Despite a serene sunset on the Dnipro river, the mood is tense for the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The year is 1676, and the Treaty of Żurawno has officially ended hostilities between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. But as Stepan and his men ride towards their stronghold, peace is far from their minds.
雖然聶伯河上的落日十分寧靜, 札波羅結哥薩克的氣氛卻十分緊繃。 時間是 1676 年, 茹拉夫諾協定讓波蘭立陶宛 與鄂圖曼帝國之間的對立正式告終。 但當史戴潘與他的人馬 朝他們的據點前進時, 他們的腦中完全沒有和平這個詞。
Having made their home in the Wild Fields north of the Black Sea, these cossacks— derived from a Turkic word for "free man"— are renowned as one of Europe’s most formidable military forces. Composed of hunters, fishermen, nomads and outlaws, the Cossacks found freedom in these fertile unclaimed lands. Yet this freedom has proven increasingly difficult to maintain. Their decades-long strategy of shifting alliances between Poland and Moscow has led to the partitioning of their lands. In a desperate bid to reclaim independence and reunite the fractured Cossack state, their most recent leader, hetman Petro Doroshenko allied with the Ottoman Empire. This alliance successfully freed the Zaporozhian Cossacks in the west from Polish dominion, but their victory was a bitter one. Doroshenko’s Ottoman allies ravaged the countryside, carrying off peasants into slavery. And outrage at allying with Muslims against fellow Christians cost him any remaining local support. Now, with Doroshenko deposed and exiled, the Cossacks are at odds, disagreeing on what their next move should be.
他們在黑海北方的大草原定居之後, 這些哥薩克人—— 這詞來自突厥語的「自由人」—— 是歐洲以讓人畏懼而聞名的軍隊。 哥薩克人的組成分子包括獵人、 漁夫、遊牧民族、法外之徒, 他們在這些肥沃且無主的 土地上找到自由。 但這樣的自由卻越來越難維持。 數十年來,他們的策略是 在波蘭和莫斯科之間轉換盟友, 結果導致他們的土地被瓜分。 他們拼命努力想要取回獨立, 並將破裂的哥薩克國家重新團結, 他們最新的領導人蓋特曼 · 多羅申科 將軍和鄂圖曼帝國結盟。 這結盟成功解放了 西方札波羅結哥薩克, 讓他們脫離波蘭統治, 但他們勝利有痛苦的代價。 多羅申科的鄂圖曼盟友 劫掠了鄉間, 抓走農夫,將他們奴役。 因為和穆斯林結盟來對抗 基督教夥伴所造成的憤怒 讓他也失去了 所有剩下的當地支援。 多羅申科被罷免、放逐, 哥薩克人四分五裂, 對下一步該做什麼完全沒有共識。
Until then, Stepan must keep order. With his musket and curved saber, he cuts an imposing figure. He surveys his battalion of 180 men. Most are Orthodox Christians and speak a Slavic language that will become modern Ukrainian. But there are also Greeks, Tatars, and even some Mongolian Kalmyks, many with different opinions on recent events. Officially, all of Stepan’s men have sworn to uphold the Cossack code by undergoing seven years of military training and remaining unmarried. In practice, some are part-timers, holding more closely to their own traditions, and maintaining families in nearby villages, outside Cossack lands.
在那之前,史戴潘必須要維持秩序。 他帶著毛瑟槍和弧形軍刀, 塑造了使人印象深刻的形象。 他環視著 180 人的大軍。 大部分的東正教基督徒 說的是斯拉夫語, 也就是現代的烏克蘭語。 但還有希臘人、韃靼人、 甚至一些蒙古卡爾梅克人, 對近期的事件, 許多人都有不同的意見。 史戴潘的所有手下都有 正式立誓要信守哥薩克規則, 要進行七年的軍事訓練,且不結婚。 實際上,有些人是兼差的, 比較遵從他們自己的傳統, 且在哥薩克土地之外的 鄰近村落中還有家庭。
Thankfully, the tenuous peace is not broken before they reach the Sich— the center of Cossack military life. Currently located at Chortomlyk, the Sich’s location shifts with the tide of military action. The settlement is remarkably well- organized, with administrative buildings, officers’ quarters, and even schools, as Cossacks prize literacy. Stepan and his men make their way to the barracks where they live and train alongside several other battalions or kurins, all of which make up a several hundred man regiment.
謝天謝地,在他們到達塞契之前, 脆弱的和平並沒有被打破—— 塞契(要塞)是哥薩克 軍事生活的中心。 當前的塞契位在喬爾托姆利克, 但會隨著軍事行動而轉變所在。 這個新定居地的組織 非常良好,內有行政大樓、 軍官的總部、甚至學校, 因為哥薩克人很重視識字。 史戴潘和他的人馬到了 他們居住和訓練的兵營, 營中還有數支其他軍隊, 每支軍隊都是數百人的軍團。
Inside, the men dine on dried fish, sheep’s cheese, and salted pork fat— along with plenty of wine. Stepan instructs his friend Yuri to lighten the mood with his bandura. But before long, an argument has broken out. One of his men has raised a toast to Doroshenko. Stepan cuts him off. The room is silent until he raises his own toast to Ivan Sirko, the new hetman who favors an alliance with Moscow against the Turks. Stepan plans to support him, and he expects his men to do the same.
在營中,大家吃的是曬乾的魚、 羊乳起司、鹹豬肥肉—— 還有許多葡萄酒。 史戴潘指示他的朋友尤里 用班杜拉琴來抒援氣氛。 但不久就起了爭執。 他的手下之一舉杯敬多羅申科。 史戴潘打斷他。 房間中一片寂靜, 直到他舉杯敬伊萬西爾科, 西爾科是新的將軍,偏好 與莫斯科結盟對抗土耳其人。 史戴潘打算要支持他, 他也期望他的手下會跟進。
Suddenly, one of Sirko’s men rushes in, calling an emergency Rada, or general council meeting. Stepan and the others make their way towards the church square— the center of Sich life. Ivan Sirko welcomes the confused crowd with exciting news— scouts have located a large Ottoman camp completely vulnerable on one side. Sirko vows that tomorrow, they will ride against their common enemy, defend the Cossacks’ autonomy, and bring unity to the Wild Fields. As the men cheer in unison, Stepan is relieved at their renewed sense of brotherhood.
突然,一個西爾科的手下衝進來, 傳達要緊急召開大會。 史戴潘和其他人趕到教堂廣場—— 塞契生活的中心地。 伊萬西爾科用讓人興奮的消息 來歡迎困惑的大眾—— 偵察兵發現了一個大型鄂圖曼 營地,且有一邊防守薄弱。 西爾科誓言,明天,他們要 出征對抗他們的共同敵人, 保衛哥薩克的自治權, 並讓大草原統一。 當大家一致歡呼時, 他們重新找回的兄弟情感 讓史戴潘鬆了一口氣。
Over the next 200 years, these freedom fighters would take on many foes. And tragically, they would eventually become the oppressive hand of the Russian government they once opposed. But today, these 17th century Cossacks are remembered for their spirit of independence and defiance. As the Russian painter Ilya Repin once said: “No people in the world held freedom, equality, and fraternity so deeply.”
在接下來的兩百年, 這些自由鬥士會面對許多敵手。 不幸的是,他們最後會成為 他們曾經對抗的 俄國政府的壓迫幫手。 但,現今,大家記得這些 十七世紀的哥薩克人, 是因為他們的獨立與反抗精神。 俄國畫家伊利亞列賓曾經說過: 「世界上沒有其他人把自由、 平等,和友愛看得這麼深重。」