Part 4 Book 12 Chapter 5 Preparations

The journals of the day which said that that nearly impregnable structure, of the barricade¹ of the Rue² de la Chanvrerie, as they call it, reached to the level of the first floor, were mistaken. The fact is, that it did not exceed an average height of six or seven feet. It was built in such a manner that the combatants could, at their will, either disappear behind it or dominate the barrier and even scale its crest³ by means of a quadruple row of paving-stones placed on top of each other and arranged as steps in the interior. On the outside, the front of the barricade, composed of piles of paving-stones and casks bound together by beams and planks⁴, which were entangled⁵ in the wheels of Anceau's dray and of the overturned omnibus, had a bristling⁶ and inextricable aspect.

An aperture⁷ large enough to allow a man to pass through had been made between the wall of the houses and the extremity⁸ of the barricade which was furthest from the wine-shop, so that an exit was possible at this point. The pole of the omnibus was placed upright and held up with ropes, and a red flag, fastened to this pole, floated over the barricade.

The little Mondetour barricade, hidden behind the wine-shop building, was not visible. The two barricades⁹ united formed a veritable redoubt. Enjolras and Courfeyrac had not thought fit to barricade the other fragment of the Rue Mondetour which opens through the Rue des Precheurs an issue into the Halles, wishing, no doubt, to preserve a possible communication with the outside, and not entertaining much fear of an attack through the dangerous and difficult street of the Rue des Precheurs.

With the exception of this issue which was left free, and which constituted what Folard in his strategical style would have termed a branch and taking into account, also, the narrow cutting arranged on the Rue de la Chanvrerie, the interior of the barricade, where the wine-shop formed a salient angle, presented an irregular square, closed on all sides. There existed an interval¹⁰ of twenty paces between the grand barrier and the lofty houses which formed the background of the street, so that one might say that the barricade rested on these houses, all inhabited, but closed from top to bottom.

All this work was performed without any hindrance¹¹, in less than an hour, and without this handful of bold men seeing a single bear-skin cap or a single bayonet make their appearance. The very bourgeois¹² who still ventured at this hour of riot to enterthe Rue Saint-Denis cast a glance at the Rue de la Chanvrerie, caught sight of the barricade, and redoubled their pace.

The two barricades being finished, and the flag run up, a table was dragged out of the wine-shop; and Courfeyrac mounted on the table. Enjolras brought the square coffer, and Courfeyrac opened it. This coffer was filled with cartridges¹³. When the mob saw the cartridges, a tremor¹⁴ ran through the bravest, and a momentary¹⁵ silence ensued.

Courfeyrac distributed them with a smile.

Each one received thirty cartridges. Many had powder, and set about making others with the bullets which they had run. As for the barrel of powder, it stood on a table on one side, near the door, and was held in reserve.

The alarm beat which ran through all Paris, did not cease, but it had finally come to be nothing more than a monotonous¹⁶ noise to which they no longer paid any attention. This noise retreated at times, and again drew near, with melancholy¹⁷ undulations.

They loaded the guns and carbines, all together, without haste, with solemn gravity. Enjolras went and stationed three sentinels outside the barricades, one in the Rue de la Chanvrerie, the second in the Rue des Precheurs, the third at the corner of the Rue de la Petite Truanderie.

Then, the barricades having been built, the posts assigned, the guns loaded, the sentinels stationed, they waited, alone in those redoubtable¹⁸ streets through which no one passed any longer, surrounded by those dumb houses which seemed dead and in which no human movement palpitated, enveloped¹⁹ in the deepening shades of twilight²⁰ which was drawing on, in the midst of that silence through which something could be felt advancing, and which had about it something tragic²¹ and terrifying, isolated²², armed, determined²³, and tranquil²⁴.

当时的一些报纸曾报导麻厂街的街垒是一座“无法攻下的建筑”，他们的描绘是这样的。他们说它有一幢楼房那么高，这种说法错了。事实是它的平均高度没有超出六尺或七尺。它的建造设计是让战士能随意隐蔽在垒墙后面或在它上面居高临下，并可由一道砌在内部的四级石块阶梯登上墙脊，跨越出去。街垒的正面是由石块和木桶堆筑起来的，又用一些木柱和木板以及安索的那辆小马车和翻倒了的公共马车的轮子，纵横交错，连成一个整体，从外面看去，那形象是杈桠歧生、紊乱错杂的。街垒的一头紧接酒店，在另外那一头和对面房屋的墙壁之间，留了一个能容一人通过的缺口作为出路。公共马车的辕杆已用绳索绑扎，让它竖起来，杆端系了一面红旗，飘扬在街垒的上空。

蒙德都街的那座小街垒，隐在酒店房屋的背后，是瞧不见的。这两处街垒连在一道便构成一座真正的犄角堡。安灼拉和古费拉克曾认为不宜在布道修士街通往菜市场那一段蒙德都街上建造街垒，他们显然是要留一条可以通向外面的路，也不大怕敌人从那条危险和艰难的布道修士街攻进来。

这条未经阻塞留作通道的出路，也许就是福拉尔①兵法中所说的那种交通小道；如果这条小道和麻厂街的那条狭窄的缺口都不计算在内，这座街垒内部除了酒店所构成的突角以外，便象一个全部封闭了的不规则四边形。这座大街垒和街底的那排高房子，相隔不过二十来步，因此我们可以说，街垒是背靠着那排房子的。那几座房子全有人住，但从上到下全关上了门窗。

①福拉尔（Folard，1669?752），法国军事学家。　

这一切工程是在不到一小时之内顺利完成了的，那一小伙胆大气壮的人没有见到一顶毛皮帽①或一把枪刺。偶尔也有几个资产阶级仍在这暴动时刻走过圣德尼街时，向麻厂街望了一眼，见了这街垒便加快了脚步。

①十九世纪初，法国近卫军头戴高大的毛皮帽，此处泛指政府军。

两个街垒都已完成，红旗已经竖起，他们便从酒店里拖出一张桌子，古费拉克立在桌子上。安灼拉搬来了方匣子，古费拉克打开匣盖，里面盛满了枪弹。枪弹出现时最勇敢的人也起了一阵战栗，大家全静了下来。

古费拉克面带笑容，把枪弹分给大家。

每人得到三十发枪弹。好些人有火药，便开始用熔好的子弹头做更多的枪弹。至于那整桶火药，他们把它放在店门旁的另一张桌子上，保存起来。

集合军队的鼓角声响彻巴黎，迄今未止，但已成一种单调的声音，他们不再注意了。那种声音，时而由近及远，时而由远及近，来回飘荡，惨不忍闻。

后来街垒建成了，各人的岗位都指定了，枪弹进了膛，哨兵上了岗，行人已绝迹，四周房屋全是静悄悄的，死了似的，绝无一点人的声息，暮色开始加深，逐渐进入黑夜，他们孤孤单单地留在这种触目惊心的街巷中，黑暗和死寂的环境中，感到自己已和外面隔绝，向着他们逼来的是种说不出有多悲惨和骇人的事物，他们紧握手中武器，坚定，安闲，等待着。

1 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

2 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

3 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

4 planks   

（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点

参考例句：

• The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
• We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

5 entangled   

adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bird had become entangled in the wire netting. 那只小鸟被铁丝网缠住了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bristling   

a.竖立的

参考例句：

• "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话，你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
• You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。

7 aperture   

n.孔，隙，窄的缺口

参考例句：

• The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。
• We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

8 extremity   

n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度

参考例句：

• I hope you will help them in their extremity.我希望你能帮助在穷途末路的他们。
• What shall we do in this extremity?在这种极其困难的情况下我们该怎么办呢？

9 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

10 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

11 hindrance   

n.妨碍，障碍

参考例句：

• Now they can construct tunnel systems without hindrance.现在他们可以顺利地建造隧道系统了。
• The heavy baggage was a great hindrance to me.那件行李成了我的大累赘。

12 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

13 cartridges   

子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头

参考例句：

• computer consumables such as disks and printer cartridges 如磁盘、打印机墨盒之类的电脑耗材
• My new video game player came with three game cartridges included. 我的新电子游戏机附有三盘游戏带。

14 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

15 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

16 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

17 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

18 redoubtable   

adj.可敬的；可怕的

参考例句：

• He is a redoubtable fighter.他是一位可敬的战士。
• Whose only defense is their will and redoubtable spirit.他们唯一的国防是他们的意志和可怕的精神。

19 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

21 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

22 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

23 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

24 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。