战争与和平(下)-第3节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


806；　1807　and　1809—into　the　east；　growing　stronger　and　more　numerous。　In　1811　a　group　of　men　formed　in　France　is　joined　by　an　enormous　group　from　the　peoples　of　Central　Europe。　As　the　numbers　of　the　great　mass　increase；　the　power　of　justification　of　the　man　at　the　head　of　the　movement　gathers　more　and　more　force。　During　the　ten　years　of　the　preparatory　period　preceding　the　great　movement；　this　man　forms　relations　with　all　the　crowned　heads　of　Europe。　The　sovereigns　of　the　world；　stripped　bare　by　him；　can　oppose　no　rational　ideal　to　the　senseless　Napoleonic　ideal　of　glory　and　greatness。　They　vie　with　one　another　in　demonstrating　to　him　their　insignificance。　The　King　of　Prussia　sends　his　wife　to　sue　for　the　good　graces　of　the　great　man；　the　Emperor　of　Austria　considers　it　a　favour　for　this　man　to　take　the　daughter　of　the　Kaisers　to　his　bed。　The　Pope；　the　guardian　of　the　faith　of　the　peoples；　uses　religion　to　aid　the　great　man’s　elevation。　Napoleon　does　not　so　much　prepare　himself　for　the　part　he　is　to　play　as　all　around　him　lead　him　on　to　take　upon　himself　the　responsibility　of　what　is　being　done　and　is　to　be　done。　There　is　no　act；　no　crime；　no　petty　deceit　which　he　would　not　commit；　and　which　would　not　be　at　once　represented　on　the　lips　of　those　about　him　as　a　great　deed。　The　most　suitable　fête　the　Germans　could　think　of　in　his　honour　was　the　celebration　of　Jena　and　Auerstadt。　Not　only　is　he　great；　his　forefathers；　his　brothers；　his　step…children；　and　his　brothers…in…law　are　great　too。　Everything　is　done　to　deprive　him　of　the　last　glimmering　of　reason；　and　to　prepare　him　for　his　terrible　part。　And　when　he　is　ready；　his　forces　too　are　in　readiness。
The　invading　army　flows　towards　the　east　and　reaches　its　final　goal：　Moscow。　The　ancient　city　is　taken；　the　Russian　army　suffers　greater　losses　than　were　ever　suffered　by　the　opposing　armies　in　the　previous　wars　from　Austerlitz　to　Wagram。　But　all　at　once；　instead　of　that　chance　and　genius；　which　had　so　consistently　led　him　hitherto　by　an　uninterrupted　series　of　successes　to　his　destined　goal；　an　immense　number　of　chance　circumstances　occur　of　an　opposite　kind　from　the　cold　caught　at　Borodino　to　the　spark　that　fired　Moscow；　and　instead　of　genius　there　was　shown　a　folly　and　baseness　unexampled　in　history。
The　invading　army　flees　away；　turns　back　and　flees　again；　and　all　the　chances　now　are　consistently　not　for　but　against　him。
Then　there　follows　the　opposing　movement　from　east　to　west；　with　a　remarkable　similarity　to　the　eastward　movement　from　the　west　that　had　preceded　it。　There　were　similar　tentative　movements　westward　as　had　in　1805；　1807　and　1809　preceded　the　great　eastward　movement。　There　was　the　same　cohesion　together　of　all　into　one　group　of　immense　numbers；　the　same　adherence　of　the　peoples　of　Central　Europe　to　the　movement；　the　same　hesitation　midway；　and　the　same　increased　velocity　as　the　goal　was　approached。
Paris；　the　furthest　goal；　was　reached。　Napoleon’s　government　and　armies　are　shattered。　Napoleon　himself　is　of　no　further　consequence；　all　his　actions　are　obviously　paltry　and　mean；　but　again　inexplicable　chance　comes　in。　The　allies　detest　Napoleon；　in　whom　they　see　the　cause　of　all　their　troubles。　Stripped　of　his　power　and　his　might；　convicted　of　frauds　and　villainies；　he　should　have　been　seen　by　them　as　he　had　been　ten　years　before；　and　was　a　year　later—a　brigand　outside　the　pale　of　the　law。　But　by　some　strange　freak　of　chance　no　one　sees　it。　His　part　is　not　yet　played　out。　The　man　who　ten　years　back；　and　one　year　later；　was　looked　on　as　a　miscreant　outside　the　law；　was　sent　by　them　to　an　island　two　days’　journey　from　France；　given　to　him　as　his　domain；　with　guards　and　millions　of　money；　as　though　to　pay　him　for　some　service　he　had　done。


Chapter　4
THE　COMMOTION　among　the　peoples　begins　to　subside。　The　waves　of　the　great　tempest　begin　to　abate；　and　eddies　begin　to　be　formed　about　the　calmer　surface　where　diplomatists　are　busy；　fancying　the　calm　is　their　work。
But　all　at　once　the　quiet　sea　is　convulsed　again。　The　diplomatists　imagine　that　they；　their　disagreements；　are　the　cause　of　this　fresh　disturbance；　they　look　for　wars　between　their　sovereigns；　the　position　seems　insoluble。　But　the　storm　they　feel　brewing　does　not　come　from　the　quarter　where　they　look　for　it。　It　rises　again　from　the　same　starting　point—Paris。　The　last　backwash　of　the　westward　movement　follows—the　backwash　which　was　to　solve　the　seemingly　inextricable　diplomatic　difficulties；　and　to　put　an　end　to　the　military　unrest　of　the　period。
The　man　who　has　devastated　France　comes　back　to　France　alone；　with　no　project；　and　no　soldiers。　Any　policeman　can　arrest　him；　but　by　a　strange　freak　of　chance　no　one　does　seize　him；　but　all　meet　with　enthusiasm　the　man　they　have　been　cursing　but　a　day　before；　and　will　curse　again　within　a　month。
That　man　is　needed　for　the　last　act　winding　up　the　drama。
The　act　is　performed。
The　last　part　is　played。　The　actor　is　bidden　to　undress；　and　wash　off　his　powder　and　paint；　he　will　be　needed　no　more。
And　for　several　years　this　man；　in　solitude　on　his　island；　plays　his　pitiful　farce　to　himself；　intrigues　and　lies；　justifying　his　conduct　when　a　justification　is　no　longer　needed；　and　shows　all　the　world　what　the　thing　was　men　took　for　power　when　an　unseen　hand　guided　it。
The　stage　manager；　when　the　drama　was　over；　and　the　puppet　stripped；　showed　him　to　us。
‘‘Look　what　you　believed　in！　Here　he　is！　Do　you　see　now　that　it　was　not　he　but　I　that　moved　you？’’
But　blinded　by　the　force　of　the　movement　men　for　long　could　not　perceive　that。
Even　more　coherence　and　inevitability　is　to　be　seen　in　the　life　of　Alexander　I。；　the　personage　who　stood　at　the　head　of　the　counter…movement　from　east　westward。
What　was　needed　for　the　man　who；　to　the　exclusion　of　others；　should　stand　at　the　head　of　that　movement　from　the　east　westward？
There　was　needed　a　sense　of　justice；　an　interest　in　the　affairs　of　Europe；　but　a　remote　one；　not　obscured　by　petty　interests；　a　moral　preeminence　over　his　peers—the　sovereigns　of　the　time；　there　was　needed　a　gentle　and　attractive　personal　character；　there　was　needed　too　a　personal　grievance　against　Napoleon。　And　all　that　is　to　be　seen　in　Alexander　I。；　it　was　all　prepared　beforehand　by　the　innumerable　so…called　chance　circumstances　of　his　previous　life；　by　his　education　and　the　liberalism　of　the　beginning　of　his　reign；　and　the　counsellors　around；　and　Austerlitz；　and　Tilsit；　and　Erfurt。
During　the　war　in　defence　of　the　country　this　personage　is　inactive；　he　is　not　needed。　But　as　soon　as　a　general　European　war　becomes　inevitable；　at　the　given　moment；　he　is　in　his　place；　and　bringing　the　European　peoples　together　he　leads　them　to　the　goal。
The　goal　is　reached。　After　the　last　war　of　1815　Alexander　finds　himself　at　the　highest　possible　pinnacle　of　human　power。　How　does　he　use　it？
While　Napoleon　in　his　exile　was　drawing　up　childish　and　lying　schemes　of　the　blessings　he　would　have　showered　on　humanity　if　he　had　had　the　power；　Alexander；　the　pacifier　of　Europe；　the　man　who；　from　his　youth　up；　had　striven　for　nothing　but　the　good　of　the　people；　the　first　champion　of　liberal　reforms　in　his　country；　now　when　he　seemed　to　possess　the　greatest　possible　power；　and　consequent　possibility　of　doing　good　to　his　people；　felt　his　work　was　done；　and　God’s　hand　was　laid　upon　him；　and　recognising　the　nothingness　of　that　semblance　of　power；　turned　from　it；　gave　it　up　to　despicable　men；　and　men　he　despised；　and　could　only　say：
‘‘Not　to　us；　not　to　us；　but　to　Thy　Name！　I　too　am　a　man　like　all　of　you；　let　me　live　like　a　man；　and　think　of　my　soul　and　of　God。’’
Just　as　the　sun　and　every　atom　of　ether　is　a　sphere　complete　in　itself；　and　at　the　same　time　is　only　a　part　of　a　whole　inconceivable　to　man　through　its　vastness；　so　every　individuality　bears　within　it　its　own　ends　and　yet　bears　them　so　as　to　serve　general　ends　unfathomable　by　man。
A　bee　settling　on　a　flower　has　stung　a　child。　And　the　child　dreads　bees；　and　says　the　object　of　the　bee　is　to　sting　people。　A　poet　admires　the　bee；　sipping　honey　from　the　cup　of　the　flower；　and　says　the　object　of　the　bee　is　to　sip　the　nectar　of　the　flower。　A　beekeeper；　noticing　that　the　bee　gathers　pollen　and　brings　it　to　the　hive；　says　that　the　object　of　the　bee　is　to　gather　honey。　Another　beekeeper；　who　has　studied　the　life　of　the　swarm　more　closely；　says　the　bee　gathers　honey　to　feed　the　young　ones；　and　to　rear　a　queen；　that　the　object　of　the　bee　is　the　perpetuation　of　its　race。　The　botanist　observes　that　the　bee　flying　with　the　pollen　fertilises　the　pistil；　and　in　this　he　sees　the　object　of　the　bee。　Another；　watching　the　hybridisation　of　plants；　sees　that　the　bee　contributes　to　that　end　also；　and　he　may　say　that　the　bee’s　object　is　that。　But　the　final　aim　of　the　bee　is　not　exhausted　by　one　or　another；　or　a　third　aim；　which　the　human　intellect　is　capable　of　discovering。　The　higher　the　human　intellect　rises　in　the　discovery　of　such　aims；　the　more　obvious　it　becomes　that　the　final　aim　is　beyond　its　reach。
All　that　is　within　the　reach　of　man　is　the　observation　of　the　analogy　of　the　life　of　the　bee　with　other　manifestations　of　life。　And　the　same　is　true　with　the　final　aims　of　historical　persons　and　of　nations。


Chapter　5
NATASHA’S　MARRI