Part 4 Book 11 Chapter 5 The Old Man

Let us recount what had taken place.

Enjolras and his friends had been on the Boulevard Bourdon, near the public storehouses, at the moment when the dragoons had made their charge. Enjolras, Courfeyrac, and Combeferre were among those who had taken to the Rue Bassompierre, shouting: "To the barricades!" In the Rue Lesdiguieres they had met an old man walking along. What had attracted their attention was that the goodman was walking in a zig-zag, as though he were intoxicated. Moreover, he had his hat in his hand, although it had been raining all the morning, and was raining pretty briskly at the very time. Courfeyrac had recognized Father Mabeuf. He knew him through having many times accompanied Marius as far as his door. As he was acquainted with the peaceful and more than timid habits of the old beadle-book-collector, and was amazed at the sight of him in the midst of that uproar, a couple of paces from the cavalry charges, almost in the midst of a fusillade, hatless in the rain, and strolling about among the bullets, he had accosted him, and the following dialogue had been exchanged between the rioter of fire and the octogenarian:--

"M. Mabeuf, go to your home."

"Why?"

"There's going to be a row."

"That's well."

"Thrusts with the sword and firing, M. Mabeuf."

"That is well."

"Firing from cannon."

"That is good. Where are the rest of you going?"

"We are going to fling the government to the earth."

"That is good."

And he had set out to follow them. From that moment forth he had not uttered a word. His step had suddenly become firm; artisans had offered him their arms; he had refused with a sign of the head. He advanced nearly to the front rank of the column, with the movement of a man who is marching and the countenance of a man who is sleeping.

"What a fierce old fellow!" muttered the students. The rumor spread through the troop that he was a former member of the Convention,-- an old regicide. The mob had turned in through the Rue de la Verrerie.

Little Gavroche marched in front with that deafening song which made of him a sort of trumpet.

He sang: "Voici la lune qui paratt, Quand irons-nous dans la foret? Demandait Charlot a Charlotte.

Tou tou tou Pour Chatou. Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"Pour avoir bu de grand matin La rosee a meme le thym, Deux moineaux etaient en ribotte.

Zi zi zi Pour Passy. Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"Et ces deux pauvres petits loups, Comme deux grives estaient souls; Une tigre en riait dans sa grotte.

Don don don Pour Meudon. Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte.

"L'un jurait et l'autre sacrait. Quand irons nous dans la foret? Demandait Charlot a Charlotte.

Tin tin tin Pour Pantin. Je n'ai qu'un Dieu, qu'un roi, qu'un liard, et qu'une botte."[46]

They directed their course towards Saint-Merry.

[46] Here is the morn appearing. When shall we go to the forest, Charlot asked Charlotte. Tou, tou, tou, for Chatou, I have but one God, one King, one half-farthing, and one boot. And these two poor little wolves were as tipsy as sparrows from having drunk dew and thyme very early in the morning. And these two poor little things were as drunk as thrushes in a vineyard; a tiger laughed at them in his cave. The one cursed, the other swore. When shall we go to the forest? Charlot asked Charlotte.

我们先谈谈经过。

当龙骑兵冲击时，安灼拉和他的朋友们正走到布尔东林荫大道的储备粮仓附近。安灼拉、古费拉克、公白飞和另外许多人，都沿着巴松比尔街一面走一面喊着：“到街垒去。”走到雷迪吉埃街时，他们遇见一个老人，也在走着。

引起他们注意的是那老人走起路来东倒西歪，象喝醉了酒似的。此外，尽管那天早晨总在下雨，而且也下得相当大，他却把帽子捏在手里。古费拉克认出了那是马白夫先生。他认识他，是因为他曾多次陪送马吕斯直到他的大门口。他早知道这个年老的有藏书癖的教会事务员，一贯爱好清静，胆小怕事，现在看见他在这嘈杂的环境中，离马队的冲击才两步路，几乎是在炮火中，在雨里脱掉帽子，走在流弹横飞的地区，不免大吃一惊。他向他打了个招呼。这二十五岁的起义战士便和那八十岁的老人作了这样一段对话：

“马白夫先生，您回家去吧。”

“为什么？”

“这儿会出乱子呢。”

“好嘛。”

“马刀对砍，步枪乱蹦呢。”

“好嘛。”

“大炮要轰。”

“好嘛。你们去什么地方，你们这些人？”

“我们去把政府推翻在地上。”

“好嘛。”

他立即跟着他们往前走。从这以后他一句话也没有说。他的步伐忽然稳健起来了，有些工人想搀着他的胳膊走。他摇摇头，拒绝了。他几乎是走在行列的最前列，他的动作是前进，他的神情却仿佛是睡着了。

“好一个硬骨头老家伙！”大学生们在窃窃私语。消息传遍了整个队伍，有人说，这人当过国民公会代表，也有人说，这老头投票判处国王死刑。

队伍走进了玻璃厂街。小伽弗洛什走在前面大声歌唱，用以代替进军的号角。他唱道：

月亮已经上来了，

我们几时去森林？

小查理问小查丽。

嘟，嘟，嘟，去沙图。

我只有一个上帝、一个国王、一文小钱、一只靴。

百里香上有朝露，

飞来两只小山雀，

喝了香露还要喝。

吱，吱，吱，去巴喜。

我只有一个上帝、一个国王、一文小钱、一只靴。

可怜两只小狼崽，

醉得象那画眉鸟，

老虎在洞里笑它们。

咚，咚，咚，去默东。

我只有一个上帝、一个国王、一文小钱、一只靴。

你发誓来我赌咒，

我们几时去森林？

小查理问小查丽。

噹，噹，噹，去庞坦。

我只有一个上帝、一个国王、一文小钱、一只靴。

他们朝着圣美里走去。