He hastened from place to place amid the ruins, his face blackened with smoke, and his hair and eyebrows singed with the fierce heat. At length the day dawned, and Mortier, who had strained every nerve for thirty-six hours, entered a palace and dropped down from fatigue. The manly form and stalwart arm that had so often carried death into the ranks of the enemy, at length gave way, and the gloomy marshal lay and panted in utter exhaustion. The night of tempest was succeeded by a day of fiery storm; and when night again enveloped the city, it was one broad flame, waving to and fro in the blast!
他在废墟里来来回回忙碌不停,脸已经被烟熏得黢黑,头发和眉毛也被大火烧焦。这时天终于亮了,神经已经紧绷了三十六小时的莫蒂埃走进一座宫殿,累得瘫倒在地上。他那魁梧的身躯和粗壮的手臂不知曾杀死过多少敌人,不过最终他还是倒下了,只能忧郁地躺在床上,精疲力尽地喘着粗气。猛烈的暴风雨下了一晚之后又紧接着下了一天,当夜晚再次降临之时,一团巨大的火焰又一次在爆炸声中熊熊燃烧起来。
The wind had increased to a perfect hurricane, and shifted from quarter to quarter, as if on purpose to swell the sea of fire and extinguish the last hope. The fire was approaching the Kremlin: already the roar of the flames, the crash of falling houses, and the crackling of burning timbers, were borne to the ears of the startled Emperor. He arose and walked to and fro, stopping convulsively and gazing on the terrific scene. Murat and others of his marshals rushed into his presence, and on their knees besought him to flee; but he still clung to that haughty palace, as if it were his empire.
风刮得越来越大,越来越大,直至最后演变成飓风。飓风四处刮着,好似在故意给火海添油加醋,浇灭士兵们心中最后的希望。火势向着克林姆宫不断逼近:火焰的咆哮声、房屋的倒塌声、木材燃烧的爆裂声,无不涌进那吓坏了的国王的耳朵里。国王站起身来,不停地来回踱步,突然间抽搐着停了下来,凝视着这可怕的场景。缪拉和其他元帅冲进他的面前,跪着恳求他逃跑,但他仍执着地坚守在那座高傲的宫殿里,把它当成是自己的帝国。
At length the shout, "The Kremlin is on fire!" was heard above the roar of the conflagration, and Napoleon reluctantly consented to leave. He descended into the streets with his staff, and looked about for a way of egress, but the flames blocked every passage. At length they discovered a postern gate leading to the Moskwa, and passed through it; but they had entered still further into the danger.
最后只听一声大喊,“克里姆林宫着火啦!”,喊声盖过大火的轰鸣声,拿破仑这才不得已同意离开。他拄着拐杖走到街上,四处寻找出口,但是火焰已经将所有的通道堵住。终于,他们发现一扇通向莫斯科的后门并从后门里穿了过去,然而,危险已经离他们越来越近。
As Napoleon cast his eye round the open space, girdled and arched with fire, smoke, and cinders, he saw one single street yet open, but all on fire. Into this he rushed, and amid the crash of falling houses and the raging of the flames, over burning ruins, through clouds of rolling smoke, and between walls of fire, he pressed on. At length, half suffocated, he emerged in safety from the blazing city, and took up his quarters in the imperial palace of Petrowsky, nearly three miles distant.
拿破仑环视着眼前这片被火、烟和灰烬围成了一处拱形的空地,此时只有一条街道尚还通畅,不过街道四处都是大火。拿破仑冲了进去,在倒塌房屋的轰隆声中和熊熊的火焰之中,在燃烧的废墟之上,在滚滚的浓烟里,在火墙之间,他寸步不停地向前冲着,直至最后,他半喘着气从燃烧着的城市里安全地冲了出来,住进了三英里外的佩特罗斯基皇宫。