Anna Karenina — Chapter 183 in French
By Leo Tolstoy
L’élection du maréchal de la noblesse de la province n’eut lieu que le sixième jour. The principal election, that of marshal of the government, did not take place until the sixth day.
La foule des gentilshommes, en divers uniformes, se pressait dans les salons grands et petits. The great halls and the little halls were crowded with nobles in their various uniforms. Plusieurs ne devaient arriver que pour ce jour-là. Many came for this day only. Des amis qui ne s’étaient pas vus depuis longtemps, les uns venant de Crimée, les autres de Pétersbourg, les autres de l’étranger, se rencontraient dans les salons ou dans la tribune ; les débats s’agitaient sous le portrait de l’empereur. Acquaintances who had not met for years were there, some from the Krimea, some from Petersburg, some from abroad. The debates were carried on at the governor's table, under the emperor's portrait.
Dans les salons les gentilshommes se partageaient déjà en groupes ; et aux regards méfiants et hostiles, aux conversations qui s’arrêtaient à l’approche de personnes étrangères, aux conciliabules tenus au fond des couloirs, on voyait que chaque parti avait des secrets pour l’autre. The nobles both in the larger and in the smaller hall were grouped in opposing camps, and, judging by the hostile and mistrustful looks exchanged, by the conversations which ceased at the approach of strangers, by the fact that some walked up and down the distant corridor whispering together, it was evident that each side had secrets from the other. Extérieurement les gentilshommes se divisaient en deux grands groupes : les vieux et les nouveaux. Even by a superficial glance it could be seen that the nobles were divided into two sharply contrasting types: the old and the new. Parmi les vieux on ne voyait guère que des gentilshommes vêtus d’uniformes passés de mode, boutonnés du haut en bas, le chapeau sous le bras, et quelques-uns d’uniformes de la marine, de la cavalerie et de l’infanterie. The old school wore for the most part either old court uniforms, tightly buttoned up, with swords, and ancient hats, or else their ordinary marine, cavalry, or infantry uniforms of very ancient date. Les nouveaux portaient au contraire l’uniforme déboutonné, à taille longue, large d’épaules et le gilet blanc, ou les uniformes à cols noirs brodés de lauriers du ministère de la Justice ; quelques uniformes de cour, rares dans la foule, appartenaient aussi aux jeunes. The uniforms of the old nobles were made in the ancient style, with epaulets on the shoulders, and with short waists and tight armholes, as if their possessors had grown out of them; but the younger men wore court uniforms with broad shoulders, long waists, and white waistcoats unbuttoned, or else uniforms with black collars and embroidered laurel leaves—the distinguishing badge of the ministry of justice. On voyait çà et là des uniformes de cour parmi les jeunes gens, ce qui ajoutait à l'éclat de la foule. Court uniforms were to be seen here and there, also among the young men, adding to the brilliancy of the throng.
Mais la division en jeunes et en vieux ne correspondait pas à la division en partis. But the division into "old" and "young" did not coincide with the party lines. Quelques jeunes, comme le remarquait Lévine, appartenaient au vieux parti, et, au contraire, quelques très vieux gentilshommes chuchotaient avec Sviajski et semblaient de très chauds partisans du nouvel esprit. Some of the younger men, to Levin's surprise, belonged to the old party, and, on the contrary, some of the very oldest nobles were on confidential terms with Sviazhsky and were evidently warm partizans of the new school.