THE RUSSIAN EMPEROR had meanwhile been spending more than a month in Vilna, holding reviews and inspecting man? —
与此同时，俄国皇帝在维尔纳度过了一个多月的时间，进行检阅和检查军队。 —

uvres. Nothing was in readiness for the war, which all were expecting, though it was to prepare for it that the Tsar had come from Petersburg. —
尽管军队都在准备战争，但没有一项准备工作已经准备好，这也是沙皇从圣彼得堡来的目的之一。 —

There was no general plan of action. The vacillation between all the plans that were proposed and the inability to fix on any one of them, was more marked than ever after the Tsar had been for a month at headquarters. —
没有一个总体的行动计划。在沙皇在总部待了一个月后，关于所有提出的计划之间的摇摆不定和无法确定任何一个计划的能力更加明显。 —

There was a separate commander-in-chief at the head of each of the three armies; —
每个军队都有一个单独的总指挥官； —

but there was no commander with authority over all of them, and the Tsar did not undertake the duties of such a commander-in-chief himself.
但没有一个统帅能够掌握所有军队，也没有沙皇亲自承担这样一个总指挥官的职责。

The longer the Tsar stayed at Vilna, the less ready was the Russian army for the war, which it had grown weary of expecting. —
沙皇在维尔纳停留的时间越长，俄国军队越不准备好迎接他们已经疲惫地等待了很久的战争。 —

Every effort of the men who surrounded the Tsar seemed to be devoted to making their sovereign spend his time pleasantly and forget the impending war.
围绕着沙皇的人们似乎全力以赴让他愉快地度过时间，忘记即将到来的战争。

Many balls and fêtes were given by the Polish magnates, by members of the court, and by the Tsar himself; —
许多波兰地主、宫廷成员和沙皇亲自举办了许多舞会和盛宴； —

and in the month of June it occurred to one of the Polish generals attached to the Tsar’s staff that all the generals on the staff should give a dinner and a ball to the Tsar. The suggestion was eagerly taken up. —
在六月份，有一个波兰将军向附属于沙皇部队的将军们建议，所有幕僚上的将军们都应该给沙皇举办一次晚宴和舞会。这个建议被热情接受。 —

The Tsar gave his consent. The generals on the staff subscribed the necessary funds. —
沙皇同意了。幕僚上的将军们都出了必要的资金。 —

The lady who was most likely to please the Tsar’s taste was selected as hostess for the ball. —
选出了最有可能取悦沙皇品味的贵妇人作为舞会女主人。 —

Count Bennigsen, who had land in the Vilna province, offered his house in the outskirts for this fête, and the 13th of June was the day fixed for a ball, a dinner, with a regatta and fireworks at Zakreta, Count Bennigsen’s suburban house.
拥有维尔纳省的土地的本尼赫森伯爵提供了他位于郊区的房子作为这次盛会的场地，6月13日定为在本尼赫森伯爵的郊区别墅Zakreta举办舞会、晚宴、划船比赛和烟火。

On the very day on which Napoleon gave the order to cross the Niemen, and the vanguard of his army crossed the Russian frontier, driving back the Cossacks, Alexander was at the ball given by the generals on his staff at Count Bennigsen’s house.
正是在拿破仑下令越过尼曼河，并且他的军队先锋越过了俄罗斯边境，赶走了哥萨克人的那一天，亚历山大参加了幕僚将军们在本尼赫森伯爵家举办的舞会。

It was a brilliant and festive entertainment. —
这是一场精彩而喜庆的娱乐活动。 —

Connoisseurs declared that rarely had so many beauties been gathered together at one place. —
鉴赏家们宣称，很少有这么多美女聚集在一个地方。 —

Countess Bezuhov, who had been among the Russian ladies who had followed the Tsar from Petersburg to Vilna, was at that ball, her heavy, Russian style of beauty—as it is called—overshadowing the more refined Polish ladies. —
别祖霍夫女伯爵参加了这个舞会，她以俄罗斯式的浓郁美貌遮盖了更加优雅的波兰女士们。 —

She was much noticed, and the Tsar had deigned to bestow a dance upon her.
她受到了很多关注，沙皇甚至赐予她一支舞。

Boris Drubetskoy, who had left his wife at Moscow, and was living “en gar? —
鲍里斯·德鲁别茨科伊在莫斯科把妻子留下来，现在在维尔纳“居住”。 —

on,” as he said, at Vilna, was also at that ball; —
尽管他不是军事参谋团的将军，但他为这个舞会捐赠了一大笔钱。 —

and although he was not a general on the staff, he had subscribed a large sum to the ball. —
鲍里斯现在是一个财富积累丰厚、名望高的富人。 —

Boris was now a wealthy man who had risen to high honours. —
他不再寻求赞助，而是与同龄最杰出的人保持平等的地位。 —

He no longer sought patronage, but was on an equal footing with the most distinguished men of his age. —
在维尔纳他见到了已经很久没有见到的艾伦。 —

At Vilna he met Ellen, whom he had not seen for a long while. —
Drubetskoy女士已经出嫁，并且是一个婚后名字（婚后改姓）。 —

As Ellen was enjoying the good graces of a very important personage indeed, and Boris had so recently been married, they made no allusion to the past, but met as good-natured, old friends.
当艾伦正享受着一位非常重要的人物的恩宠时，而鲍里斯刚刚结婚，他们并没有提到过去，而是以友善、老朋友的身份见面。

At midnight dancing was still going on. Ellen happening to have no suitable partner had herself proposed a mazurka to Boris. They were the third couple. —
午夜时分，舞会仍在继续。艾伦恰好没有合适的舞伴，她自己向鲍里斯提议跳一支马祖卡舞。他们是第三对舞伴。 —

Boris was looking coldly at Ellen’s splendid bare shoulders, which rose out of her dress of dark gauze and gold, and was talking to her of old acquaintances, and yet though others and himself too were unaware of it, he never for a second ceased observing the Tsar who was in the same room. —
鲍里斯冷冰冰地看着艾伦那华丽的裸露肩膀，露出在黑色薄纱和金色衣服上，并与她谈论着旧相识，然而，尽管其他人和他自己都没有意识到，他从未停止观察到同一个房间里的沙皇。 —

The Tsar was not dancing; he was standing in the doorway, stopping one person after the other with the gracious words he alone knew how to utter.
沙皇并没有跳舞；他站在门口，用他独有的亲切的措辞拦住一个又一个的人。

At the beginning of the mazurka, Boris saw that a general of the staff, Balashov, one of the persons in closest attendance on the Tsar, went up to him, and, regardless of court etiquette, stopped close to him, while he conversed with a Polish lady. —
在一开始的马祖卡舞开始时，鲍里斯看到了一个军事参谋将领巴拉绍夫，他是离沙皇最近的人之一，他走近沙皇，无视宫廷礼节，而沙皇正在和一个波兰女士交谈。 —

After saying a few words to the lady, the Tsar glanced inquiringly at Balashov, and apparently seeing that he was behaving like this only because he had weighty reasons for doing so, he gave the lady a slight nod and turned to Balashov. —
在对那位女士说了几句话后，沙皇询问地看着巴拉绍夫，显然看到他这样做只是因为有重要的原因，于是他微微点了点头，转向了巴拉绍夫。 —

The Tsar’s countenance betrayed amazement, as soon as Balashov had begun to speak. —
巴拉绍夫刚开始说话，沙皇的脸上就显露出惊讶之情。 —

He took Balashov’s arm and walked across the room with him, unconsciously clearing a space of three yards on each side of him as people hastily drew back. —
他搀住了巴拉绍夫的胳膊，和他一起穿过房间，不经意间把身边的空间清出了三码远，人们匆忙退让。 —

Boris noticed the excited face of Araktcheev as the Tsar walked up the room with Balashov. —
鲍里斯注意到了阿拉切夫激动的面容，当沙皇和巴拉绍夫一起走过房间时。 —

Araktcheev, looking from under his brows at the Tsar, and sniffing with his red nose, moved forward out of the crowd as though expecting the Tsar to apply to him. —
阿拉切夫从人群里窥视着沙皇，用他红色的鼻子嗅着空气，像是期待着沙皇向他请教。 —

(Boris saw that Araktcheev envied Balashov and was displeased at any important news having reached the Tsar not through him. —
(鲍里斯发现阿拉克切耶夫对巴拉舒夫心生嫉妒，并对任何重要的消息没有通过他传达给沙皇感到不满。) —

) But the Tsar and Balashov walked out by the door into the lighted garden, without noticing Araktcheev. —
但是沙皇和巴拉舒夫走出门，走进照亮的花园，没有注意到阿拉克切耶夫。 —

Araktcheev, holding his sword and looking wrathfully about him, followed twenty paces behind them.
阿拉克切耶夫手持剑愤怒地四处张望，跟在他们后面大约20步。

Boris went on performing the figures of the mazurka, but he was all the while fretted by wondering what the news could be that Balashov had brought, and in what way he could find it out before other people. —
鲍里斯继续跳着梅祖卡舞的舞步，但他心里一直在烦恼着巴拉舒夫带来的消息是什么，并且想知道他如何在其他人之前发现它。 —

In the figure in which he had to choose a lady, he whispered to Ellen that he wanted to choose Countess Pototsky, who had, he thought, gone out on to the balcony, and gliding over the parquet, he flew to the door that opened into the garden, and seeing the Tsar and Balashov coming into the verandah, he stood still there. —
在他需要选择一位女士的舞步中，他对艾伦低声说他想选择波托茨基女伯爵，他以为她已经走到阳台上了，于是他滑过地板，飞快地走向通往花园的门，看到沙皇和巴拉舒夫走进阳台时，他停在那里。 —

The Tsar and Balashov moved towards the door. —
沙皇和巴拉舒夫朝门口走去。 —

Boris, with a show of haste, as though he had not time to move away, squeezed respectfully up to the doorpost and bowed his head. —
鲍里斯急忙朝门柱挤了过去，低下头表示尊敬。 —

The Tsar in the tone of a man resenting a personal insult was saying:
沙皇以一种受了人身攻击的语气说道：

“To enter Russia with no declaration of war! —
“入侵俄罗斯而不宣战！ —

I will consent to conciliation only when not a single enemy under arms is left in my country,” he said.
只有当我的国家没有敌人的武装存在时，我才会同意调停。”他说道。

It seemed to Boris that the Tsar liked uttering these words: —
鲍里斯觉得沙皇喜欢说这些话： —

he was pleased with the form in which he had expressed his feelings, but displeased at Boris overhearing them.
他喜欢表达感情的方式，但对鲍里斯偷听到他的话感到不满。

“Let nobody know of it!” the Tsar added, frowning.
“不要让任何人知道！”沙皇皱眉补充道。

Boris saw that this was aimed at him, and closing his eyes, inclined his head a little. —
鲍里斯看出这是针对他的，他闭上眼睛，微微低头。 —

The Tsar went back to the ballroom, and remained there another half hour.
沙皇回到舞厅，又待了半个小时。

Boris was the first person to learn the news that the French troops had crossed the Niemen; —
鲍里斯第一个得知法军已经越过涅曼河的消息。 —

and, thanks to that fact, was enabled to prove to various persons of great consequence, that much that was hidden from others was commonly known to him, and was thereby enabled to rise even higher than before in the opinion of those persons.
正是因为这个事实，他能够向一些非常重要的人证明，很多对于其他人来说是隐藏的事实，他普遍知道，并以此在这些人的观点中取得更高的地位。

The astounding news of the French having crossed the Niemen seemed particularly unexpected from coming after a month’s uninterrupted expectation of it, and arriving at a ball! —
法国人越过尼曼河的惊人消息，似乎特别出人意料，因为此前一个月一直都在期待，而且传到的时候还是在一个舞会上！ —

At the first moment of amazement and resentment on getting the news, Alexander hit on the declaration that has since become famous—a declaration which pleased him and fully expressed his feelings. —
得到这个消息的第一刹那，亚历山大想到了一句后来变得出名的宣言-这个宣言使他高兴并完全表达了他的感受。 —

On returning home after the ball at two o’clock in the night, the Tsar sent for his secretary, Shishkov, and told him to write a decree to the army and a rescript to Field-Marshal Prince Saltykov; —
在午夜两点参加完舞会后，沙皇召见了他的秘书希什科夫，告诉他写一份给军队的法令和一份给野战元帅萨尔蒂科夫亲王的命令； —

and he insisted on the words being inserted that he would never make peace as long as one Frenchman under arms remained in Russia.
他坚持要加入这样的字句，即只要还有一个法国人拿着武器在俄罗斯境内，他就永远不会和平。

The next day the following letter was written to Napoleon:
第二天，以下信函被写给拿破仑：

MONSIEUR MON FRèRE,—I learnt yesterday that in spite of the loyalty with which I have kept my engagements with your Majesty, your troops have crossed the frontiers of Russia, and I have this moment received from Petersburg the note in which Count Lauriston informs me as cause of this invasion that your majesty considers us to be in hostile relations ever since Prince Kurakin asked for his passport. —
尊敬的拿破仑皇帝，亲爱的兄弟，昨天我得知，尽管我一直忠实地履行了与您的约定，但您的军队已经越过了俄罗斯的边境，我刚刚从彼得堡收到了罗里斯顿伯爵的信函，信中称您认为我们自从库拉金亲王要求退回护照以来，我们处于敌对关系。 —

The causes on which the Duc de Bassano based his refusal to give these passports would never have led me to suppose that the action of my ambassador could serve as a ground for invasion. —
德巴绍诺公爵为拒绝发放这些护照的理由，从来没有让我认为我的大使的行动可以成为入侵的理由。 —

And, indeed, he received no authorisation from me in his action, as has been made known by him; —
实际上，他没有得到我的授权，他已经向公众透露出来； —

and as soon as I heard of it I immediately expressed my displeasure to Prince Kurakin, commanding him to perform the duties entrusted to him as before. —
而且，一旦我听说这件事，我立即向库拉金亲王表示我的不满，并要求他像以前一样履行他委托的职责。 —

If your majesty is not inclined to shed the blood of your subjects for such a misunderstanding, and if you consent to withdraw your troops from Russian territory, I will pass over the whole incident unnoticed, and agreement between us will be possible. —
如果您的陛下不愿为这样的误会而牺牲您的臣民的鲜血，并且若您同意从俄罗斯领土撤军，我将对整个事件置若罔闻，我们之间的协议将成为可能。 —

In the opposite case, I shall be forced to repel an invasion which has been in no way provoked on my side. —
在另一种情况下，我将被迫击退一场在我方并未引发的入侵。 —

Your Majesty has it in your power to preserve humanity from the disasters of another war.—I am, etc.,
您的陛下有能力使人类免遭另一场战争的灾难。——我敬上。