ON THE 28TH of May Napoleon left Dresden, where he had been spending three weeks surrounded by a court that included princes, dukes, kings, and even one emperor. —
5月28日，拿破仑离开了德累斯顿，在那里他度过了三个星期，被由王子、公爵、国王甚至皇帝组成的宫廷包围着。 —

Before his departure, Napoleon took a gracious leave of the princes, kings, and emperor deserving of his favour, and sternly upbraided the kings and princes with whom he was displeased. —
在离开之前，拿破仑向王子、国王和皇帝告别，这些人都曾得到他的青睐，同时他也严厉责备了那些令他不悦的国王和王子。 —

He made a present of his own diamonds and pearls— those, that is, that he had taken from other kings—to the Empress of Austria. —
他把自己从其他国王那里夺来的钻石和珍珠赠送给奥地利女皇。 —

He tenderly embraced the Empress Marie Louise—who considered herself his wife, though he had another wife still living in Paris— and left her, so his historian relates, deeply distressed and hardly able to support the separation. —
他亲热地拥抱了马丽·路易丝女皇，尽管她将自己视为他的妻子，尽管他在巴黎还有另外一位妻子，据他的历史学家所述，他离开时，她非常伤心，几乎无法承受这种分离。 —

Although diplomatists still firmly believed in the possibility of peace, and were zealously working with that object, although the Emperor Napoleon, with his own hand, wrote a letter to the Emperor Alexander calling him “Monsieur mon frère,” and assuring him with sincerity that he had no desire of war, and would always love and honour him, he set off to join the army, and at every station gave fresh commands, hastening the progress of his army from west to east. —
虽然外交官仍坚信和平的可能性，并怀着这个目标积极工作，虽然拿破仑皇帝亲自写信给亚历山大皇帝，称他为”兄弟先生”，真诚地向他保证自己并不渴望战争，而且将永远爱戴和尊重他。然而他还是动身参加了军队，并在每个驿站下令，加快了军队从西向东的进程。 —

He drove a travelling carriage, drawn by six horses and surrounded by pages, adjutants, and an armed escort, along the route by Posen, Thorn, Danzig, and K? —
他乘坐一辆由六匹马拉的旅行马车，周围是侍从、副官和武装护卫，沿着波森、托恩、但泽和克尼斯伯格的路线前进。在这些城镇，成千上万的人热情而惧怕地欢迎着他。 —

nigsberg. In each of these towns he was welcomed with enthusiasm and trepidation by thousands of people.
军队正从西向东移动，而他被不断更换的六匹马车所带动，紧随其后。

The army was moving from west to east, and he was driven after it by continual relays of six horses. —
6月10日，他追上了军队，夜宿在维尔科维克森林中，住在一位波兰伯爵的财产上为他准备的住所里。 —

On the 10th of June he overtook the army and spent the night in the Vilkovik forest, in quarters prepared for him on the property of a Polish count.

The following day Napoleon drove on ahead of the army, reached the Niemen, put on a Polish uniform in order to inspect the crossing of the river, and rode out on the river bank.
第二天，拿破仑在军队前面驾车前行，到达涅曼河，穿上了波兰军装，以便检查过河情况，然后沿着河岸骑马出行。

When he saw the Cossacks posted on the further bank and the expanse of the steppes—in the midst of which, far away, was the holy city, Moscow, capital of an empire, like the Scythian empire invaded by Alexander of Macedon—Napoleon surprised the diplomatists and contravened all rules of strategy by ordering an immediate advance, and his troops began crossing the Niemen next day.
当他看到哥萨克人驻扎在对岸以及广袤无垠的大草原时，他下令立即前进，违反了所有战略规则，惊讶了外交家们。那里远处是神圣之城，帝国的首都，莫斯科，就像斯基泰帝国被亚历山大大帝攻打一样。他的军队于第二天开始渡过涅曼河。

Early on the morning of the 12th of June he came out of his tent, which had been pitched that day on the steep left bank of the Niemen, and looked through a field-glass at his troops pouring out of the Vilkovik forest, and dividing into three streams at the three bridges across the river. —
6月12日清晨，他从帐篷中走出来，帐篷当天搭建在涅曼河陡峭的左岸，通过望远镜观察着他的军队从维尔科维克森林中涌出，并在河上的三座桥上分为三股。 —

The troops knew of the Emperor’s presence, and were on the lookout for him. —
军队知道皇帝的存在，并在寻找他的踪迹。 —

When they caught sight of his figure in his greatcoat and hat standing apart from his suite in front of his tent on the hill opposite, they threw up their caps and shouted, “Vive l’Empereur! —
当他们看到他穿着大衣和帽子站在他帐篷前面的山上，与他的随从分开时，他们举起帽子喊道：“为皇帝万岁！” —

” And one regiment after another, in a continuous stream, flowed out of the immense forest that had concealed them, and split up to cross the river by the three bridges. —
接着一个又一个团队蜂拥而出，从掩藏它们的巨大森林中流传出来，分成三队通过河流的桥梁。 —

“We shall make some way this time. Oh, when he takes a hand himself things begin to get warm! —
“这回我们会取得一些进展的。哦，当他亲自出手的时候，事情开始变得火热起来了！” —

…Name of God!… There he is!… Hurrah for the Emperor! So those are the Steppes of Asia! —
”…天啊！…他在那里！…为皇帝欢呼！那就是亚洲的草原吗！” —

A nasty country it is, though. Good-bye, Beauché; I’ll keep the finest palace in Moscow for you. —
不过是一个讨厌的国家。再见了，波谢！我会给你留下莫斯科最好的宫殿。 —

Good-bye! good-luck!… Have you seen the Emperor? Hurrah for the Emperor! —
再见！祝你好运！…你见到皇帝了吗？为皇帝欢呼！ —

If they make me Governor of the Indies, Gérard, I’ll make you Minister of Cashmere, that’s settled. Hurrah for the Emperor! —
如果他们让我成为印度的总督，杰拉尔，我会让你成为克什米尔的部长，这是决定了。为皇帝欢呼！ —

Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! The rascally Cossacks, how they are running. Hurrah for the Emperor! —
好啊！好啊！该死的哥萨克人，他们是如何逃跑的。为皇帝欢呼！ —

There he is! Do you see him? I have seen him twice as I am seeing you. —
看，他在那里！你能看到他吗？我已经见过他两次，就像我见到你一样。 —

The little corporal…I saw him give the cross to one of the veterans.…Hurrah for the emperor! —
小团长……我见他把十字架给了一位老兵……为皇帝欢呼！ —

” Such was the talk of old men and young, of the most diverse characters and positions in society. —
“这是老年人和年轻人的谈话，涉及社会各个不同背景和地位的人。 —

All the faces of those men wore one common expression of joy at the commencement of a long-expected campaign, and enthusiasm and devotion to the man in the grey coat standing on the hill opposite.
所有这些人的面孔上都带着一种共同的喜悦表情，为期待已久的战役的开始而欢欣鼓舞，对站在对面山上的身着灰色大衣的人充满热情和奉献。

On the 13th of June Napoleon mounted a small thoroughbred Arab horse and galloped towards one of the bridges over the Niemen, deafened all the while by shouts of enthusiasm, which he obviously endured simply because they could not be prevented from expressing in such shouts their love for him. —
6月13日，拿破仑骑着一匹纯种阿拉伯马奔向涅曼河上的一座桥，一路上被欢呼声所包围，显然他只是无法阻止人们用这些欢呼声来表达他们对他的爱。 —

But those shouts, invariably accompanying him everywhere, wearied him and hindered his attending to the military problems which beset him from the time he joined the army. —
但是这些经常随处陪伴着他的呼喊声使他厌倦了，并妨碍了他解决在参军后围绕他的军事问题。 —

He rode over a swaying bridge of boats to the other side of the river, turned sharply to the left, and galloped in the direction of Kovno, preceded by horse guards, who were breathless with delight and enthusiasm, as they cleared the way before him. —
他骑过一座摇摆的船桥，来到河对岸，急转向左，骑着马冲向科夫诺，他的前面有骑兵卫队，他们喜悦而热情地喘着气，开辟出一条道路。 —

On reaching the broad river Niemen, he pulled up beside a regiment of Polish Uhlans on the bank.
到达宽广的涅门河岸边，他停在一支波兰乌拉圭兰斯骑兵团旁。

“Vive l’Empereur!” the Poles shouted with the same enthusiasm, breaking their line and squeezing against each other to get a view of him. —
“拿破仑万岁！”波兰人高喊着，同样热情洋溢，他们连成一线挤在一起，想要看到他。 —

Napoleon looked up and down the river, got off his horse, and sat down on a log that lay on the bank. —
拿破仑抬头望了望河的上下游，下马坐在河岸的一根原木上。 —

At a mute sign from him, they handed him the field-glass. —
他用手示意，他们递给他望远镜。 —

He propped it on the back of a page who ran up delighted. —
他把望远镜靠在一个来到他面前高兴的侍从的后背上。 —

He began looking at the other side, then, with absorbed attention, scrutinised the map that was unfolded on the logs. —
他开始看对岸，然后专注地仔细查看展开在原木上的地图。 —

Without raising his head he said something, and two of his adjutants galloped off to the Polish Uhlans.
他并未抬头，说了些什么，两名副官骑兵飞快地奔回了那支波兰乌拉圭兰斯骑兵。

“What? what did he say?” was heard in the ranks of the Polish Uhlans as an adjutant galloped up to them. —
“什么？他说了什么？”波兰乌兰兵团里传出了这样的声音，一名副官骑马冲上前来。 —

They were commanded to look for a fording-place and to cross to the other side. —
他们被命令寻找渡口并过河到对岸。 —

The colonel of the Polish Uhlans, a handsome old man, flushing red and stammering from excitement, asked the adjutant whether he would be permitted to swim across the river with his men instead of seeking for a ford. —
波兰乌兰兵团的团长，一位相貌英俊的老人，激动得脸红脖子粗地结结巴巴地问副官，是否允许他带领士兵游泳过河，而不是寻找渡口。 —

In obvious dread of a refusal, like a boy asking permission to get on a horse, he asked to be allowed to swim across the river before the Emperor’s eyes. —
显然是担心遭到拒绝，就像一个男孩请求骑马的许可一样，他请求在皇帝面前被允许游泳过河。 —

The adjutant replied that probably the Emperor would not be displeased at this excess of zeal.
副官回答说，皇帝可能不会对这种过分的热情感到不悦。

No sooner had the adjutant said this than the old whiskered officer, with happy face and sparkling eyes, brandished his sabre in the air shouting “Vive l’Empereur! —
副官刚说完这句话，那位留着胡子的老军官立刻高兴地挥舞着军刀，眼睛闪闪发光地大喊“为皇帝乾杯！”，并命令士兵们跟着他，他鞭策着马奔向河边。 —

” and commanding his men to follow him, he set spurs to his horse and galloped down to the river. —
“Vive l’Empereur！”他大喊一声，率领士兵紧随其后，策马奔向河流。 —

He gave a vicious thrust to his horse, that floundered under him, and plunged into the water, making for the most rapid part of the current. —
他狠狠地一挥鞭子，马儿蹒跚着跌入水中，向着水流最急的地方奔去。 —

Hundreds of Uhlans galloped in after him. —
数百名乌兰骑兵紧随其后。 —

It was cold and dangerous in the middle in the rapid current. —
水流湍急的中间区域寒冷而充满危险。 —

The Uhlans clung to one another, falling off their horses. —
乌兰骑兵紧紧依靠在一起，从马背上掉落下来。 —

Some of the horses were drowned, some, too, of the men; —
一些马匹淹死了，还有一些人也相同命运； —

the others struggled to swim across, some in the saddle, others clinging to their horse’s manes. —
其他人拼命游泳渡过河流，有些骑在马鞍上，有些则抓住马鬃。 —

They tried to swim straight across, and although there was a ford half a verst away they were proud to be swimming and drowning in the river before the eyes of that man sitting on the log and not even looking at what they were doing. —
他们试图直接横渡，尽管半站远处有浅水点，但他们自豪地选择在那个坐在原木上甚至不看他们的人眼前在河里游泳和溺水。 —

When the adjutant, on going back, chose a favourable moment and ventured to call the Emperor’s attention to the devotion of the Poles to his person, the little man in the grey overcoat got up, and summoning Berthier, he began walking up and down the bank with him, giving him instructions, and casting now and then a glance of displeasure at the drowning Uhlans who had interrupted his thoughts.
当副官在返回时选择了一个合适的时机，冒险提醒皇帝波兰人对他的忠诚，身着灰色外套的小个子站起来，召集贝尔蒂埃，与他一起在河岸上走动，给他指示，并不时投去不悦的目光，对打断了他思绪的溺毙乌兰人表示不满。

It was no new conviction for him that his presence in any quarter of the earth, from Africa to the steppes of Moscow, was enough to impress men and impel them to senseless acts of self-sacrifice. —
他深信自己无论身在何处，从非洲到莫斯科的大草原，他的存在都足以给人们留下深刻印象，并驱使他们做出无意义的自我牺牲行为。 —

He sent for his horse and rode back to his bivouac.
他召来了他的马，骑回了他的营地。

Forty Uhlans were drowned in the river in spite of the boats sent to their assistance. —
尽管有船只前往救援，但有四十名乌兰人在河里淹死。 —

The majority struggled back to the bank from which they had started. —
大部分人挣扎着回到了起点的河岸。 —

The colonel, with several of his men, swam across the river and with difficulty clambered up the other bank. —
困难重重的上校和几名士兵游过河，艰难地爬上了对岸。 —

But as soon as they clambered out in drenched and streaming clothes they shouted “Vive l’Empereur!” looking ecstatically at the place where Napoleon had stood, though he was no longer there, and at that moment thought themselves happy.
但是他们一爬出来，衣服湿透了，滴水散发着。他们欢呼着“Vive l’Empereur!”，狂喜地望着拿破仑站过的地方，虽然他已经不在那里了，但此刻他们觉得自己很幸福。

In the evening between giving two orders—one for hastening the arrival of the counterfeit rouble notes that had been prepared for circulation in Russia, and the other for shooting a Saxon who had been caught with a letter containing a report on the disposition of the French army—Napoleon gave a third order for presenting the colonel, who had quite unnecessarily flung himself in the river, the order of the Légion d’Honneur, of which he was himself the head. —
在晚上，给了两个命令——一个是加快准备供在俄罗斯流通的假卢布纸币的到货速度，另一个是射杀一个被捕的萨克森人，他身上带着一封关于法军部署情况的报告。拿破仑下达了第三个命令，授予那个毫无必要地扑进河里的上校荣誉军团勋章，而他自己是军团的首领。 —

Quos vult perdere, dementat.
想要毁灭谁就先让谁疯狂。