PRINCE ANDREY arrived in Petersburg in the August of 1809. —
1809年8月，安德烈王子抵达彼得堡。 —

It was the period when the young Speransky was at the zenith of his fame and his reforms were being carried out with the utmost vigour. —
那是年轻的斯佩兰斯基处于他声誉最高峰的时期，他的改革正在极力推行。 —

In that very month the Tsar was thrown out of his carriage, hurt his foot, and was laid up for three weeks at Peterhof, seeing Speransky every day and no one else. —
就在那个月，沙皇从马车上摔下来，伤了脚，在彼得霍夫卧床三周，每天只看斯佩兰斯基，不见其他任何人。 —

At that period there were in preparation the two famous decrees that so convulsed society, abolishing the bestowal of grades by court favour and establishing examinations for obtaining the ranks of collegiate assessors and state councillors. —
在那个时期，正在准备两项著名的法令，震动了整个社会，取消了依靠宫廷恩宠赋予爵位的做法，并设立了通过考试获得副审议官和国务参议官职位的规定。 —

But besides these reforms, a whole political constitution was under discussion destined to transform the whole legal, administrative and financial system of government from the Privy Council to the district tribunals. —
除了这些改革之外，正在讨论一整套政治体制，旨在从枢密会议到地方法院改革整个法律、行政和财政体制。 —

At this time the vague, liberal ideals with which the Emperor Alexander had ascended the throne were taking shape and being carried into practice. —
这个时候，亚历山大皇帝登基时模糊的自由主义理念正在得以实施和落实。 —

Those ideals he had striven to realise with the aid of Tchartorizhsky, Novosiltsov, Kotchubey, and Stroganov, whom he used himself to call in fun his “comité du salut publique. —
他曾与奇热市基、诺沃辛索夫、科丘别伊和斯特罗甘诺夫一起努力实现那些理想，他自己开玩笑地称他们为他的“公共拯救委员会”。 —

” Now all were replaced by Speransky on the civil side and Araktcheev on the military.
现在，在文官方面，他们全都被斯佩兰斯基取代了，在军事方面则是阿拉切耶夫接手了。

Soon after his arrival, Prince Andrey, as a kammerherr, presented himself at court and at a levée. —
他一到达，作为一名宫廷礼宾官，安德烈亲王就在庭院和接见会上出现了。 —

The Tsar, meeting him on two occasions, did not deign to bestow a single word upon him. —
皇帝在两次见面时，竟然连一个字都没有对他说。 —

Prince Andrey had fancied even before then that he was antipathetic to the Tsar; —
之前，安德烈亲王就觉得他与皇帝不合拍； —

that the Tsar disliked his face and his whole personality. —
他觉得皇帝不喜欢他的脸以及整个人的特质。 —

In the cold, repellent glance with which the Tsar looked at him, Prince Andrey found further confirmation of this supposition. —
在皇帝冷漠、拒人千里之外的眼神中，安德烈亲王找到了进一步证实这个假设的依据。 —

Courtiers explained the Tsar’s slight to Prince Andrey by saying that his majesty was displeased at Bolkonsky’s having retired from active service since 1805.
朝臣们解释说，皇帝对安德烈亲王的冷落是因为他在1805年退休。

“I know myself that one has no control over one’s likes and dislikes,” thought Prince Andrey, “and so it is of no use to think of presenting my note on army reform in person to the Tsar, but the thing will speak for itself. —
“我知道自己对喜好和厌恶没有控制权”，安德烈王子想，“所以亲自向沙皇呈上有关军队改革的笔记是没有意义的，该事情会说明一切。 —

” He sent word about his note to an old field-marshal, a friend of his father’s. —
他通过一个他父亲的老朋友，一位老元帅，传达了他的笔记的消息。 —

The field-marshal fixed an hour to see him, received him cordially, and promised to lay it before the Tsar. A few days later, Prince Andrey received notice that he was to call upon the minister of war, Count Araktcheev.
该老元帅约定了一个时间接见他，热情地接待了他，并承诺将这个笔记呈给沙皇。几天后，安德烈王子收到通知，要去军事部长阿拉赫切耶夫伯爵那里。

At nine o’clock in the morning on the day appointed, Prince Andrey entered Count Araktcheev’s reception-room.
在约定的那天上午九点，安德烈王子进入了阿拉赫切耶夫伯爵的接待室。

Prince Andrey did not know Araktcheev personally and had never seen him, but all that he knew about him had inspired him with little respect for the man.
安德烈王子个人并不认识阿拉赫切耶夫，也从未见过他，但他对这个人所了解的一切都没有给他留下多少尊重。

“He is the minister of war, a person the Tsar trusts, and no one need have any concern with his personal qualities; —
“他是军事部长，是沙皇信任的人，没有人需要关心他的个人品质； —

he has been commissioned to look at my note, consequently he is the only person who can get it adopted,” thought Prince Andrey, as he waited among many persons of importance and unimportance in Count Araktcheev’s anteroom.
“他被授权查看我的笔记，因此他是唯一能使其被采纳的人，”安德烈王子想道，正站在阿拉克切夫伯爵的门房中与许多重要和不重要的人一起等待。

During the years of his service—for the most part as an adjutant—Prince Andrey had seen the anterooms of many great personages, and the various characteristic types of such anterooms were very readily recognised by him. —
在为主要担任副官的那几年里，安德烈王子见识了许多大人物的门房，对这些门房典型的特点非常熟悉。 —

Count Araktcheev’s anteroom had quite a special character. —
阿拉克切夫伯爵的门房有着非常独特的性格。 —

The faces of the persons of no consequence who were awaiting their turns for an audience with Count Araktcheev betrayed a feeling of humiliation and servility; —
那些等待与阿拉克切夫伯爵会面机会的无足轻重的人的脸上都流露出屈辱和奴性之情。 —

the faces of those of superior rank all wore an expression of general discomfort, concealed under a mask of ease and ridicule, of themselves and their position and the person they were waiting to see. —
而那些地位较高的人则面带一种不适的表情，他们试图用一副轻松和嘲笑的面具来掩饰自己的处境和地位，以及对待见的人。 —

Some of them walked up and down plunged in thought; —
他们中的一些人走来走去，陷入深思。 —

others were laughing and whispering together, and Prince Andrey caught the nickname Sila Andreitch (Sila meaning Force or Violence), and the words “the governor’ll give it you,” referring to Count Araktcheev. —
其他人在一起笑着窃窃私语，安德烈亲王听到了“希拉安德里奇”这个绰号（希拉的意思是力量或暴力），以及指的是阿拉克切耶夫伯爵的“省长会给你”的话。 —

One general (a person of great consequence), unmistakably chagrined at being kept waiting so long, sat with crossed legs, disdainfully smiling to himself.
有一位将军（一个非常重要的人物），明显对被等待这么久感到不悦，屈膝坐着，傲慢地对自己微笑着。

But as soon as the door opened, all faces instantly betrayed one feeling only—terror.
但是当门打开的瞬间，所有人的脸上立刻只露出一种感觉——恐惧。

Prince Andrey asked the adjutant on duty to mention his name again, but he received a sarcastic stare, and was told his turn would come in due course. —
安德烈亲王请求值班副官再次提及他的名字，但他却遭到了嘲讽的眼神，并被告知轮到他时会通知他的。 —

After several persons had been let in and let out of the minister’s room by the adjutant, an officer was admitted at the dreadful door, whose abject and panic-stricken face had struck Prince Andrey. —
在副官让几个人进出部长的房间之后，一位军官被引导进入恐怖的门，他那卑微且惊慌失措的脸让安德烈亲王印象深刻。 —

The officer’s audience lasted a long while. —
这位军官的拜会时间持续了很久。 —

Suddenly the roar of a harsh voice was heard through the door, and the officer, with a white face and trembling lips, came out, and clutching at his head, crossed the anteroom. —
突然间，一声刺耳的声音从门后传来，这位将军脸色苍白，嘴唇颤抖着走了出来，一手抓着脑袋，穿过前厅。 —

After that, Prince Andrey was conducted to the door, and the adjutant in a whisper said: —
之后，安德烈亲王被引导到了门口，副官低声说道： —

“To the right, at the window.”
“往右边，靠窗户。”

Prince Andrey went into a plain, neat study, and saw at the table a man of forty with a long waist, with a long, closely-cropped head, deep wrinkles, scowling brows over brown-green, dull eyes, and a red, over-hanging nose. —
安德烈亲王走进一间朴素整洁的书房，看到桌前坐着一位四十多岁的男子，高个子，留着短短的头发，深深的皱纹，压在褐绿色的沉闷眼睛上的眉毛紧锁着，一张红色的鼻子向下垂。 —

Araktcheev turned his head towards him, without looking at him.
阿拉奇切夫转过头来，没有看向他。

“What is it you are petitioning for?” asked Araktcheev.
“你有什么事情要请愿？”阿拉奇切夫问道。

“There is nothing that I am…petitioning for, your excellency,” Prince Andrey pronounced softly. —
安德烈亲王轻声说道：“阁下，我并没有…请愿。” —

Araktcheev’s eyes turned to him.
阿拉奇切夫的目光转向了他。

“Sit down,” said Araktcheev. “Prince Bolkonsky?”
“请坐下。”阿拉奇切夫说道，“博尔孔斯基亲王？”

“I have no petition to make, but his majesty the Tsar has graciously sent to your excellency a note submitted by me—”
“我没有什么要请愿的，但是沙皇陛下亲切地将我提交的一份备忘送给了阁下…”

“Be so good as to see, my dear sir; I have read your note,” Araktcheev interrupted, uttering only the first words civilly, again looking away from him, and relapsing more and more into a tone of grumbling contempt. —
“请您好心看看，亲爱的先生；我已经读了您的便条。”阿拉切耶夫插话说，只有开头几个词跟他客气，然后再次移开目光，一直以咕哝的轻蔑语气说话。 —

“Is it new army regulations you propose? There are regulations in plenty; —
“您是打算提出新的军事规章吗？现在规章多得很； —

no one will carry out the old ones. Nowadays every one’s drawing up regulations; —
没人遵守旧的规定。如今每个人都在制定规章； —

it’s easier writing than doing.”
撰写规章比执行起来容易得多。”

“I have come by the desire of his majesty the Tsar to learn from your excellency how you propose to deal with my project,” said Prince Andrey courteously.
“我是应皇帝陛下的意愿来向阁下请教，您打算如何处理我的方案。”安德烈亲王礼貌地说道。

“I have proposed a resolution in regard to your note, and have forwarded it to the committee. —
“我已经就您的便条提出一项决议，并将其转交给委员会。 —

I do not approve,” said Araktcheev, getting up and taking a paper out of the writing-table. —
我不赞同，”阿拉切耶夫说着站起来，从写字台上拿出一张纸。 —

“Here.” He gave it to Prince Andrey. —
“给你。”他把它递给了安德烈王子。 —

Right across the note had been scrawled, without punctuation or capital letters and with words misspelt: —
便签的另一面写着，没有使用标点符号或大写字母，单词也拼写错误： —

“Superficially compiled seeing that it’s drawn up in imitation of the French army regulations and needlessly departing from the standing orders.”
“表面编制，仿效法国军队规章制度，离开现行军令而不必要。”

“To what committee has the note been referred?” asked Prince Andrey.
“这个便签已经提交给了哪个委员会？”安德烈王子问道。

“To the Committee on Army Regulations, and I have proposed your honour being enrolled among its members. —
“提交给了军队规章委员会，我已经提议将贵 爵 登记为其成员。 —

Only without salary.”
只是没有薪水。”

Prince Andrey smiled.
安德烈王子微笑了。

“I am not seeking a salary.”
“我不寻求薪水。”

“A member without salary,” repeated Araktcheev. “I wish you good day. Hey! —
“一个没有薪水的成员。” 阿拉奇克夫重复道。“祝你好运。嘿！喊一下！下一个是谁？”他向安德烈王子鞠了一躬。 —

call! who’s the next?” he shouted, as he bowed to Prince Andrey.
请将哪个人叫出来！他大声喊道，同时向安德烈王子弯腰行礼。