英國語文第六冊(雙語):焚燒莫斯科(2)
Mortier, as governor of the city, immediately issued his orders, and was putting forth every exertion, when at daylight Napoleon hastened to him. Affecting to disbelieve the reports that the inhabitants were firing their own city, he put more rigid commands on Mortier to keep the soldiers from the work of destruction. The marshal simply pointed to some iron-covered houses that had not yet been opened, from every crevice of which smoke was issuing like steam from the sides of a pent-up volcano. Sad and thoughtful, Napoleon turned towards the Kremlin, the ancient palace of the Czars, whose huge structure rose high above the surrounding edifices.
作為這座城市的州長，莫蒂埃立即發(fā)號施令、全力救火。黎明時分拿破侖趕來，他不敢相信居民們竟然放火燒了自己的家園，他向莫蒂埃下達嚴格的命令讓士兵們遠離燒壞的建筑。元帥簡單地指了指那些鐵皮房屋，那些房屋還是關閉著的，從門縫里冒出來的煙像火山四周噴出來的蒸汽般令人壓抑。拿破侖沉思著、神情憂傷地轉而望向克林姆宮，那是古代沙皇的宮殿，巨大的宮殿高聳在周圍所有的建筑之上，十分地雄偉壯觀。
In the morning, Mortier, by great exertions, was enabled to subdue the fire. But the next night, Sept. 15, at midnight, the sentinels on watch upon the lofty Kremlin saw below them the flames bursting through the houses and palaces, and the cry "Fire! fire!" again passed through the city. The dread scene was now fairly opened. Fiery balloons were seen dropping from the air and alighting on the houses; dull explosions were heard on every side from the shut-up dwellings: the next moment light burst forth from them, and the flames were raging through the apartments.
莫蒂埃一上午消耗了巨大的精力才令火勢減弱，但是到了第二天晚上，即9月15日午夜時分，在高聳的克里姆林宮上站崗的哨兵們發(fā)現火焰正從下面的房屋和宮殿里噴涌而出，“著火啦！著火啦！”，尖叫聲再一次響徹莫斯科，恐怖的一幕現在才開始真正上演。士兵們看到燃燒著的火球從空中往下墜落在屋頂之上，密合的住宅四周不斷傳來沉悶的爆炸聲：下一秒只見火光在士兵們面前噴發(fā)，火焰在公寓里熊熊燃燒。
All was uproar and confusion. The serene air and moonlight of the night before had given way to driving clouds, and a wild tempest, like the roar of the sea, swept over the city. Flames arose on every side, blazing and crackling in the storm; white clouds of smoke and sparks in an incessant shower went driving towards the Kremlin. The clouds themselves seemed turned into fire, rolling wrath over devoted Moscow. Mortier, crushed with the responsibility thrown upon his shoulders, moved with his Young Guard amid this desolation, blowing up the houses and facing the tempest and the flames—struggling nobly to arrest the conflagration.
到處都是喧囂和混亂，先前那寧靜的空氣和月光已被濃厚的烏云取代，一場突如其來的暴風雨就像大海的咆哮般席卷了整座城市，四面八方躥起的火焰在暴風雨中噼里啪啦地燃燒著。而那白色的煙霧和不停躥出的火花正向克林姆宮慢慢逼近，就連云層似乎也變成了火焰，憤怒地在莫斯科上空翻滾著。面對暴風雨和大火，被肩上的重擔壓垮了的莫蒂埃在廢墟之中和年輕的士兵們一起行動，他們炸毀房屋，最終壯麗地阻止了大火的蔓延。
