IN THE HIGHER CIRCLES in Petersburg the intricate conflict between the parties of Rumyantsev, of the French, of Marya Fyodorovna, of the Tsarevitch, and the rest was going on all this time with more heat than ever, drowned, as always, by the buzzing of the court drones. —
在彼得堡的上层圈子里，随时都有充满激烈冲突的情况发生，涉及到卢米扬采夫派、法国派、玛丽亚·费奥多罗夫娜派、沙皇太子派等各方，这一切都被宫廷野蜂的嗡嗡声所淹没。 —

But the easy, luxurious life of Petersburg, troubled only about phantasms, the reflection of life, went on its old way; —
但彼得堡的舒适奢华生活却只是关心幻影，生活的反映照旧继续着； —

and the course of that life made it a difficult task to believe in the danger and the difficult position of the Russian people. —
而这种生活的进程使人们很难相信俄罗斯人民所面临的危险和困境。 —

There were the same levees and balls, the same French theatre, the same court interests, the same interests and intrigues in the government service. —
有着相同的觐见活动和舞会，相同的法国剧院，相同的宫廷利益，相同的政府服务中的利益和阴谋。 —

It was only in the very highest circles that efforts were made to recollect the difficulty of the real position. —
在最高层的圈子里才有人努力回想真实位置的困难。 —

There was whispered gossip of how the two Empresses had acted in opposition to one another in these difficult circumstances. —
在这些困境中，人们窃窃私语地议论着两位女皇之间的对立行动。 —

The Empress Marya Fyodorovna, anxious for the welfare of the benevolent and educational institutions under her patronage, had arrangements made for the removal of all the institutes to Kazan, and all the belongings of these establishments were already packed. —
玛丽亚·费奥多罗夫娜女皇为了她赞助的仁爱和教育机构的福祉，已经安排将所有机构迁至喀山，这些机构的所有财物已经打包好准备。 —

The Empress Elizaveta Alexyevna on being asked what commands she was graciously pleased to give, had been pleased to reply that in regard to state matters she could give no commands, since that was all in the Tsar’s hands; —
伊丽莎白·阿列克谢耶芙娜女皇在被询问她亲切愿意下达的指令时，慈悲地回答说对于政治事务她不能下达任何指令，因为这一切都在沙皇的手中； —

as far as she personally was concerned, she had graciously declared, with her characteristic Russian patriotism, that she would be the last to leave Petersburg.
就她个人而言，她亲切地表示，她将是最后离开彼得堡的，体现了她典型的俄罗斯爱国主义。

On the 26th of August, the very day of the battle of Borodino, there was a soirée at Anna Pavlovna’s, the chief attraction of which was to be the reading of the Metropolitan’s letter, written on the occasion of his sending to the Tsar the holy picture of Saint Sergey. —
在8月26日，也就是沃尔科洛沙战役的当天，在安娜·巴甫洛夫娜的家里举行了一场晚会，最吸引人的是阅读大教主在送给沙皇圣谢尔盖圣像的时候写的信。 —

This letter was looked upon as a model of patriotic ecclesiastical eloquence. —
这封信被看作是爱国的宗教修辞的典范。 —

It was to be read by Prince Vassily himself, who was famed for his fine elocution. —
这篇文章应该由以修辞动作出类拔萃而闻名的瓦西里亲王亲自朗读。 —

(He used even to read aloud in the Empress’s drawing-room. —
(他甚至在女皇媛的客厅里大声朗读。 —

) The beauty of his elocution was supposed to lie in the loud, resonant voice, varying between a despairing howl and a tender whine, in which he rolled off the words quite independently of the sense, so that a howl fell on one word and a whine on others quite at random. —
他的修辞之美被认为在于高亢有力的声音，介于绝望的嚎叫和温柔的呜咽之间，他演绎出的词语完全脱离了意义，以至于有时候一声嚎叫落在一个词上，而另一些词却是一声呜咽。 —

This reading, as was always the case with Anna Pavlovna’s entertainments, had a political significance. —
正如安娜·巴甫洛夫娜娱乐活动的常态，这次阅读也具有政治意义。 —

She was expecting at this soirée several important personages who were to be made to feel ashamed of patronising the French theatre, and to be roused to patriotic fervour. —
她在这个晚会上期待着几位重要人物，他们将因为支持法国剧院而感到羞愧，并被唤醒爱国热情。 —

A good many people had already arrived, but Anna Pavlovna did not yet see those persons whose presence in her drawing-room was necessary, and she was therefore starting general topics of conversation before proceeding to the reading.
很多人已经到达，但安娜·巴甫洛夫娜还没有见到那些必要的人物，所以她开始提出一般性的话题来引出阅读。

The news of the day in Petersburg was the illness of Countess Bezuhov. —
彼得堡的时事新闻是贝祖霍夫伯爵夫人生病了。 —

The countess had been taken ill a few days previously; —
几天前，伯爵夫人病倒了； —

she had missed several entertainments, of which she was usually the ornament, and it was said that she was seeing no one, and that instead of the celebrated Petersburg physicians, who usually attended her, she had put herself into the hands of some Italian doctor, who was treating her on some new and extraordinary method.
她错过了几场招待会，而她通常是这些活动的亮点。据说她见不到任何人，而且她没有像通常那样请来赫赫有名的彼得堡医生，而是交给了一位意大利医生，接受一种新的、非同寻常的治疗。

Everybody was very well aware that the charming countess’s illness was due to inconveniences arising from marrying two husbands at once, and that the Italian doctor’s treatment consisted in the removal of such inconvenience. —
每个人都非常清楚，迷人的伯爵夫人的病是由于同时与两个丈夫结婚而引起的不便；而那位意大利医生的治疗方法就是消除这种不便。 —

But in the presence of Anna Pavlovna no one ventured to think about that view of the question, or even, as it were, to know what they did know about it.
但在安娜·巴甫洛夫娜在场时，没有人敢考虑这个问题的观点，或者说，他们就好像不知道这个问题。

“They say the poor countess is very ill. The doctor says it is angina pectoris.”
“听说可怜的伯爵夫人病得很重。医生说是心绞痛。”

“Angine? Oh, that’s a terrible illness.”
“心绞痛？噢，那可是一种可怕的病。”

“They say the rivals are reconciled, thanks to the angine…” The word angine was repeated with great relish.
“据说对手已经和解了，多亏了安金…”这个词被反复强调着。

“I am told the old count is touching. He cried like a child when the doctor told him there was danger.”
“听说老伯爵感人至深。当医生告诉他有危险时，他像个孩子般哭了起来。”

“Oh, it would be a terrible loss. She is a fascinating woman.”
“哦，这将是一个可怕的损失。她是一个迷人的女人。”

“You speak of the poor countess,” said Anna Pavlovna, coming up. “I sent to inquire after her. —
“你们在谈论可怜的伯爵夫人吗？”安娜·巴甫洛芙娜走了过来。“我派人问候她。 —

I was told she was getting better. Oh, no doubt of it, she is the most charming woman in the world,” said Anna Pavlovna, with a smile at her own enthusiasm. —
有人告诉我她正在好转。哦，毫无疑问，她是世界上最迷人的女人，“安娜·巴甫洛芙娜自鸣得意地笑了笑。 —

“We belong to different camps, but that does not prevent me from appreciating her as she deserves. —
“我们属于不同的阵营，但这并不妨碍我对她的欣赏。 —

She is very unhappy,” added Anna Pavlovna.
她非常不幸，“安娜·巴甫洛芙娜补充道。

Supposing that by these last words Anna Pavlovna had slightly lifted the veil of mystery that hung over the countess’s illness, one unwary young man permitted himself to express surprise that no well-known doctor had been called in, and that the countess should be treated by a charlatan, who might make use of dangerous remedies.
安娜·巴甫洛芙娜稍微揭开了伯爵夫人疾病的神秘面纱，这引起了一个单纯的年轻人的惊讶。他表示惊讶为什么没有请来知名医生，而是由一个江湖郎中来治疗伯爵夫人，他可能使用危险的疗法。

“Your information may be better than mine,” cried Anna Pavlovna, falling upon the inexperienced youth with sudden viciousness, “but I have it on good authority that this doctor is a very learned and skilful man. —
“你的消息可能比我的更准确，”安娜·巴甫洛芙娜突然地对这个没有经验的年轻人发起了攻击，“但我从可靠的消息来源那里得知，这位医生是非常有学识和技术的人。 —

He is the private physician of the Queen of Spain.”
他是西班牙王后的私人医生。”

And having thus annihilated the young man, Anna Pavlovna turned to Bilibin, who was talking in another group about the Austrians, and had his forehead puckered up in wrinkles in readiness to utter un mot.
安娜·巴甫洛芙娜灭绝了这个年轻人后，转向了比利宾，他正在另一个小组谈论奥地利人，额头紧皱准备说几句话。

“I think it is charming!” he was saying of the diplomatic note which had been sent to Vienna with the Austrian flags taken by Wittgenstein, “le héros de Pétropol,” as he was called at Petersburg.
“我觉得这太有魅力了！”他正被称为“圣彼得堡的英雄”的匈牙利人所称赞的外交照会，“Pétropol的英雄”比利宾说。

“What? what was it?” Anna Pavlovna inquired, creating a silence for the mot to be heard, though she had in fact heard it before.
“什么？什么事？”安娜·巴甫洛芙娜问道，为了听到这句话，她故意营造了一场寂静，实际上她早就听过这句话。

And Bilibin repeated the precise words of the diplomatic despatch he had composed.
比利宾重复了他撰写的外交公文的准确措辞。

“The Emperor sends back the Austrian flags,” said Bilibin; —
“皇帝将奥地利的旗帜送回去了，”比利宾说道。 —

“drapeaux amis et égarés qu’il a trouvés hors de la route,” Bilibin concluded, letting the wrinkles run off his forehead.
“他通过皱纹从额头上消失了。”毕利宾总结道。

“Charming, charming!” said Prince Vassily.
“迷人，迷人！”瓦西里亲王说。

“The road to Warsaw, perhaps,” Prince Ippolit said loudly, to the general surprise. —
“也许是通往华沙的路，”伊波利特亲王大声说道，以引起众人的惊讶。 —

Everybody looked at him, at a loss to guess what he meant. —
大家都看着他，不知道他是什么意思。 —

Prince Ippolit, too, looked about him with light-hearted wonder. —
伊波利特亲王也带着轻松好奇的眼神四处看着。 —

He had no more notion than other people what was meant by his words. —
他和其他人一样，对他的话的意思一无所知。 —

In the course of his diplomatic career he had more than once noticed that words suddenly uttered in that way were accepted as highly diverting, and on every occasion he uttered in that way the first words that chanced to come to his tongue. —
在他的外交生涯中，他曾多次注意到以这种方式突然说出的话语被接受为高度有趣，并且在每个场合，他都会以这种方式发表他遇到的第一句话。 —

“May be, it will come out all right,” he thought, “and if it doesn’t, they will know how to give some turn to it. —
“也许，一切都会好起来，”他想，“如果不行，他们将会知道如何处理。 —

” And the awkward silence that reigned was in fact broken by the entrance of the personage of defective patriotism whom Anna Pavlovna was waiting for to convert to a better mind; —
”而沉默的尴尬实际上被那位抱有有缺陷爱国主义的人物的进场打破了，安娜·帕夫洛芙娜一直在等待他转变思想； —

and smiling, and shaking her finger at Prince Ippolit, she summoned Prince Vassily to the table, and setting two candles and a manuscript before him, she begged him to begin. —
她微笑着，摇着手指指着伊波利特亲王，召唤瓦西里亲王到桌子旁，摆上两支蜡烛和一份手稿，请求他开始。 —

There was a general hush.
全场鸦雀无声。

“Most high and gracious Emperor and Tsar! —
“至高无上和仁慈的君主和皇帝！ —

” Prince Vassily boomed out sternly, and he looked round at his audience as though to inquire whether any one had anything to say against that. —
”瓦西里亲王严厉地喊道，并环顾四周，好像在询问是否有人对此有意见。 —

But nobody said anything. “The chief capital city, Moscow, the New Jerusalem, receives her Messiah”—he threw a sudden emphasis on the “her”—“even as a mother in the embraces of her zealous sons, and through the gathering darkness, foreseeing the dazzling glory of thy dominion, sings aloud in triumph: —
但是没人说什么。“首都，莫斯科，新的耶路撒冷，接纳了她的弥赛亚”–他在“她”这个词上突然加重了语气–“就像一个母亲被她热情洋溢的儿子们拥抱着，在黑暗中预见到你统治的耀眼荣光，高声欢呼： —

‘Hosanna! Blessed be He that cometh!”’
“和散那！那来的应当受赞美！”

Prince Vassily uttered these last words in a tearful voice.
佛拉基米尔·瓦西里以哭泣的声音说出这些最后的话。

Bilibin scrutinised his nails attentively, and many of the audience were visibly cowed, as though wondering what they had done wrong. —
比利宾专注地检查着自己的指甲，许多观众明显畏缩，好像在想自己做错了什么。 —

Anna Pavlovna murmured the words over beforehand, as old women whisper the prayer to come at communion: —
安娜·巴甫洛夫娜提前默念着这些话，就像老妇人在领圣餐时低声祈祷： —

“Let the base and insolent Goliath…” she whispered.
“让卑鄙和傲慢的歌利亚…”她低声说着。

Prince Vassily continued:
佛拉基米尔·瓦西里继续说道：

“Let the base and insolent Goliath from the borders of France encompass the realm of Russia with the horrors of death; —
“让来自法国边境的卑鄙和傲慢的歌利亚，给俄罗斯王国带来死亡的恐怖； —

lowly faith, the sling of the Russian David, shall smite a swift blow at the head of his pride that thirsteth for blood. —
虔诚的信仰，作为俄罗斯大卫的投石索，将砍下渴望鲜血的他傲慢头颅。 —

This holy image of the most venerable Saint Sergey, of old a zealous champion of our country’s welfare, is borne to your imperial majesty. —
这个圣者谢尔盖最尊贵的圣像，曾经是我们国家幸福的热心捍卫者，现在奉献给了您的皇家陛下。 —

I grieve that my failing strength hinders me from the joy of your most gracious presence. —
我为自己力不从心而感到悲伤，无法欣赏您最宽宏的肌体， —

Fervent prayers I am offering up to Heaven, and the Almighty will exalt the faithful and fulfil in His mercy the hopes of your majesty.”
我正在向天堂献上发自肺腑的祈祷，全能者将提升忠诚并以他的怜悯实现您陛下的希望。”

“Quel force! Quel style!” was murmured in applause of the reader and the author. —
“Quel force！Quel style！”这位朗读者和作者赢得了掌声和称赞。 —

Roused by this appeal, Anna Pavlovna’s guests continued for a long while talking of the position of the country, and made various surmises as to the issue of the battle to be fought in a few days.
安娜·巴甫洛夫娜的客人们因此呼应起来，长时间讨论着国家的局势，并对接下来几天的战斗结果进行各种猜测。

“You will see,” said Anna Pavlovna, “that to-morrow on the Emperor’s birthday we shall get news. —
“你会看到的，”安娜·巴甫洛夫娜说，”明天是皇帝的生日，我们将会得到消息。 —

I have a presentiment of something good.”
我有一种预感，会有好事发生。”