From a book categorized as Fiction / Classics and 1350 pages follows a description and a number of hidden haikus found in the book:
'If life could write, it would write like Tolstoy.' Isaac Babel Tolstoy's epic masterpiece intertwines the lives of private and public individuals during the time of the Napoleonic wars and the French invasion of Russia. The fortunes of the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys, of Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei, are intimately connected with the national history that is played out in parallel with their lives. Balls and soirées alternate with councils of war and the machinations of statesmen and generals, scenes of violent battles with everyday human passions in a work whose extraordinary imaginative power has never been surpassed. The prodigious cast of characters, both great and small, seem to act and move as if connected by threads of destiny as the novel relentlessly questions ideas of free will, fate, and providence. Yet Tolstoy's portrayal of marital relations and scenes of domesticity is as truthful and poignant as the grand themes that underlie them. In this revised and updated version of the definitive and highly acclaimed Maude translation, Tolstoy's genius and the power of his prose are made newly available to the contemporary reader. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Anatole stopped him.
“Don’t touch him! You’ll startle him and then
he’ll be killed. Eh?... What then?...
Well, well, God grant it,”
he added, not noticing
his visitor’s sarcastic smile.
“I feel so happy!”
And she set off at a run
along the passage.
I cannot agree
with you about Pierre, whom
I knew as a child.
“Why are you so glum?”
asked Nesvítski noticing Prince Andrew’s pale face
and glittering eyes.
Telyánin for some reason had
been transferred from the Guards just
before this campaign.
“Take it if you like,”
said the officer, giving
the girl an apple.
Soldiers floundering
knee-deep in mud pushed the guns
and wagons themselves.
Break the armistice
immediately and march
on the enemy.
The staff officer
and Prince Andrew mounted their
horses and rode on.
“Once again, Colonel,”
said the general, “I can’t leave half
my men in the wood.
Rostóv anticipated
his horse’s movements and became more
and more elated.
Suddenly something
like a birch broom seemed to sweep
over the squadron.
Why are they running?
Can they be coming at me?
And why? To kill me?
From pain, cold, and damp,
a feverish shivering
shook his whole body.
Princess Mary felt
his look with a painfully
joyous emotion.
Turning from Princess
Mary he went up and kissed
Mademoiselle Bourienne’s hand.
If she has no pride
for herself she might at least
have some for my sake!
Only remember
that your life’s happiness depends
on your decision.
“Calm yourself, my dear.
I will go to my father,”
she said, and went out.
The night was foggy
and through the fog the moonlight
gleamed mysteriously.
The French had attacked
the battery and, seeing
Kutúzov, were firing at him.
But even it does
not exist, there is nothing
but quiet and peace.
“Go, Tit! Thresh a bit!”
“Oh, you fool!” said the old man,
spitting angrily.
It was Natásha, Sónya, and Pétya, who had
come to see whether they were
getting up. “Nicholas!
When the Emperor’s health was drunk,
Pierre, lost in thought, did not
rise or lift his glass.
That is the only
reality in the world,
all else is folly.
Prince Andrew remained
at Bald Hills as usual
during his father’s absence.
“I only know two
very real evils in life:
remorse and illness.
Prince Andrew, looking
straight in front of him, listened
in silence to Pierre’s words.
Don’t I feel in my soul
that I am part of this vast
harmonious whole?
And I am also
very much afraid for him
spiritually.
“But you are so young,
and I have already been
through so much in life.
This amazed Nicholas
and even made him regard
Bolkónski’s courtship skeptically.
“Good morning, Uncle!”
said Nicholas, when the old man
drew near. “That’s it. Come on!...
CHAPTER V Nicholas
Rostóv meanwhile remained at his post,
waiting for the wolf.
Besides who can tell
whether I saw anything
or not?” flashed through Sónya’s mind.
“One would have thought quill
drivers enough had sprung up,”
remarked the old prince.
What more could she write
after all that had happened
the evening before?
“Ah, Prince, how sorry
I am to part from you! “Let’s go.
Let’s go!” cried Anatole.
Two young citizens
were joking with some serf girls
who were cracking nuts.
Satisfied, are you?
That’s all you wanted! Satisfied?...
It hurts me, it hurts.
At the porch he met
two of the landed gentry,
one of whom he knew.
Wouldn’t you like to?” said he.
“It’s dirty,” replied Prince Andrew,
making a grimace.
She knew that the sole
weapon against him was prayer,
and she tried to pray.
She could not pray, could
not weep, and worldly cares took
possession of her.
“No, there’s not much to be
amused at here,” said Rostóv, and rode
on a little way.
For that, not storming
and attacking but patience
and time are wanted.
With each fresh blow less
and less chance of life remained
for those not yet killed.
“In my three shops here
I have a hundred thousand
rubles’ worth of goods.
The factory hands
and others followed behind,
talking and shouting.
Distressed, offended,
and surprised by all this, Rostopchín had
returned to Moscow.
“Good morning, lads!” said
the count briskly and loudly.
“Thank you for coming.
The officer walked
in front, leaning on a stick
and slightly limping.
“There’s a child in that house.
Haven’t you seen a child?” cried Pierre.
“What’s he talking about?
Nicholas was himself
rather surprised at the way
he danced that evening.
they asked, repeating
their first question, which he had
declined to answer.
“But two days ago
this suddenly happened,” said
Natásha, struggling with her sobs.
For a long time, oaths,
angry shouts, and fighting could
be heard from all sides.
That was why Pétya had blushed
and grown confused when Denísov asked him
whether he could stay.
We can’t start the affair
without knowing for certain
how many there are.
“And I say boldly
that I have not a single
man’s life on my conscience.
All around he heard
his comrades sobbing with joy.
“Brothers! Dear fellows!
She heard Dunyásha’s words about
Peter Ilýnich and a misfortune,
but did not grasp them.
He had only felt
that it must exist somewhere
and had looked for it.
“I know that she loves...
will love you,” Princess Mary
corrected herself.
Friends and relations
advised Nicholas to decline
the inheritance.
They both sat silent,
with an occasional glance
at one another.
From the very first
days of their married life Natásha had
announced her demands.
But someday I shall
have finished learning, and then
I will do something.