The Complete Translation Collection of Ba Jin - Volume 4

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-06-01
Features: Excerpt: Chapter My Nurse and Lagrandearmee①—The Moscow Fire—My Father Meets Napoleon—General Illovaisky—Traveling with French Prisoners—Patriotism—K. Kalo—Joint Management of Enterprises—Dividing the Property—Chancellor "Vera Altamonyovna, feed me again about the French coming to Moscow." I would say this every time, stretching lazily on my bed and wrapping myself in quilted bedding. My bed was stitched all around to prevent me from falling out. "Hmph! What's there to talk about? You've heard it so many times already, and it's time to sleep now; you'd better get up early tomorrow." The old nurse would answer like this as usual, but in fact, she was very willing to tell the stories she loved, just as I was eager to listen again. "Just tell me a little bit, how do you know? How does it start?" "It starts like this. You know what your father is like—he's always procrastinating; he packs his luggage, packs his luggage, and finally packs it! Everyone says, 'It's time to leave, what are you waiting for? Almost everyone has left the city.' But no, he keeps discussing with Pavel Ivanovich① how everyone should leave: at first this one wasn't ready, then that one wasn't ready. Later, we all packed, the carriage was ready; the gentlemen sat down for breakfast, and suddenly our chef's face turned deathly pale as he ran into the dining room to report, 'The enemy has entered the Dragomilov Gate.' Everyone's hearts tightened, and we cried out, 'Oh, God, please protect us!' We were all in a panic; as we were in a hurry and sighing, we saw a troop of dragoons running down the street, wearing such helmets with a horse's tail hanging behind their heads. All the city gates were closed, and now your father was in 'good luck,' along with you; your nurse Darya was holding you to feed you at that time—you were so delicate and frail." I proudly smiled, happy that I had also joined the war.
Postscript: Preface by Shujiji: Regarding the Memoirs of Herzen, I had a lot to say, but I didn't have much time to elaborate. Fortunately, I had written two postscripts, and I recently found letters from several friends that can tell the readers something. I myself may not have realized that I wouldn't be able to finish translating this book. In 1928, I first read the English translation of the memoirs and was full of confidence to translate this masterpiece. In 1936, I began selecting excerpts from the memoirs, and I had also told Mr. Lu Xun that I would translate the entire "great book." In 1940, I translated The Drama of the Family in Shanghai; during the later years of the Cultural Revolution, I began translating the memoirs, and I considered it the last work of my life. In the essay A Letter, I also expressed my determination to complete this task. You can imagine how upset I was when I told Comrade Xiang Xingyao that I couldn't finish this work! Comrade Xiang Xingyao had already translated four volumes at that time and sent me his manuscript, supporting me in publishing the translation. I was very grateful to him, but I returned his manuscript to him and let him continue translating. Now his translation has been fully published, which is a happy event, as I said in my letter to him: "No matter how high the tide of gold rises, it cannot crush lofty ideals." I thank him for repaying a debt I owed for decades. My friendship with Comrade Jian Zhonglun was also based on the Memoirs of Herzen. Comrade Zhonglun taught at Peking University and had never met me, but he was also a lover of Herzen and knew that I was translating the memoirs, so he contacted me and offered to proofread my translation. He had read the translation of The Drama of the Family and had given me valuable feedback. He proofread the manuscript of the memoirs, and the title of the book, Reminiscences and Reflections, was changed to Reminiscences and Reflections based on his suggestion. From this, I was inspired to find a name for my main work in my later years, Reflections. Because of this, I sincerely thank him. I remember that later, when I was hospitalized due to illness, he came to visit me at the East China Hospital and expressed regret that I couldn't finish translating the entire book. I hope he continues to introduce Herzen to Chinese readers, as they need such works.
Appendix also includes a letter I wrote to Comrade Zhou Puzhi. He was the chief editor of Reminiscences and Reflections (volume). He worked despite his illness and spent a lot of effort on my translation. He has already passed away, and recently, when I reread a copy of the letter I wrote to him, I couldn't help but think of things and suppress my longing. I often say that I am a person full of contradictions. Why do I keep saying I wanted to finish translating the entire book? Because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to. People say I am very persistent and strong, but in fact, I am very weak. I have written many articles and translated many works, all of which are the result of struggling with myself. I also have moments of failure, which means I have disappointed the readers and accumulated debts I cannot repay. Besides this book, there is also The Night of Russian Darkness by Zegner and Prison Notes from Russia and France by Kropotkin. The former only left one chapter, My Childhood, while the latter, after I translated a chapter, has also disappeared somewhere. In the past ten years, I often complained in letters to friends about being distracted by trivial matters, and I kept struggling against these distractions. I wanted to seize limited time, but my health was getting weaker, and many things I wanted to do couldn't be finished. I didn't have the energy to proofread the entire translation, but the second collected works could only be published with your support and help. You know me, so I don't need to express my gratitude here.
Ba Jin
October 16, 1995