战争与和平(上)-第277章

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f　beauty；　of　truth；　of　the　significance　of　his　own　acts；　which　were　too　far　opposed　to　truth　and　goodness；　too　remote　from　everything　human　for　him　to　be　able　to　grasp　their　significance。　He　could　not　disavow　his　own　acts；　that　were　lauded　by　half　the　world；　and　so　he　was　forced　to　disavow　truth　and　goodness　and　everything　human。
Not　on　that　day　only；　as　he　rode　about　the　battlefield；　piled　with　corpses　and　mutilated　men　（the　work；　as　he　supposed；　of　his　will）　he　reckoned　as　he　gazed　at　them　how　many　Russians　lay　there　for　each　Frenchman；　and　cheated　himself　into　finding　matter　for　rejoicing　in　the　belief　that　there　were　five　Russians　for　every　Frenchman。　Not　on　that　day　only　he　wrote　to　Paris　that　“le　champ　de　bataille　a　été　superbe；”　because　there　were　fifty　thousand　corpses　on　it。　Even　in　St。　Helena；　in　the　peaceful　solitude　where　he　said　he　intended　to　devote　his　leisure　to　an　account　of　the　great　deeds　he　had　done；　he　wrote：
“The　Russian　war　ought　to　have　been　the　most　popular　of　modern　times：　it　was　the　war　of　good　sense　and　real　interests；　of　the　repose　and　security　of　all：　it　was　purely　pacific　and　conservative。
“It　was　for　the　great　cause；　the　end　of　uncertainties　and　the　beginning　of　security。　A　new　horizon；　new　labours　were　unfolding；　all　full　of　welfare　and　prosperity　for　all。　The　European　system　was　established；　all　that　remained　was　to　organise　it。
“Satisfied　on　these　great　points　and　tranquil　everywhere；　I　too　should　have　had　my　congress　and　my　holy　alliance。　These　are　ideas　stolen　from　me。　In　this　assembly　of　great　sovereigns；　we　could　have　treated　of　our　interests　like　one　family　and　have　reckoned；　as　clerk　with　master；　with　the　peoples。
“Europe　would　soon　in　that　way　have　made　in　fact　but　one　people；　and　every　one；　travelling　all　over　it；　would　always　have　found　himself　in　the　common　fatherland。　I　should　have　required　all　the　rivers　to　be　open　for　the　navigation　of　all；　the　seas　to　be　common　to　all；　and　the　great　standing　armies　to　be　reduced　henceforth　simply　to　the　bodyguard　of　the　sovereigns。
“Returning　to　France；　to　the　bosom　of　the　great；　strong；　magnificent；　tranquil；　and　glorious　fatherland；　I　should　have　proclaimed　its　frontiers　immutable；　all　future　war　purely　defensive；　all　fresh　aggrandisement　anti…national。　I　should　have　associated　my　son　in　the　empire；　my　dictatorship　would　have　been　over；　and　his　constitutional　reign　would　have　begun…
“Paris　would　have　been　the　capital　of　the　world；　and　the　French　the　envy　of　the　nations！…
“My　leisure　then　and　my　old　age　would　have　been　consecrated；　in　company　with　the　Empress；　and　during　the　royal　apprenticeship　of　my　son；　to　visiting　in　leisurely　fashion　with　our　own　horses；　like　a　genuine　country　couple；　every　corner　of　the　empire；　receiving　complaints；　redressing　wrongs；　scattering　monuments　and　benefits　on　all　sides。”
He；　predestined　by　Providence　to　the　gloomy；　slavish　part　of　executioner　of　the　peoples；　persuaded　himself　that　the　motive　of　his　acts　had　been　the　welfare　of　the　peoples；　and　that　he　could　control　the　destinies　of　millions；　and　make　their　prosperity　by　the　exercise　of　his　power。
“Of　the　four　hundred　thousand　men　who　crossed　the　Vistula；”　he　wrote　later　of　the　Russian　war；　“half　were　Austrians；　Prussians；　Saxons；　Poles；　Bavarians；　Würtembergers；　Mecklenburgers；　Spaniards；　Italians；　Neapolitans。　The　Imperial　army；　properly　so…called；　was　one　third　composed　of　Dutch；　Belgians；　inhabitants　of　the　Rhineland；　Piedmontese；　Swiss；　Genevese；　Tuscans；　Romans；　inhabitants　of　the　thirty…second　military　division；　of　Bremen；　Hamburg；　etc。　It　reckoned　barely　a　hundred　and　forty　thousand　men　speaking　French。　The　Russian　expedition　cost　France　itself　less　than　fifty　thousand　men。　The　Russian　army　in　the　retreat　from　Vilna　to　Moscow　in　the　different　battles　lost　four　times　as　many　men　as　the　French　army。　The　fire　in　Moscow　cost　the　lives　of　one　hundred　thousand　Russians；　dead　of　cold　and　want　in　the　woods；　lastly；　in　its　march　from　Moscow　to　the　Oder；　the　Russian　army；　too；　suffered　from　the　inclemency　of　the　season：　it　only　reckoned　fifty　thousand　men　on　reaching　Vilna；　and　less　than　eighteen　thousand　at　Kalisch。”
He　imagined　that　the　war　with　Russia　was　entirely　due　to　his　will；　and　the　horror　of　what　was　done　made　no　impression　on　his　soul。　He　boldly　assumed　the　whole　responsibility　of　it　all；　and　his　clouded　intellect　found　justification　in　the　fact　that　among　the　hundreds　of　thousands　of　men　who　perished；　there　were　fewer　Frenchmen　than　Hessians　and　Bavarians。


Chapter　39
SOME　TENS　OF　THOUSANDS　of　men　lay　sacrificed　in　various　postures　and　uniforms　on　the　fields　and　meadows　belonging　to　the　Davidov　family　and　the　Crown　serfs；　on　those　fields　and　meadows　where　for　hundreds　of　years　the　peasants　of　Borodino；　Gorky；　Shevardino；　and　Semyonovskoye　had　harvested　their　crops　and　grazed　their　cattle。　At　the　ambulance　stations　the　grass　and　earth　were　soaked　with　blood　for　two　acres　round。　Crowds　of　men；　wounded　and　unwounded；　of　various　arms；　with　panic…stricken　faces；　dragged　themselves；　on　one　side　back　to　Mozhaisk；　on　the　other　to　Valuev。　Other　crowds；　exhausted　and　hungry；　were　led　forward　by　their　officers。　Others　still　held　their　ground；　and　went　on　firing。
Over　all　the　plain；　at　first　so　bright　and　gay　with　its　glittering　bayonets　and　puffs　of　smoke　in　the　morning　sunshine；　there　hung　now　a　dark　cloud　of　damp　mist　and　smoke　and　a　strange；　sour　smell　of　saltpetre　and　blood。　Storm　clouds　had　gathered；　and　a　drizzling　rain　began　to　fall　on　the　dead；　on　the　wounded；　on　the　panic…stricken；　and　exhausted；　and　hesitating　soldiers。　It　seemed　to　say：　“Enough；　enough；　cease。…　Consider。　What　are　you　doing？”
To　the　men　on　both　sides；　alike　exhausted　from　want　of　food　and　rest；　the　doubt　began　to　come　whether　they　should　still　persist　in　slaughtering　one　another；　and　in　every　face　could　be　seen　hesitation；　and　in　every　heart　alike　there　rose　the　question：　“For　what；　for　whom　am　I　to　slay　and　be　slain？　Slay　whom　you　will；　do　what　you　will；　but　I　have　had　enough！”　This　thought　took　shape　towards　evening　in　every　heart　alike。　Any　minute　all　those　men　might　be　horror…stricken　at　what　they　were　doing；　might　throw　up　everything　and　run　anywhere。
But　though　towards　the　end　of　the　battle　the　men　felt　all　the　horror　of　their　actions；　though　they　would　have　been　glad　to　cease；　some　unfathomable；　mysterious　force　still　led　them　on；　and　the　artillerymen—the　third　of　them　left—soaked　with　sweat；　grimed　with　powder　and　blood；　and　panting　with　weariness；　still　brought　the　charges；　loaded；　aimed；　and　lighted　the　match；　and　the　cannon　balls　flew　as　swiftly　and　cruelly　from　each　side　and　crushed　human　flesh；　and　kept　up　the　fearful　work；　which　was　done　not　at　the　will　of　men；　but　at　the　will　of　Him　who　sways　men　and　worlds。
Any　one　looking　at　the　disorder　in　the　rear　of　the　Russian　army　would　have　said　that　the　French　had　but　to　make　one　slight　effort　more　and　the　Russian　army　would　have　been　annihilated；　and　any　one　seeing　the　rear　of　the　French　army　would　have　said　that　the　Russians　need　but　make　a　slight　effort　more　and　the　French　would　be　overthrown。　But　neither　French　nor　Russians　made　that　effort；　and　the　flame　of　the　battle　burnt　slowly　out。
The　Russians　did　not　make　this　effort；　because　they　were　not　attacking　the　French。　At　the　beginning　of　the　battle　they　merely　stood　on　the　road　to　Moscow；　barring　it　to　the　French；　and　they　still　stood　at　the　end　of　the　battle　as　they　had　at　the　beginning。　But　even　if　it　had　been　the　aim　of　the　Russians　to　drive　back　the　French；　they　could　not　have　made　this　final　effort；　because　all　the　Russian　troops　had　been　routed；　there　was　not　a　single　part　of　the　army　that　had　not　suffered　in　the　battle；　and　the　Russians；　without　being　driven　from　their　position；　lost　ONE　HALF　of　their　army。
For　the　French；　with　the　memory　of　fifteen　years　of　victories；　with　confidence　in　Napoleon’s　all…vanquishing　genius；　with　the　consciousness　of　having　taken　a　part　of　the　battlefield；　of　having　only　lost　a　fourth　of　their　men；　and　of　having　a　body　of　twenty　thousand—the　Guards—　intact—it　would　have　been　an　easy　matter　to　make　this　effort。　The　French；　attacking　the　Russian　army　with　the　object　of　driving　it　from　its　positio