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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Part 7. Chapter 16.

Part 7. Chapter 16.

At ten o'clock the old prince, Sergey Ivanovitch, and Stepan Arkadyevitch were sitting at Levin's. Having inquired after Kitty, they had dropped into conversation upon other subjects. Levin heard them, and unconsciously, as they talked, going over the past, over what had been up to that morning, he thought of himself as he had been yesterday till that point. It was as though a hundred years had passed since then. He felt himself exalted to unattainable heights, from which he studiously lowered himself so as not to wound the people he was talking to. He talked, and was all the time thinking of his wife, of her condition now, of his son, in whose existence he tried to school himself into believing. The whole world of woman, which had taken for him since his marriage a new value he had never suspected before, was now so exalted that he could not take it in in his imagination. He heard them talk of yesterday's dinner at the club, and thought: "What is happening with her now? Is she asleep? How is she? What is she thinking of? Is he crying, my son Dmitri?" And in the middle of the conversation, in the middle of a sentence, he jumped up and went out of the room.

"Send me word if I can see her," said the prince. "Very well, in a minute," answered Levin, and without stopping, he went to her room. She was not asleep, she was talking gently with her mother, making plans about the christening.

Carefully set to rights, with hair well-brushed, in a smart little cap with some blue in it, her arms out on the quilt, she was lying on her back. Meeting his eyes, her eyes drew him to her. Her face, bright before, brightened still more as he drew near her. There was the same change in it from earthly to unearthly that is seen in the face of the dead. But then it means farewell, here it meant welcome. Again a rush of emotion, such as he had felt at the moment of the child's birth, flooded his heart. She took his hand and asked him if he had slept. He could not answer, and turned away, struggling with his weakness.

"I have had a nap, Kostya!" she said to him; "and I am so comfortable now." She looked at him, but suddenly her expression changed.

"Give him to me," she said, hearing the baby's cry. "Give him to me, Lizaveta Petrovna, and he shall look at him." "To be sure, his papa shall look at him," said Lizaveta Petrovna, getting up and bringing something red, and queer, and wriggling. "Wait a minute, we'll make him tidy first," and Lizaveta Petrovna laid the red wobbling thing on the bed, began untrussing and trussing up the baby, lifting it up and turning it over with one finger and powdering it with something. Levin, looking at the tiny, pitiful creature, made strenuous efforts to discover in his heart some traces of fatherly feeling for it. He felt nothing towards it but disgust. But when it was undressed and he caught a glimpse of wee, wee, little hands, little feet, saffron-colored, with little toes, too, and positively with a little big toe different from the rest, and when he saw Lizaveta Petrovna closing the wide-open little hands, as though they were soft springs, and putting them into linen garments, such pity for the little creature came upon him, and such terror that she would hurt it, that he held her hand back.

Lizaveta Petrovna laughed.

"Don't be frightened, don't be frightened!" When the baby had been put to rights and transformed into a firm doll, Lizaveta Petrovna dandled it as though proud of her handiwork, and stood a little away so that Levin might see his son in all his glory.

Kitty looked sideways in the same direction, never taking her eyes off the baby. "Give him to me! give him to me!" she said, and even made as though she would sit up.

"What are you thinking of, Katerina Alexandrovna, you mustn't move like that! Wait a minute. I'll give him to you. Here we're showing papa what a fine fellow we are!" And Lizaveta Petrovna, with one hand supporting the wobbling head, lifted up on the other arm the strange, limp, red creature, whose head was lost in its swaddling clothes. But it had a nose, too, and slanting eyes and smacking lips.

"A splendid baby!" said Lizaveta Petrovna.

Levin sighed with mortification. This splendid baby excited in him no feeling but disgust and compassion. It was not at all the feeling he had looked forward to.

He turned away while Lizaveta Petrovna put the baby to the unaccustomed breast.

Suddenly laughter made him look round. The baby had taken the breast.

"Come, that's enough, that's enough!" said Lizaveta Petrovna, but Kitty would not let the baby go. He fell asleep in her arms.

"Look, now," said Kitty, turning the baby so that he could see it. The aged-looking little face suddenly puckered up still more and the baby sneezed.

Smiling, hardly able to restrain his tears, Levin kissed his wife and went out of the dark room. What he felt towards this little creature was utterly unlike what he had expected. There was nothing cheerful and joyous in the feeling; on the contrary, it was a new torture of apprehension. It was the consciousness of a new sphere of liability to pain. And this sense was so painful at first, the apprehension lest this helpless creature should suffer was so intense, that it prevented him from noticing the strange thrill of senseless joy and even pride that he had felt when the baby sneezed.

Part 7. Chapter 16.

At ten o'clock the old prince, Sergey Ivanovitch, and Stepan Arkadyevitch were sitting at Levin's. Having inquired after Kitty, they had dropped into conversation upon other subjects. Levin heard them, and unconsciously, as they talked, going over the past, over what had been up to that morning, he thought of himself as he had been yesterday till that point. It was as though a hundred years had passed since then. He felt himself exalted to unattainable heights, from which he studiously lowered himself so as not to wound the people he was talking to. Il se sentit exalté à des hauteurs inaccessibles, d'où il s'abaissa soigneusement pour ne pas blesser les gens à qui il parlait. He talked, and was all the time thinking of his wife, of her condition now, of his son, in whose existence he tried to school himself into believing. Il parlait et pensait tout le temps à sa femme, à son état maintenant, à son fils, à l'existence duquel il tentait de se former à croire. Jis kalbėjo ir visą laiką galvojo apie savo žmoną, apie jos būklę dabar, apie savo sūnų, kurio egzistavimu jis bandė mokytis tikėti. The whole world of woman, which had taken for him since his marriage a new value he had never suspected before, was now so exalted that he could not take it in in his imagination. Le monde entier de la femme, qui avait pris pour lui depuis son mariage une valeur nouvelle qu'il n'avait jamais soupçonnée auparavant, était maintenant si exalté qu'il ne pouvait pas la prendre dans son imagination. He heard them talk of yesterday's dinner at the club, and thought: "What is happening with her now? Is she asleep? How is she? What is she thinking of? Is he crying, my son Dmitri?" And in the middle of the conversation, in the middle of a sentence, he jumped up and went out of the room.

"Send me word if I can see her," said the prince. «Envoyez-moi un mot si je peux la voir», dit le prince. "Very well, in a minute," answered Levin, and without stopping, he went to her room. She was not asleep, she was talking gently with her mother, making plans about the christening.

Carefully set to rights, with hair well-brushed, in a smart little cap with some blue in it, her arms out on the quilt, she was lying on her back. Soigneusement mise à droite, les cheveux bien brossés, dans un petit bonnet élégant avec un peu de bleu dedans, les bras sur la courtepointe, elle était couchée sur le dos. Meeting his eyes, her eyes drew him to her. Rencontrant ses yeux, ses yeux l'attirent vers elle. Her face, bright before, brightened still more as he drew near her. Son visage, brillant auparavant, s'éclaira encore plus alors qu'il s'approchait d'elle. There was the same change in it from earthly to unearthly that is seen in the face of the dead. Il y a eu le même changement de terrestre à surnaturel que l'on voit sur le visage des morts. But then it means farewell, here it meant welcome. Again a rush of emotion, such as he had felt at the moment of the child's birth, flooded his heart. De nouveau, un élan d'émotion, tel qu'il avait ressenti au moment de la naissance de l'enfant, inonda son cœur. She took his hand and asked him if he had slept. He could not answer, and turned away, struggling with his weakness. Il ne put répondre et se détourna, luttant contre sa faiblesse.

"I have had a nap, Kostya!" she said to him; "and I am so comfortable now." She looked at him, but suddenly her expression changed.

"Give him to me," she said, hearing the baby's cry. "Give him to me, Lizaveta Petrovna, and he shall look at him." "To be sure, his papa shall look at him," said Lizaveta Petrovna, getting up and bringing something red, and queer, and wriggling. «Certes, son papa le regardera», dit Lizaveta Petrovna en se levant et en apportant quelque chose de rouge, de bizarre et de se tortillant. "Wait a minute, we'll make him tidy first," and Lizaveta Petrovna laid the red wobbling thing on the bed, began untrussing and trussing up the baby, lifting it up and turning it over with one finger and powdering it with something. "Attendez une minute, nous allons le faire ranger d'abord," et Lizaveta Petrovna posa la chose rouge tremblante sur le lit, commença à détacher et à ligoter le bébé, en le soulevant et en le retournant avec un doigt et en le saupoudrant de quelque chose. "Wacht even, we zullen hem eerst opruimen," en Lizaveta Petrovna legde het rode wiebelende ding op het bed, begon de baby los te maken en vast te maken, tilde hem op en draaide hem met één vinger om en bestrooid hem met iets. Levin, looking at the tiny, pitiful creature, made strenuous efforts to discover in his heart some traces of fatherly feeling for it. Levin, regardant la minuscule et pitoyable créature, fit de gros efforts pour découvrir dans son cœur des traces de sentiments paternels pour elle. He felt nothing towards it but disgust. But when it was undressed and he caught a glimpse of wee, wee, little hands, little feet, saffron-colored, with little toes, too, and positively with a little big toe different from the rest, and when he saw Lizaveta Petrovna closing the wide-open little hands, as though they were soft springs, and putting them into linen garments, such pity for the little creature came upon him, and such terror that she would hurt it, that he held her hand back. Mais quand il était déshabillé et qu'il aperçut pipi, pipi, petites mains, petits pieds, couleur safran, avec de petits orteils aussi, et positivement avec un petit gros orteil différent du reste, et quand il vit Lizaveta Petrovna fermer les petites mains grandes ouvertes, comme si elles étaient des ressorts souples, et les mettant dans des vêtements de lin, une telle pitié pour la petite créature lui vint, et une telle terreur qu'elle lui ferait mal, qu'il retint sa main.

Lizaveta Petrovna laughed.

"Don't be frightened, don't be frightened!" When the baby had been put to rights and transformed into a firm doll, Lizaveta Petrovna dandled it as though proud of her handiwork, and stood a little away so that Levin might see his son in all his glory. Quand le bébé eut été remis en état et transformé en une poupée solide, Lizaveta Petrovna le fit dandiner comme si fière de son travail, et se tint un peu à l'écart pour que Levin puisse voir son fils dans toute sa gloire.

Kitty looked sideways in the same direction, never taking her eyes off the baby. "Give him to me! give him to me!" she said, and even made as though she would sit up.

"What are you thinking of, Katerina Alexandrovna, you mustn't move like that! Wait a minute. I'll give him to you. Here we're showing papa what a fine fellow we are!" And Lizaveta Petrovna, with one hand supporting the wobbling head, lifted up on the other arm the strange, limp, red creature, whose head was lost in its swaddling clothes. Et Lizaveta Petrovna, d'une main soutenant la tête vacillante, souleva de l'autre bras l'étrange créature rouge, molle, dont la tête était perdue dans ses langes. But it had a nose, too, and slanting eyes and smacking lips. Mais il avait aussi un nez, des yeux bridés et des lèvres claquantes.

"A splendid baby!" said Lizaveta Petrovna.

Levin sighed with mortification. Levin zuchtte van vernedering. This splendid baby excited in him no feeling but disgust and compassion. Deze geweldige baby wekte in hem alleen maar afkeer en mededogen op. It was not at all the feeling he had looked forward to.

He turned away while Lizaveta Petrovna put the baby to the unaccustomed breast. Hij wendde zich af terwijl Lizaveta Petrovna de baby aan de ongebruikelijke borst legde.

Suddenly laughter made him look round. The baby had taken the breast.

"Come, that's enough, that's enough!" said Lizaveta Petrovna, but Kitty would not let the baby go. He fell asleep in her arms.

"Look, now," said Kitty, turning the baby so that he could see it. The aged-looking little face suddenly puckered up still more and the baby sneezed. Le petit visage vieilli se plissa soudain encore plus et le bébé éternua. Senyvo amžiaus mažas veidas staiga dar labiau pakilo ir kūdikis čiaudėjo. Het oud uitziende gezichtje trok ineens nog meer op en de baby niesde.

Smiling, hardly able to restrain his tears, Levin kissed his wife and went out of the dark room. What he felt towards this little creature was utterly unlike what he had expected. Tai, ką jis jautė šiam mažam padarui, buvo visiškai nepanašus į tai, ko tikėjosi. There was nothing cheerful and joyous in the feeling; on the contrary, it was a new torture of apprehension. It was the consciousness of a new sphere of liability to pain. C'était la conscience d'une nouvelle sphère de responsabilité face à la douleur. Tai buvo naujos atsakomybės už skausmą sferos sąmonė. And this sense was so painful at first, the apprehension lest this helpless creature should suffer was so intense, that it prevented him from noticing the strange thrill of senseless joy and even pride that he had felt when the baby sneezed. Et ce sentiment était si douloureux au début, l'appréhension de peur que cette créature sans défense ne souffre était si intense, qu'elle l'empêchait de remarquer l'étrange frisson de joie insensée et même de fierté qu'il avait ressentie lorsque le bébé éternuait. Ir šis jausmas iš pradžių buvo toks skausmingas, kad baimė, kad ši bejėgė būtybė turėtų kentėti, buvo toks intensyvus, kad tai sutrukdė pastebėti keistą beprasmiško džiaugsmo ir net pasididžiavimo jaudulį, kurį jautė, kai kūdikis čiaudėjo.