttoning his clothes, obviously forgetting about Bin-Air.When the adjutant reminded him that there were prisoners here, he frowned, nodded at Bin-Air, and ordered him to be taken away.Bin-Air couldn't remember how he left, and he kept imagining a question in his mind: who, exactly who finally sentenced him to death?He felt nobody.It is a system that is the result of a combination of circumstances.

[eleven]

The prisoners were led past the residence of Prince Shcherbatov, past the Madonna Square to the left of the Madonna Monastery, and into a vegetable garden with a pillar in the middle.

The prisoners were led up to the pillars in the order in which they were listed, with Bin-Air in sixth place.Suddenly, several drums next to it were struck.Upon hearing the sound, Bin-Air's soul would fly away, and he lost his thinking and understanding.Watching and listening, there was only one hope in his heart, and that was that this terrible thing that was destined to happen would be over soon.

A French official in a scarf ran to the right of the line of prisoners and pronounced his sentence in Russian and French.In the faces of all the Russians and all the French, Bin-Air saw the same horror and terror as his own.

With the order of the French, the first few prisoners in the line were executed.Finally, a fifth man standing next to Bin Air was also taken away.Bin-Air could no longer turn his head away, and closed his eyes tightly.Bin Air couldn't remember the gunshot anyway. He only saw that the bound worker fell from the rope for some reason, and there were two bleeding spots on his body. The rope that bound him Loose, he slumped unnaturally, squatting with one leg bent.

After the hole where the prisoners were buried was filled up, the French soldiers were ordered to take Bin-Air back, and the Russians and the French were separated.

[twelve]
After the execution, the French separated Binair from the other prisoners, and he was locked in a small, dilapidated and dirty church.In the evening a guard and two soldiers came to the church, and they told him that he had been spared the sentence, and that he was to be sent to the prisoner's shed.

Ever since Bin-Air had faced the horrific carnage, the spring in him that manifested everything and made him seem alive suddenly let go, and there was nothing left.Although he doesn't fully understand all this before him, his peace of the universe, his trust in humans, himself, and God has been damaged.

He stood motionless next to a pile of hay, his eyes opening and closing for a while.

"Well, good friend, don't be sad," said the little prisoner beside Bin-Air kindly, with the soft, singing voice of a Russian peasant woman, "don't be sad, my friend, the trouble is only temporary. Yes, one has to live forever! We live, thank God, without grievance."

He introduced himself, his name was Platon Karatayev, and went on to say that they were soldiers of the Absheron Regiment. He was unable to leave with the army due to illness, and was captured by the French along with about twenty wounded soldiers. .

"Hey, you're a nice fellow," Platon went on, "don't refuse them all your life if you want a rice bag and a prison." He coughed and adjusted his posture, as if preparing for a long talk.

Then Platon Karatayev told a long story about how he went to chop wood in other people's woods, was caught by the forester, whipped, and sent to serve in the army.

After the story was told, he recounted: "That's it, my friend, it's inevitable. But we always try to be brave, and this is not right, and that is not right. Happiness is like water in a net. When you pull the net, It feels like it's full, but when you pull it ashore, there's nothing left. That's it," Karataev said, finding a spot on the hay, and praying.

[Thirteen]
In the shed where Bin-Air lived for four weeks there were 23 other captured soldiers, three officers and two civilians.In Bin Air's later memories, the impressions of these people were all blurred, but Platon Karatayev retained the most familiar impression in his heart all his life. He became all kindness, harmony and harmony. Russian symbol.At dawn the next day, Bin-Air's first impressions of the neighbor he found clearly confirmed his imagination.

After being captured, Platon grows a beard. He is obviously abandoning the habits imposed on his soldiers, and unconsciously he regains his true peasant appearance.The theme of his talk is to recall his cherished peasant life in the past. His talk is full of common sayings and folk aphorisms. These adages are meaningless in isolation, but when used in key places, it shows that the speaker is extraordinary. wisdom.

He often talks about one thing from two different aspects. Although these words may be the opposite, both statements are not unreasonable.He loves to use, and is good at embellishing his words with some nice words and proverbs, which, in Bin-Air's view, all come from himself.There was also a charm about his talk, that something that seemed so simple to Bin-Air took on real quality as soon as it came out of his mouth.In him, there was none of the attachment, friendship, and love that Bin-Air valued, but he loved all people and things.He loves the long-haired puppy, the friends around him, and Bin-Air who sleeps next to him; but Bin-Air feels that although Platon loves him, Platon will never be separated from him. And painful.Gradually, Bin-Air also began to have the same feelings for Platon.

In any case, the impression that Platon made on him on that first night, of that unimaginable, harmonious and ever-simple embodiment of truth, stuck with him.

[fourteen]
After receiving the news from Maral Rostav that her brother, Duke André, was living with the Rostav family in Yaroslavl, Princess Moliere was ready to go immediately despite her aunt's dissuasion, even Ready to bring nephew.During the difficult journey, everyone was amazed at Princess Molière's strength and ability.Because of her encouragement, they followed to Yaroslavl on the second weekend.

The last days in Voronezh were the happiest in Princess Moliye's life.Love for Rose Tapher no longer troubled or troubled her, and she knew that it was the first and only time in her life that she was in love with someone, and that she felt that she was loved, Therefore, she felt both happy and calm.However, this kind of spiritual well-being did not prevent her from feeling deep sorrow for her brother. On the contrary, the peace of mind enabled her to put all her feelings on him.

In Yaroslavl, they quickly found the Rostav family.When the countess saw the princess, she took her into the living room.Martha and Mademoiselle Pollyare were chatting, the countess was caressing Nikolushka who came together, and the old count came into the living room to meet the princess.Since the last time she saw the old count, the princess saw that the old count had changed a lot. At that time, he was a happy, confident and happy old man, but now he seemed to be a poor, bewildered man. people.

Natess was coming to sit down beside Duke Andrye's pillow. When she heard the news that Princess Molière was coming, she quietly left his room and quickly came to Princess Molière.The sensitive Princess Molière understood everything when she saw Natess's face. She lay on Natess's shoulder with mixed sorrow and joy, and cried in pain.

They sat for a while near his room, stifling their weeping, so as to look at him with calm faces.

When talking about Ondry's condition, Natssie told Princess Molière that Ondry had obviously changed in the past two days.

[fifteen]
Princess Molier understood the meaning of this "change" that Nates said, and she knew that Nates was talking about his collapse, and André's collapse and Nates's sadness meant that death was coming early warning.

She came to the room of Duke Andryl.When she saw his figure and his face more and more clearly, she was about to burst into tears.She saw his face, and met his gaze at the same time.When he saw his sister and Nates clearly, there seemed to be hostility in his deep eyes.There was something terrifying and alienating in his speech, his tone of voice, and especially in his cold and hostile glance.

The conversation was cold and interrupted from time to time.During the chat, Duke Andrele suddenly mentioned Maral Rostaff, and he said that if Miss Molier loved him, he could marry him.Princess Moliere's last wish was that André would see Nikolushka.

For the first time, Duke Andrée smiled unnoticed.But the Duchess Moliers understood that this smile did not express his joy and devotion to his son, but a gentle mockery of the gesture of the Duchess Moliers, who he thought was trying her best to cheer him up again. .Nikolushka was brought to Prince Andrey's side, and he looked at his father in amazement, without weeping.Duke Andrele kissed him, evidently not knowing what to say.

After Nikolushka was taken away, Princess Moliere went up to her brother again, kissed him, and burst into tears.

Coming out of Duke Andrele's room, Princess Molière understood all the meanings of the expression on Nates' face.She stopped talking to Nates about saving his life.They kept taking turns guarding the Duke of Andrele, no longer crying, just praying, turning their hearts to the eternal and unimaginable God. At this moment, God is so real in this dying person.

[sixteen]
The Duke André not only knew that he was going to die, but felt that he was dying.What he felt was alienation from all things in the world, a strange lightness in his body.He waited without anxiety for that which was bound to appear, that solemn, eternal, unknown and distant something which was gathering towards him, which he had felt so often in his life, the presence of that which was within him. This strange lightness was almost understandable, real... He had been afraid of the end of his life before, but after two painful and horrible experiences of this end, he no longer knew the fear. up.His disease is constantly changing according to physiological laws.But the "change" of which Natess spoke appeared only two days before Princess Molier got up for Yaroslavl.In the struggle between life and death, death finally prevailed.Nates' love arouses his regret for life and makes him succumb one last time to the horrors of the unknown.

That night, Duke Andrele was still ill, but his thoughts were very orderly.Martha sat at the table.Suddenly, he felt a sense of happiness all over his body. "Well, she's here." He thought so.

Indeed, Nates was coming in slowly.Gradually she and Martha began to speak in whispers.Nates moved a little closer to him, and a look of excitement appeared on his face.

"Natiss, I love you so much, you are the person I love the most in this world." Afraid that André would be too tired, Natess asked him to rest early.Soon, Andre fell asleep, but after not sleeping for a long time, he woke up again, covered in a cold sweat.When he fell asleep, he was still thinking about the problem that he had been thinking about recently, that is, the problem of survival. What he thought about most was death, and he felt that he was getting closer to death.Duke André had just had a dream about death, but at the moment he was about to die, he remembered that he was in a dreamland.He made a great effort and finally woke up.

"Yes, this is the god of death. I died and woke up again. Death is awakening." This idea suddenly became clear in his heart, and the curtain covering the unknown slowly opened in the illusion of his mind.He felt that the force that restrained him before was released, and his body became light.

From this day on, the heat of physical exertion continued to increase, and the condition began to deteriorate.But what Nates saw was not only the doctor's diagnosis, but also the patient's mental condition.During the relatively slow awakening, nothing terrible and dramatic happened.Both Princess Molier and Natsie saw that he was sinking into a certain place calmly and slowly, and they knew that this was inevitable, and there was nothing wrong with it.

When the body that had been abandoned by the spirit was making its final convulsions, Princess Molière and Natess were beside her.

(End of this chapter)