🔊 The movements of the Russian and French armies during the campaign from Moscow back to the Niemen were like those in a game of Russian blindman’s buff, in which two players are blindfolded and one of them occasionally rings a little bell to inform the catcher of his whereabouts. First he rings his bell fearlessly, but when he gets into a tight place he runs away as quietly as he can, and often thinking to escape runs straight into his opponent’s arms.

俄军与法军在从莫斯科向涅曼河撤退期间的行动,恰似一场俄式瞎子摸鱼的游戏:两位玩家都被蒙住双眼,其中一人偶尔摇响小铃铛,让追逐者知晓他的方位。起初他无所畏惧地摇铃,但一旦陷入险境,便悄然溜走,常常自以为能逃脱,却径直撞入对手怀中。

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movements /ˈmuːvmənts/

n. 移动；运动；行动➕

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campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/

n. 战役；运动（政治、商业等）➕

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blindman’s buff /ˈblaɪndmænz bʌf/

n. 捉迷藏（一种游戏）➕

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blindfolded /ˈblaɪndfoʊldɪd/

adj. 被蒙住眼睛的➕

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occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/

adv. 偶尔；间或➕

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catcher /ˈkætʃər/

n. 捕捉者；接球手➕

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whereabouts /ˈweərəbaʊts/

n. 下落；行踪➕

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fearlessly /ˈfɪrləsli/

adv. 无畏地；勇敢地➕

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tight /taɪt/

adj. 紧的；紧密的；困难的➕

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escape /ɪˈskeɪp/

v. 逃跑；逃避➕

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straight /streɪt/

adv. 直接地；径直地➕

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opponent’s /əˈpoʊnənts/

n. 对手的（所有格）➕

🔊 At first while they were still moving along the Kaluga road, Napoleon’s armies made their presence known, but later when they reached the Smolensk road they ran holding the clapper of their bell tight--and often thinking they were escaping ran right into the Russians. Owing to the rapidity of the French flight and the Russian pursuit and the consequent exhaustion of the horses, the chief means of approximately ascertaining the enemy’s position--by cavalry scouting--was not available. Besides, as a result of the frequent and rapid change of position by each army, even what information was obtained could not be delivered in time. If news was received one day that the enemy had been in a certain position the day before, by the third day when something could have been done, that army was already two days’ march farther on and in quite another position.

起初,当法军尚沿卡卢加大道行进时,他们尚会暴露行踪；可后来一踏上斯摩棱斯克大道,他们便紧握铃舌奔逃--常常自诩逃脱成功,实则一头扎进俄军阵中。由于法军逃亡与俄军追击均极其仓促,导致马匹疲惫不堪,用以大致判定敌军位置的主要手段--骑兵侦察--已无从施展。加之双方军队频繁且迅速地变更阵地,即便获取了情报,也无法及时传递。若某日得知敌军昨日曾于某处驻扎,待到第三日可以采取行动时,那支军队早已向前推进了两天路程,全然换了位置。

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presence /ˈprezns/

n. 存在；出席➕

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rapidity /rəˈpɪdəti/

n. 迅速；快速➕

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pursuit /pərˈsuːt/

n. 追赶；追求；从事➕

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consequent /ˈkɑːnsɪkwent/

adj. 随之发生的；作为结果的➕

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exhaustion /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/

n. 筋疲力尽；耗尽➕

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approximately /əˈprɑːksɪmətli/

adv. 大约；近似地➕

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ascertaining /ˌæsərˈteɪnɪŋ/

v. 查明；弄清（现在分词）➕

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cavalry /ˈkævəlri/

n. 骑兵；装甲部队➕

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scouting /ˈskaʊtɪŋ/

n. 侦察；搜寻➕

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available /əˈveɪləbl/

adj. 可用的；可获得的➕

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frequent /ˈfriːkwənt/

adj. 频繁的；经常的➕

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delivered /dɪˈlɪvərd/

v. 递送；传递；发表（过去分词）➕

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march /mɑːrtʃ/

n. 行军；行进➕

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farther /ˈfɑːrðər/

adv. 更远地➕

🔊 One army fled and the other pursued. Beyond Smolensk there were several different roads available for the French, and one would have thought that during their stay of four days they might have learned where the enemy was, might have arranged some more advantageous plan and undertaken something new. But after a four days’ halt the mob, with no manoeuvres or plans, again began running along the beaten track, neither to the right nor to the left but along the old--the worst--road, through Krasnoe and Orsha.

一军逃亡,另一军追击。越过斯摩棱斯克后,法军面前有数条可供选择的道路；按理说,他们在那逗留四日,或可探明敌军动向,谋划出更为有利的方案,并采取些新举措。然而,经过四天的休整,这群乌合之众既无战术布置,也无计划安排,再次沿着老路--那条最糟糕的路--既不向右也不向左,而是经过克拉斯诺耶与奥尔沙,一路奔逃。

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fled /fled/

v. 逃跑（flee的过去式）➕

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pursued /pərˈsuːd/

v. 追赶；追求（pursue的过去式）➕

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advantageous /ˌædvənˈteɪdʒəs/

adj. 有利的；有益的➕

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undertaken /ˌʌndərˈteɪkən/

v. 承担；从事（undertake的过去分词）➕

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halt /hɔːlt/

n. 暂停；停止➕

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mob /mɑːb/

n. 暴民；乌合之众➕

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manoeuvres /məˈnuːvərz/

n. 演习；策略（复数）➕

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beaten /ˈbiːtən/

adj. 被踩平的；打败的➕

🔊 Expecting the enemy from behind and not in front, the French separated in their flight and spread out over a distance of twenty-four hours. In front of them all fled the Emperor, then the kings, then the dukes. The Russian army, expecting Napoleon to take the road to the right beyond the Dnieper--which was the only reasonable thing for him to do--themselves turned to the right and came out onto the highroad at Krasnoe. And here as in a game of blindman’s buff the French ran into our vanguard. Seeing their enemy unexpectedly the French fell into confusion and stopped short from the sudden fright, but then they resumed their flight, abandoning their comrades who were farther behind. Then for three days separate portions of the French army--first Murat’s (the vice-king’s), then Davout’s, and then Ney’s--ran, as it were, the gauntlet of the Russian army. They abandoned one another, abandoned all their heavy baggage, their artillery, and half their men, and fled, getting past the Russians by night by making semicircles to the right.

法军误以为敌军会从后面追来,而非前方,于是在逃亡中四分五裂,散落于二十四小时路程的范围。队伍最前方是皇帝,其后是国王们,再后是公爵们。俄军原以为拿破仑会取道第聂伯河右方--那对他而言是唯一合理的路线--便自行转向右翼,开赴克拉斯诺耶的大道。在此地,如同瞎子摸鱼一般,法军迎面撞上了我军的前卫。法军骤然望见敌军,惊惶失措,止步不前；但紧接着,他们又继续奔逃,抛下身后更远的同伴。随后一连三天,法军的几支独立部队--先是缪拉（副王）的部队,然后是达武的,再是内伊的--如同穿越俄军布下的阵形一般仓皇逃窜。他们彼此抛弃,丢弃了所有沉重辎重、炮兵及半数士兵,趁夜向右绕行半圆,从俄军眼皮底下溜走。

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separated /ˈsepəreɪtɪd/

v. 分开；分离（过去式）➕

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flight /flaɪt/

n. 逃跑；飞行➕

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spread /spred/

v. 蔓延；扩散（过去式与原形同）➕

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distance /ˈdɪstəns/

n. 距离；远处➕

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Emperor /ˈempərər/

n. 皇帝➕

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dukes /duːks/

n. 公爵（复数）➕

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reasonable /ˈriːznəbl/

adj. 合理的；明智的➕

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highroad /ˈhaɪroʊd/

n. 大路；公路（同highway）➕

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vanguard /ˈvænɡɑːrd/

n. 先锋；前卫➕

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unexpectedly /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/

adv. 意外地；突然地➕

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confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/

n. 混乱；困惑➕

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fright /fraɪt/

n. 惊吓；恐惧➕

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resumed /rɪˈzuːmd/

v. 恢复；重新开始（过去式）➕

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abandoning /əˈbændənɪŋ/

v. 抛弃；放弃（现在分词）➕

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comrades /ˈkɑːmrædz/

n. 同志；战友（复数）➕

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portions /ˈpɔːrʃənz/

n. 部分；份额（复数）➕

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vice-king’s /vaɪs kɪŋz/

n. 副王的（所有格）➕

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gauntlet /ˈɡɔːntlət/

n. 夹道鞭笞；考验（常用短语 run the gauntlet）➕

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baggage /ˈbæɡɪdʒ/

n. 行李；辎重➕

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artillery /ɑːrˈtɪləri/

n. 大炮；炮兵部队➕

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semicircles /ˈsemɪsɜːrklz/

n. 半圆形（复数）➕

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expecting /ɪkˈspektɪŋ/

v. 期望；预期（现在分词）➕

🔊 Ney, who came last, had been busying himself blowing up the walls of Smolensk which were in nobody’s way, because despite the unfortunate plight of the French or because of it, they wished to punish the wall against which they had hurt themselves. Ney, who had had a corps of ten thousand men, reached Napoleon at Orsha with only one thousand men left, having abandoned all the rest and all his cannon, and having crossed the Dnieper at night by stealth at a wooded spot.

垫后的内伊,此前一直忙于炸毁斯摩棱斯克的城墙--尽管那城墙本无人碍事。因为法军虽处境窘迫（抑或正因如此）,他们仍想惩罚那曾令他们碰壁的城墙。内伊原有一万兵力的军,待到抵达奥尔沙时,部下仅剩一千人--其余士兵与全部加农炮尽数抛弃。他趁着夜色,在森林茂密处偷渡第聂伯河。

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busying /ˈbɪziɪŋ/

v. 忙于（现在分词）➕

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blowing /ˈbloʊɪŋ/

v. 吹；爆炸（现在分词）➕

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unfortunate /ʌnˈfɔːrtʃənɪt/

adj. 不幸的；令人遗憾的➕

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plight /plaɪt/

n. 困境；苦难➕

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punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/

v. 惩罚；处罚➕

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corps /kɔːr/

n. 军团；特种部队➕

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cannon /ˈkænən/

n. 大炮；加农炮➕

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stealth /stelθ/

n. 秘密行动；隐形➕

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wooded /ˈwʊdɪd/

adj. 树木茂密的➕

🔊 From Orsha they fled farther along the road to Vilna, still playing at blindman’s buff with the pursuing army. At the Berezina they again became disorganized, many were drowned and many surrendered, but those who got across the river fled farther. Their supreme chief donned a fur coat and, having seated himself in a sleigh, galloped on alone, abandoning his companions. The others who could do so drove away too, leaving those who could not to surrender or die.

从奥尔沙出发,他们沿着通往维尔纳的大道继续逃窜,依然与追击的俄军玩着瞎子摸鱼的把戏。在别列津纳河畔,他们再度陷入混乱,许多人溺毙,许多人投降；而渡过河的残兵则继续奔逃。最高统帅披上裘皮大衣,独自坐上雪橇疾驰而去,抛下自己的同伴。其他有办法的人也纷纷驾车逃离,留下那些无力脱身者或投降或死去。

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disorganized /dɪsˈɔːrɡənaɪzd/

adj. 混乱的；无组织的➕

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drowned /draʊnd/

v. 淹死；淹没（过去式）➕

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surrendered /səˈrendərd/

v. 投降；放弃（过去式）➕

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supreme /suːˈpriːm/

adj. 最高的；至高无上的➕

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donned /dɑːnd/

v. 穿上（过去式,正式用语）➕

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seated /ˈsiːtɪd/

v. 就座；使坐下（过去式/分词）➕

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sleigh /sleɪ/

n. 雪橇➕

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galloped /ˈɡæləpt/

v. 飞奔；疾驰（过去式）➕

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pursuing /pərˈsuːɪŋ/

v. 追赶；追求（现在分词）➕

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companions /kəmˈpænjənz/

n. 同伴；伙伴（复数）➕

Book Fourteen: 1812 – Chapter seventeen (第十七章)

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