Book Three: 1805 - Chapter XIX

by Leo Tolstoy

　　On the Pratzen Heights, where he had fallen with the flagstaff inhis hand, lay Prince Andrew Bolkonski bleeding profusely andunconsciously uttering a gentle, piteous, and childlike moan.

　　Toward evening he ceased moaning and became quite still. He didnot know how long his unconsciousness lasted. Suddenly he again feltthat he was alive and suffering from a burning, lacerating pain in hishead.

　　"Where is it, that lofty sky that I did not know till now, but sawtoday?" was his first thought. "And I did not know this sufferingeither," he thought. "Yes, I did not know anything, anything at alltill now. But where am I?"

　　He listened and heard the sound of approaching horses, and voicesspeaking French. He opened his eyes. Above him again was the samelofty sky with clouds that had risen and were floating still higher,and between them gleamed blue infinity. He did not turn his head anddid not see those who, judging by the sound of hoofs and voices, hadridden up and stopped near him.

　　It was Napoleon accompanied by two aides-de-camp. Bonaparte ridingover the battlefield had given final orders to strengthen thebatteries firing at the Augesd Dam and was looking at the killed andwounded left on the field.

　　"Fine men!" remarked Napoleon, looking at a dead Russiangrenadier, who, with his face buried in the ground and a blackenednape, lay on his stomach with an already stiffened arm flung wide.

　　"The ammunition for the guns in position is exhausted, YourMajesty," said an adjutant who had come from the batteries that werefiring at Augesd.

　　"Have some brought from the reserve," said Napoleon, and having goneon a few steps he stopped before Prince Andrew, who lay on his backwith the flagstaff that had been dropped beside him. (The flag hadalready been taken by the French as a trophy.)

　　"That's a fine death!" said Napoleon as he gazed at Bolkonski.

　　Prince Andrew understood that this was said of him and that it wasNapoleon who said it. He heard the speaker addressed as Sire. But heheard the words as he might have heard the buzzing of a fly. Notonly did they not interest him, but he took no notice of them and atonce forgot them. His head was burning, he felt himself bleeding todeath, and he saw above him the remote, lofty, and everlasting sky. Heknew it was Napoleon- his hero- but at that moment Napoleon seemedto him such a small, insignificant creature compared with what waspassing now between himself and that lofty infinite sky with theclouds flying over it. At that moment it meant nothing to him whomight be standing over him, or what was said of him; he was onlyglad that people were standing near him and only wished that theywould help him and bring him back to life, which seemed to him sobeautiful now that he had today learned to understand it sodifferently. He collected all his strength, to stir and utter a sound.He feebly moved his leg and uttered a weak, sickly groan which arousedhis own pity.

　　"Ah! He is alive," said Napoleon. "Lift this young man up andcarry him to the dressing station."

　　Having said this, Napoleon rode on to meet Marshal Lannes, who,hat in hand, rode up smiling to the Emperor to congratulate him on thevictory.

　　Prince Andrew remembered nothing more: he lost consciousness fromthe terrible pain of being lifted onto the stretcher, the joltingwhile being moved, and the probing of his wound at the dressingstation. He did not regain consciousness till late in the day, whenwith other wounded and captured Russian officers he was carried to thehospital. During this transfer he felt a little stronger and wasable to look about him and even speak.

　　The first words he heard on coming to his senses were those of aFrench convoy officer, who said rapidly: "We must halt here: theEmperor will pass here immediately; it will please him to see thesegentlemen prisoners."

　　"There are so many prisoners today, nearly the whole Russian army,that he is probably tired of them," said another officer.

　　"All the same! They say this one is the commander of all the EmperorAlexander's Guards," said the first one, indicating a Russianofficer in the white uniform of the Horse Guards.

　　Bolkonski recognized Prince Repnin whom he had met in Petersburgsociety. Beside him stood a lad of nineteen, also a wounded officer ofthe Horse Guards.

　　Bonaparte, having come up at a gallop, stopped his horse.

　　"Which is the senior?" he asked, on seeing the prisoners.

　　They named the colonel, Prince Repnin.

　　"You are the commander of the Emperor Alexander's regiment ofHorse Guards?" asked Napoleon.

　　"I commanded a squadron," replied Repnin.

　　"Your regiment fulfilled its duty honorably," said Napoleon.

　　"The praise of a great commander is a soldier's highest reward,"said Repnin.

　　"I bestow it with pleasure," said Napoleon. "And who is that youngman beside you?"

　　Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtelen.

　　After looking at him Napoleon smiled.

　　"He's very young to come to meddle with us."

　　"Youth is no hindrance to courage," muttered Sukhtelen in afailing voice.

　　"A splendid reply!" said Napoleon. "Young man, you will go far!"

　　Prince Andrew, who had also been brought forward before theEmperor's eyes to complete the show of prisoners, could not fail toattract his attention. Napoleon apparently remembered seeing him onthe battlefield and, addressing him, again used the epithet "youngman" that was connected in his memory with Prince Andrew.

　　"Well, and you, young man," said he. "How do you feel, mon brave?"

　　Though five minutes before, Prince Andrew had been able to say a fewwords to the soldiers who were carrying him, now with his eyes fixedstraight on Napoleon, he was silent.... So insignificant at thatmoment seemed to him all the interests that engrossed Napoleon, somean did his hero himself with his paltry vanity and joy in victoryappear, compared to the lofty, equitable, and kindly sky which hehad seen and understood, that he could not answer him.

　　Everything seemed so futile and insignificant in comparison with thestern and solemn train of thought that weakness from loss of blood,suffering, and the nearness of death aroused in him. Looking intoNapoleon's eyes Prince Andrew thought of the insignificance ofgreatness, the unimportance of life which no one could understand, andthe still greater unimportance of death, the meaning of which no onealive could understand or explain.

　　The Emperor without waiting for an answer turned away and said toone of the officers as he went: "Have these gentlemen attended toand taken to my bivouac; let my doctor, Larrey, examine theirwounds. Au revoir, Prince Repnin!" and he spurred his horse andgalloped away.

　　His face shone with self-satisfaction and pleasure.

　　The soldiers who had carried Prince Andrew had noticed and taken thelittle gold icon Princess Mary had hung round her brother's neck,but seeing the favor the Emperor showed the prisoners, they nowhastened to return the holy image.

　　Prince Andrew did not see how and by whom it was replaced, but thelittle icon with its thin gold chain suddenly appeared upon hischest outside his uniform.

　　"It would be good," thought Prince Andrew, glancing at the iconhis sister had hung round his neck with such emotion and reverence,"it would be good if everything were as clear and simple as it seemsto Mary. How good it would be to know where to seek for help in thislife, and what to expect after it beyond the grave! How happy and calmI should be if I could now say: 'Lord, have mercy on me!'... But towhom should I say that? Either to a Power indefinable,incomprehensible, which I not only cannot address but which I cannoteven express in words- the Great All or Nothing-" said he tohimself, "or to that God who has been sewn into this amulet by Mary!There is nothing certain, nothing at all except the unimportance ofeverything I understand, and the greatness of somethingincomprehensible but all-important.

　　The stretchers moved on. At every jolt he again felt unendurablepain; his feverishness increased and he grew delirious. Visions of hisfather, wife, sister, and future son, and the tenderness he had feltthe night before the battle, the figure of the insignificant littleNapoleon, and above all this the lofty sky, formed the chiefsubjects of his delirious fancies.

　　The quiet home life and peaceful happiness of Bald Hills presenteditself to him. He was already enjoying that happiness when that littleNapoleon had suddenly appeared with his unsympathizing look ofshortsighted delight at the misery of others, and doubts andtorments had followed, and only the heavens promised peace. Towardmorning all these dreams melted and merged into the chaos and darknessof unconciousness and oblivion which in the opinion of Napoleon'sdoctor, Larrey, was much more likely to end in death than inconvalescence.

　　"He is a nervous, bilious subject," said Larrey, "and will notrecover."

　　And Prince Andrew, with others fatally wounded, was left to the careof the inhabitants of the district.