He made Beethoven’s heart soar, then broke it. As much as the Civil Code or the Banque de France, what survives of Napoleon two centuries on is the art he provoked. (“Inspired” doesn’t do it.) There is the old tale of the Third Symphony, the Eroica, being named after him until he went and crowned himself Emperor. England’s Romantics, whether pro (Byron) or anti (Wordsworth), were no less obsessed. Even Stanley Kubrick attempted a biopic before settling down to easier subjects: the Vietnam war, the nature of free will.
他曾让贝多芬(Beethoven)心潮澎湃，然后又心灰意冷。在拿破仑(Napoleon)逝世200年后，除了《民法典》(Civil Code)和法国央行(Banque de France)之外，他留给世人的还有受他刺激（而非启发）而创作出来的艺术。有一个古老的故事是，贝多芬原本打算用拿破仑的名字命名第三号交响曲《英雄》(Eroica)，但在拿破仑称帝后改变了主意。拿破仑也强烈地影响了英国的浪漫主义者，无论是支持他的拜伦(Byron)，还是反对他的华兹华斯(Wordsworth)。就连斯坦利•库布里克(Stanley Kubrick)也曾尝试要拍摄一部拿破仑传记片，不过他最终决定拍摄一些更容易的题材：越战，以及自由意志的性质。