【有声英语文学名著】战争与和平 Book 10(34)
时间:2019-01-18 作者:英语课 分类:有声英语文学名著
英语课
Chapter 34 - Napoleon's view of the battle
Napoleon’s generals — Davout, Ney, and Murat, who were near that region of fire and sometimes even entered it — repeatedly led into it huge masses of well-ordered troops. But contrary to what had always happened in their former battles, instead of the news they expected of the enemy’s flight, these orderly masses returned thence as disorganized and terrified mobs. The generals re-formed them, but their numbers constantly decreased. In the middle of the day Murat sent his adjutant to Napoleon to demand reinforcements.
Napoleon sat at the foot of the knoll 1, drinking punch, when Murat’s adjutant galloped 3 up with an assurance that the Russians would be routed if His Majesty 4 would let him have another division.
“Reinforcements?” said Napoleon in a tone of stern surprise, looking at the adjutant — a handsome lad with long black curls arranged like Murat’s own — as though he did not understand his words.
“Reinforcements!” thought Napoleon to himself. “How can they need reinforcements when they already have half the army directed against a weak, unentrenched Russian wing?”
“Tell the King of Naples,” said he sternly, “that it is not noon yet, and I don’t yet see my chessboard clearly. Go! . . . ”
The handsome boy adjutant with the long hair sighed deeply without removing his hand from his hat and galloped back to where men were being slaughtered 6.
Napoleon rose and having summoned Caulaincourt and Berthier began talking to them about matters unconnected with the battle.
In the midst of this conversation, which was beginning to interest Napoleon, Berthier’s eyes turned to look at a general with a suite 7, who was galloping 8 toward the knoll on a lathering 9 horse. It was Belliard. Having dismounted he went up to the Emperor with rapid strides and in a loud voice began boldly demonstrating the necessity of sending reinforcements. He swore on his honor that the Russians were lost if the Emperor would give another division.
Napoleon shrugged 10 his shoulders and continued to pace up and down without replying. Belliard began talking loudly and eagerly to the generals of the suite around him.
“You are very fiery 11, Belliard,” said Napoleon, when he again came up to the general. “In the heat of a battle it is easy to make a mistake. Go and have another look and then come back to me.”
Before Belliard was out of sight, a messenger from another part of the battlefield galloped up.
“Now then, what do you want?” asked Napoleon in the tone of a man irritated at being continually disturbed.
“Sire, the prince . . . ” began the adjutant.
“Asks for reinforcements?” said Napoleon with an angry gesture.
The adjutant bent 12 his head affirmatively and began to report, but the Emperor turned from him, took a couple of steps, stopped, came back, and called Berthier.
“We must give reserves,” he said, moving his arms slightly apart. “Who do you think should be sent there?” he asked of Berthier (whom he subsequently termed “that gosling I have made an eagle”).
“Send Claparede’s division, sire,” replied Berthier, who knew all the divisions regiments 13, and battalions 14 by heart.
Napoleon nodded assent 15.
The adjutant galloped to Claparede’s division and a few minutes later the Young Guards stationed behind the knoll moved forward. Napoleon gazed silently in that direction.
“No!” he suddenly said to Berthier. “I can’t send Claparede. Send Friant’s division.”
Though there was no advantage in sending Friant’s division instead of Claparede’s, and even in obvious inconvenience and delay in stopping Claparede and sending Friant now, the order was carried out exactly. Napoleon did not notice that in regard to his army he was playing the part of a doctor who hinders by his medicines — a role he so justly understood and condemned 16.
Friant’s division disappeared as the others had done into the smoke of the battlefield. From all sides adjutants continued to arrive at a gallop 2 and as if by agreement all said the same thing. They all asked for reinforcements and all said that the Russians were holding their positions and maintaining a hellish fire under which the French army was melting away.
Napoleon sat on a campstool, wrapped in thought.
M. de Beausset, the man so fond of travel, having fasted since morning, came up to the Emperor and ventured respectfully to suggest lunch to His Majesty.
“I hope I may now congratulate Your Majesty on a victory?” said he.
Napoleon silently shook his head in negation 17. Assuming the negation to refer only to the victory and not to the lunch, M. de Beausset ventured with respectful jocularity to remark that there is no reason for not having lunch when one can get it.
“Go away . . . ” exclaimed Napoleon suddenly and morosely 18, and turned aside.
A beatific 19 smile of regret, repentance 20, and ecstasy 21 beamed on M. de Beausset’s face and he glided 22 away to the other generals.
Napoleon was experiencing a feeling of depression like that of an ever-lucky gambler who, after recklessly flinging money about and always winning, suddenly just when he has calculated all the chances of the game, finds that the more he considers his play the more surely he loses.
His troops were the same, his generals the same, the same preparations had been made, the same dispositions 23, and the same proclamation courte et energique, he himself was still the same: he knew that and knew that he was now even more experienced and skillful than before. Even the enemy was the same as at Austerlitz and Friedland — yet the terrible stroke of his arm had supernaturally become impotent.
All the old methods that had been unfailingly crowned with success: the concentration of batteries on one point, an attack by reserves to break the enemy’s line, and a cavalry 24 attack by “the men of iron,” all these methods had already been employed, yet not only was there no victory, but from all sides came the same news of generals killed and wounded, of reinforcements needed, of the impossibility of driving back the Russians, and of disorganization among his own troops.
Formerly 25, after he had given two or three orders and uttered a few phrases, marshals and adjutants had come galloping up with congratulations and happy faces, announcing the trophies 26 taken, the corps 27 of prisoners, bundles of enemy eagles and standards, cannon 28 and stores, and Murat had only begged leave to loose the cavalry to gather in the baggage wagons 29. So it had been at Lodi, Marengo, Arcola, Jena, Austerlitz, Wagram, and so on. But now something strange was happening to his troops.
Despite news of the capture of the fleches, Napoleon saw that this was not the same, not at all the same, as what had happened in his former battles. He saw that what he was feeling was felt by all the men about him experienced in the art of war. All their faces looked dejected, and they all shunned 30 one another’s eyes — only a de Beausset could fail to grasp the meaning of what was happening.
But Napoleon with his long experience of war well knew the meaning of a battle not gained by the attacking side in eight hours, after all efforts had been expended 31. He knew that it was a lost battle and that the least accident might now — with the fight balanced on such a strained center — destroy him and his army.
When he ran his mind over the whole of this strange Russian campaign in which not one battle had been won, and in which not a flag, or cannon, or army corps had been captured in two months, when he looked at the concealed 32 depression on the faces around him and heard reports of the Russians still holding their ground — a terrible feeling like a nightmare took possession of him, and all the unlucky accidents that might destroy him occurred to his mind. The Russians might fall on his left wing, might break through his center, he himself might be killed by a stray cannon ball. All this was possible. In former battles he had only considered the possibilities of success, but now innumerable unlucky chances presented themselves, and he expected them all. Yes, it was like a dream in which a man fancies that a ruffian is coming to attack him, and raises his arm to strike that ruffian a terrible blow which he knows should annihilate 33 him, but then feels that his arm drops powerless and limp like a rag, and the horror of unavoidable destruction seizes him in his helplessness.
The news that the Russians were attacking the left flank of the French army aroused that horror in Napoleon. He sat silently on a campstool below the knoll, with head bowed and elbows on his knees. Berthier approached and suggested that they should ride along the line to ascertain 34 the position of affairs.
“What? What do you say?” asked Napoleon. “Yes, tell them to bring me my horse.”
He mounted and rode toward Semenovsk.
Amid the powder smoke, slowly dispersing 35 over the whole space through which Napoleon rode, horses and men were lying in pools of blood, singly or in heaps. Neither Napoleon nor any of his generals had ever before seen such horrors or so many slain 36 in such a small area. The roar of guns, that had not ceased for ten hours, wearied the ear and gave a peculiar 37 significance to the spectacle, as music does to tableaux 38 vivants. Napoleon rode up the high ground at Semenovsk, and through the smoke saw ranks of men in uniforms of a color unfamiliar 39 to him. They were Russians.
The Russians stood in serried 40 ranks behind Semenovsk village and its knoll, and their guns boomed incessantly 41 along their line and sent forth 42 clouds of smoke. It was no longer a battle: it was a continuous slaughter 5 which could be of no avail either to the French or the Russians. Napoleon stopped his horse and again fell into the reverie from which Berthier had aroused him. He could not stop what was going on before him and around him and was supposed to be directed by him and to depend on him, and from its lack of success this affair, for the first time, seemed to him unnecessary and horrible.
One of the generals rode up to Napoleon and ventured to offer to lead the Old Guard into action. Ney and Berthier, standing 43 near Napoleon, exchanged looks and smiled contemptuously at this general’s senseless offer.
Napoleon bowed his head and remained silent a long time.
“At eight hundred leagues from France, I will not have my Guard destroyed!” he said, and turning his horse rode back to Shevardino.
n.小山,小丘
- Silver had terrible hard work getting up the knoll.对于希尔弗来说,爬上那小山丘真不是件容易事。
- He crawled up a small knoll and surveyed the prospect.他慢腾腾地登上一个小丘,看了看周围的地形。
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展
- They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。
- The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。
(使马)飞奔,奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 ); 快速做[说]某事
- Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
- The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权
- The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
- Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下,您必须赶快做出决定!
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀
- I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
- Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )
- The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
- She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
- That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
n.痛打,怒骂v.(指肥皂)形成泡沫( lather的现在分词 );用皂沫覆盖;狠狠地打
- After this my skin is really illuminous and clean even though there was no lathering. 在这以后即使我不使用泡沬之类的,皮肤也特别光滑干净。 来自互联网
- And yet Carl is standing there lathering his face and not a single detail is altered. 可是卡尔却站在那儿往脸上抹肥皂,全然不动声色。 来自互联网
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
- Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
- She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的
- She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
- His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
(军队的)团( regiment的名词复数 ); 大量的人或物
- The three regiments are all under the command of you. 这三个团全归你节制。
- The town was garrisoned with two regiments. 该镇有两团士兵驻守。
n.(陆军的)一营(大约有一千兵士)( battalion的名词复数 );协同作战的部队;军队;(组织在一起工作的)队伍
- God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可
- I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
- The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
n.否定;否认
- No reasonable negation can be offered.没有合理的反对意见可以提出。
- The author boxed the compass of negation in his article.该作者在文章中依次探讨了各种反面的意见。
adv.愁眉苦脸地,忧郁地
- Everybody, thought Scarlett, morosely, except me. 思嘉郁郁不乐地想。除了我,人人都去了。 来自飘(部分)
- He stared at her morosely. 他愁容满面地看着她。 来自辞典例句
adj.快乐的,有福的
- All parents wish their children could have a safe and beatific life.父母都渴望他们的孩子们平安快乐。
- Perhaps the Beatific Vision itself has some remote kinship with this lowly experience.或许至福幻象本身就同这种平凡的体验有着某种淡薄的血缘关系。
n.懊悔
- He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
- Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷
- He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
- Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具,高兴得说不出话来。
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
- The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
- They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
安排( disposition的名词复数 ); 倾向; (财产、金钱的)处置; 气质
- We got out some information about the enemy's dispositions from the captured enemy officer. 我们从捕获的敌军官那里问出一些有关敌军部署的情况。
- Elasticity, solubility, inflammability are paradigm cases of dispositions in natural objects. 伸缩性、可缩性、易燃性是天然物体倾向性的范例。
n.骑兵;轻装甲部队
- We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
- The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。
adv.从前,以前
- We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
- This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
n.(为竞赛获胜者颁发的)奖品( trophy的名词复数 );奖杯;(尤指狩猎或战争中获得的)纪念品;(用于比赛或赛跑名称)奖
- His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组
- The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
- When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮
- The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
- The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 );铁路货车;小手推车
- The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
- They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )
- She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
- He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人,总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 );使用(钱等)做某事;用光;耗尽
- She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。
- The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的
- The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
- I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。
v.使无效;毁灭;取消
- Archer crumpled up the yellow sheet as if the gesture could annihilate the news it contained.阿切尔把这张黄纸揉皱,好象用这个动作就会抹掉里面的消息似的。
- We should bear in mind that we have to annihilate the enemy.我们要把歼敌的重任时刻记在心上。
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清
- It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
- We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词)
- The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
- His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
- He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
- He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
n.舞台造型,(由活人扮演的)静态画面、场面;人构成的画面或场景( tableau的名词复数 );舞台造型;戏剧性的场面;绚丽的场景
- He developed less a coherent analysis than a series of brilliant tableaux. 与其说他作了一个前后连贯的分析,倒不如说他描绘了一系列出色的场景。 来自辞典例句
- There was every kind of table, from fantasy to tableaux of New England history. 各种各样的故事,从幻想到新英格兰的历史场面,无所不有。 来自辞典例句
adj.陌生的,不熟悉的
- I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
- The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。
adj.拥挤的;密集的
- The fields were mostly patches laid on the serried landscape.between crevices and small streams.农田大部分是地缝和小溪之间的条状小块。
- On the shelf are serried rows of law books and law reports.书橱上是排得密密匝匝的几排法律书籍和判例汇编。
ad.不停地
- The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
- It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。
adv.向前;向外,往外
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。