Don Quixote.vp

13 Pages·2014·0.08 MB·English

THE ADVENTURES
OF DON QUIXOTE
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Translated by
J. M. COHEN
Afterword by
NED HALLEY
CHAPTER 1
WHICH TREATS OF THE
QUALITY AND WAY OF LIFE OF
THE FAMOUS KNIGHT DON
QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA
the character of the knight
InacertainvillageinLaMancha,whichIdonotwishto
name,therelivednotlongagoagentleman–oneofthose
whohavealwaysalanceintherack,anancientshield,a
leanhackandagreyhoundforcoursing.Hishabitualdiet
consistedofastew,morebeefthanmutton,ofhashmost
nights,boiledbonesonSaturdays,lentilsonFridays,and
ayoungpigeonasaSundaytreat;andonthishespent
three-quartersofhisincome.Therestofitwentonafine
clothdoublet,velvetbreechesandslippersforholidays,
and a homespun suit of the best in which he decked
himselfonweekdays.Hishouseholdconsistedofahouse-
keeperofrathermorethanforty,aniecenotyettwenty,
andaladforthefieldandmarket,whosaddledhishorse
and wielded the pruning-hook.
Ourgentlemanwasvergingonfifty,oftoughconstitu-
tion, lean-bodied, thin-faced, a great early riser and a
loverofhunting.TheysaythathissurnamewasQuixada
or Quesada – for there is some difference of opinion
amongstauthorsonthispoint.However,byveryreason-
ableconjecturewemaytakeitthathewascalledQuexana.
Butthisdoesnotmuchconcernourstory;enoughthatwe
donotdepartbysomuchasaninchfromthetruthinthe
telling of it.
The reader must know, then, that this gentleman, in
thetimeswhenhehadnothingtodo–aswasthecasefor
mostoftheyear–gavehimselfuptothereadingofbooks
ofknighterrantry;whichhelovedandenjoyedsomuch
thathealmostentirelyforgothishunting, andeventhe
careofhisestate.Sooddandfoolish,indeed,didhegrow
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DONQUIXOTE
on this subject that he sold many acres of corn-land to
buy these books of chivalry to read, and in this way
broughthomeeveryonehecouldget.Andofthemallhe
considered none so good as the works of the famous
Feliciano de Silva. For his brilliant style and those
complicatedsentencesseemedtohimverypearls,espe-
ciallywhenhecameuponthoselove-passagesandchal-
lengesfrequentlywritteninthemannerof:‘Thereason
for the unreason with which you treat my reason, so
weakensmyreasonthatwithreasonIcomplainofyour
beauty’;andalsowhenheread:‘Thehighheavensthat
with their stars divinely fortify you in your divinity and
make you deserving of the desert that your greatness
deserves.’
Thesewritings drovethepoorknight out ofhiswits;
andhepassedsleeplessnightstryingtounderstandthem
anddisentangletheirmeaning,thoughAristotlehimself
would never have unravelled orunderstood them, even
ifhehadbeenresurrectedforthatsolepurpose.Hedid
not much like the wounds that Sir Belianis gave and
received,forheimaginedthathisfaceandhiswholebody
musthavebeencoveredwithscarsandmarks,however
skilfulthesurgeonswhotendedhim.But,forallthat,he
admiredtheauthorforendinghisbookwiththepromise
tocontinuewiththatinterminableadventure,andoften
thedesireseizedhimtotakeupthepenhimself,andwrite
the promised sequel for him. No doubt he would have
done so, and perhaps successfully, if other greater and
more persistent preoccupations had not prevented him.
Oftenhehadargumentswiththepriestofhisvillage,
whowasascholarandagraduateofSiguenza,astowhich
wasthebetterknight–PalmerinofEnglandorAmadisof
Gaul.ButMasterNicholas,thebarberofthatvillage,said
thatnoonecouldcomparewiththeKnightoftheSun.
Though if anyone could, it was Sir Galaor, brother of
AmadisofGaul.Forhehadaveryaccommodatingnature,
andwasnotsoaffectednorsuchasnivellerashisbrother,
though he was not a bit behind him in the matter of
bravery.
Inshort,hesoburiedhimselfinhisbooksthathespent
thenightsreadingfromtwilighttilldaybreakandthedays
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THECHARACTEROFTHEKNIGHT
from dawn till dark; and so from little sleep and much
reading,hisbraindriedupandhelosthiswits.Hefilled
his mind with all that he read in them, with enchant-
ments, quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, wooings,
loves, torments and other impossible nonsense; and so
deeplydidhesteephisimaginationinthebeliefthatall
the fanciful stuff he read was true, that to his mind no
historyintheworldwasmoreauthentic.Heusedtosay
thattheCidRuyDiazmusthavebeenaverygoodknight,
butthathecouldnotbecomparedtotheKnightofthe
BurningSword,whowithasinglebackstrokehadclefta
pairoffierceandmonstrousgiantsintwo.Andhehadan
evenbetteropinionofBernardodelCarpioforslayingthe
enchanted Roland at Roncesvalles, by making use of
Hercules’trickwhenhethrottledtheTitanAntaeusinhis
arms.
HespokeverywellofthegiantMorgante;for,though
oneofthatgiantbroodwhoareallproudandinsolent,he
alone was affable and well-mannered. But he admired
mostofallReynaldofMontalban,particularlywhenhe
saw him sally forth from his castle and rob everyone
hemet,andwheninheathenlandsoverseashestolethat
idolofMahomet,whichhistorysayswasofpuregold.But
hewouldhavegivenhishousekeeperandhisnieceinto
the bargain, to deal the traitor Galaon a good kicking.
Infact,nowthathehadutterlywreckedhisreasonhe
fellintothestrangestfancythateveramadmanhadinthe
wholeworld.Hethoughtitfitandproper,bothinorder
to increase his renown and to serve the state, to turn
knight errant and travel through the world with horse
and armour in search of adventures, following in every
way the practice of the knights errant he had read of,
redressingallmannerofwrongs,andexposinghimselfto
chances and dangers, by the overcoming of which he
mightwineternalhonourandrenown.Alreadythepoor
manfanciedhimselfcrownedbythevalourofhisarm,at
leastwiththeempireofTrebizond;andso,carriedaway
bythestrangepleasurehederivedfromtheseagreeable
thoughts,hehastenedtotranslatehisdesiresintoaction.
Thefirstthingthathedidwastocleansomearmour
whichhadbelongedtohisancestors,andhadlainforages
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DONQUIXOTE
forgotten in a corner,eaten with rust and covered with
mould.Butwhenhehadcleanedandrepaireditasbest
hecould,hefound that therewasonegreat defect: the
helmet was a simple head-piece without a visor. So he
ingeniouslymadegoodthisdeficiencybyfashioningout
ofpiecesofpasteboardakindofhalf-visorwhich,fittedto
the helmet, gave the appearance of a complete head-
piece.However,toseeifitwasstrongenoughtostandup
totheriskofasword-cut,hetookouthisswordandgave
ittwostrokes,thefirstofwhichdemolishedinamoment
what had taken him a week to make. He was not too
pleasedattheeasewithwhichhehaddestroyedit,andto
safeguardhimselfagainstthisdanger,reconstructedthe
visor,puttingsomestripsofironinside,insuchawayas
to satisfy himself of his protection; and, not caring to
makeanothertrialofit,heaccepteditasafinejointed
headpiece and put it into commission.
Nexthewenttoinspecthishack,butthough,through
leanness,hehadmorequartersthantherearepenceina
groat, and moreblemishesthan Gonella’s horse,which
wasnothingbutskinandbone,heappearedtoourknight
morethantheequalofAlexander’sBucephalusandthe
Cid’sBabieca.Hespentfourdaysponderingwhatname
togivehim;for,hereflected,itwouldbewrongforthe
horseofsofamousaknight,ahorsesogoodinhimself,to
bewithoutafamousname.Thereforehetriedtofithim
withonethatwouldsignifywhathehadbeenbeforehis
masterturnedknighterrant,andwhathenowwas;forit
wasonlyrightthatashismasterchangedhisprofession,
thehorseshouldchangehisnameforasublimeandhigh-
soundingone,befittingtheneworderandthenewcalling
he professed. So, after many names invented, struck
outandrejected,amended,cancelledandremadeinhis
fancifulmind,hefinallydecidedtocallhimRocinante,a
namewhichseemedtohimgrandandsonorous,andto
expressthecommonhorsehehadbeenbeforearrivingat
hispresentstate:thefirstandforemostofallhacksinthe
world.
Havingfoundsopleasinganameforhishorse,henext
decided to do the same for himself, and spent another
eight days thinking about it. Finally he resolved to call
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THECHARACTEROFTHEKNIGHT
himself Don Quixote. And that is no doubt why the
authorsofthistruehistory,aswehavesaid,assumedthat
hisnamemusthavebeenQuixadaandnotQuesada,as
otherauthoritieswouldhaveit.Yetherememberedthat
thevalorousAmadishadnotbeencontentwithhisbare
name,buthadaddedthenameofhiskingdomandnative
country in order to make it famous, and styled himself
AmadisofGaul.So,likeagoodknight,hedecidedtoadd
thenameofhiscountrytohisownandcallhimselfDon
QuixotedelaMancha.Thus,hethought,heveryclearly
proclaimedhisparentageandnativelandandhonouredit
by taking his surname from it.
Nowthathisarmourwasclean,hishelmetmadeintoa
completehead-piece,anamefoundforhishorse,andhe
confirmed in his new title, it struck him that there was
onlyonemorethingtodo:tofindaladytobeenamoured
of.Foraknighterrantwithoutaladyislikeatreewithout
leaves or fruit and a body without a soul. He said to
himselfagainandagain:‘IfIformysinsorbygoodluck
were to meet with some giant hereabouts, as generally
happenstoknightserrant,andifIweretooverthrowhim
intheencounter,orcuthimdownthemiddleor,inshort,
conquer him and make him surrender, would it not be
well to have someone to whom I could send him as a
present, so that he could enter and kneel down before
my sweet lady and say in tones of humble submission:
“Lady,IamthegiantCaraculiambro,lordoftheislandof
Malindrania, whom the never-sufficiently-to-be-praised
knight,DonQuixotedelaMancha,conqueredinsingle
combatandorderedtoappearbeforeyourGrace,sothat
your Highness might dispose of me according to your
will”?’ Oh, how pleased our knight was when he had
made up this speech, and even gladder when he found
someonewhomhecouldcallhislady.Ithappened,itis
believed,inthisway:inavillagenearhistherewasavery
good-lookingfarmgirl,whomhehadbeentakenwithat
onetime,althoughsheissupposednottohaveknownit
orhadproofofit.HernamewasAldonzaLorenzo,and
sheitwashethoughtfittocalltheladyofhisfancies;and,
casting around for a name which should not be too far
awayfromherown,yetsuggestandimplyaprincessand
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DONQUIXOTE
greatlady,heresolvedtocallherDulcineadelToboso–
forshewasanativeofElToboso–anamewhichseemed
tohimasmusical,strangeandsignificantasthoseothers
that he had devised for himself and his possessions.
CHAPTER 2
WHICH TREATS OF THE FIRST
EXPEDITION WHICH THE
INGENIOUS DON QUIXOTE
MADE FROM HIS VILLAGE
his first expedition
Oncethesepreparationswerecompleted,hewasanxious
to wait no longer before putting his ideas into effect,
impelled to this by the thought of the loss the world
sufferedbyhisdelay,seeingthegrievancestherewereto
redress, the wrongs to right, the injuries to amend, the
abusestocorrect,andthedebtstodischarge.So,telling
nobody of his intention, and quite unobserved, one
morningbeforedawn–itwasononeofthosesweltering
July days – he armed himself completely, mounted
Rocinante,putonhisbadly-mendedheadpiece,slungon
his shield, seized his lance and went out into the plain
throughthebackgateofhisyard,pleasedanddelighted
toseewithwhateasehehadstartedonhisfairdesign.But
scarcelywasheinopencountrywhenhewasassailedbya
thoughtsoterriblethatitalmostmadehimabandonthe
enterprise he had just begun. For he suddenly remem-
beredthat hehad neverreceivedthe honour of knight-
hood,andso,accordingtothelawsofchivalry,heneither
couldnorshouldtakearmsagainstanyknight,andevenif
hehadbeenknightedhewasbound,asanovice,towear
plain armour without a device on his shield until he
shouldgainonebyhisprowess.Thesereflectionsmade
himwaverinhisresolve,butashismadnessoutweighed
anyotherargument,hemadeuphismindtohavehimself
knighted by the first man he met, in imitation of many
who had done the same, as he had read in the books
which had so influenced him. As to plain armour, he
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HISFIRSTEXPEDITION
decided to clean his own, when he had time, till it was
whiter than ermine. With this he quieted his mind and
wentonhisway,takingwhateverroadhishorsechose,in
the belief that in this lay the essence of adventure.
As our brand-new adventurer journeyed along, he
talkedtohimself,saying:‘Whocandoubtthatinagesto
come, when the authentic story of my famous deeds
comestolight,thesagewhowritesofthemwillsay,when
he comes to tell of my first expedition so early in the
morning:“ScarcehadtheruddyApollospreadthegolden
threadsofhislovelyhairoverthebroadandspaciousface
oftheearth,andscarcelyhadtheforkedtonguesofthe
littlepaintedbirdsgreetedwithmellifluousharmonythe
coming of the rosyAurora who, leaving the soft bed of
her jealous husband, showed herself at the doors and
balconies of the Manchegan horizon, when the famous
knight,DonQuixotedelaMancha,quittingtheslothful
down, mounted his famous steed Rocinante and began
to journey across the ancient and celebrated plain of
Montiel”?’ That was, in fact, the road that our knight
actuallytook,ashewenton:‘Fortunatetheageandfortu-
natethetimesinwhichmyfamousdeedsshallcometo
light,deedsworthytobeengravedinbronze,carvedin
marbleandpaintedonwood,asamemorialforposterity.
Andyou,sageenchanter,whoeveryoumaybe,towhose
lot it falls to be the chronicler of this strange history, I
begyounot toforgetmy goodRocinante, my constant
companiononallmyridesandjourneys!’Andpresently
hecriedagain,asifhehadreallybeeninlove:‘OPrincess
Dulcinea,mistressofthiscaptiveheart!Youdidmegreat
injury in dismissing me and inflicting on me the cruel
rigourofyourcommandnottoappearinyourbeauteous
presence. Deign, lady, to be mindful of your captive
heart, which suffers such griefs for love of you.’
Hewentonstringingothernonsenseontothis,allafter
thefashionhehadlearntinhisreading,andimitatingthe
languageofhisbooksatbesthecould.Andallthewhile
herodesoslowlyandthesun’sheatincreasedsofastthat
itwouldhavebeenenoughtoturnhisbrain,ifhehadhad
any. Almost all that day he rode without encountering
anything of note, which reduced him to despair, for he
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DONQUIXOTE
longed to meet straightway someone against whom he
could try the strength of his strong arm.
Thereareauthorswhosaythatthefirstadventurehe
metwasthatofthepassofLapice.Otherssayitwasthe
windmills.ButwhatIhavebeenabletodiscoverofthe
matterandwhatIhavefoundwrittenintheannalsofLa
Mancha,isthatherodeallthatday,andthatatnight-
fall his horse and he were weary and dying of hunger.
Lookinginalldirectionstoseeifhecoulddiscoverany
castleorshepherd’shutwherehecouldtakeshelterand
supplyhisurgentneeds,hesaw,notfarfromtheroadhe
wastravellingon,aninn,whichseemedtohimlikeastar
to guide him to the gates, if not to the palace, of his
redemption. So he hurried on, and reached it just as
night was falling. Now there chanced to be standing at
theinndoortwoyoungwomenofeasyvirtue,astheyare
called,whowereonthewaytoSevillewithsomecarriers
whohappenedtohavetakenuptheirquartersattheinn
thatevening.Aseverythingthatouradventurerthought,
saw or imagined seemed to follow the fashion of his
reading,assoonashesawtheinnheconvincedhimself
thatitwasafortresswithitsfourtowersandpinnaclesof
shiningsilver,completewithadrawbridge,adeepmoat
andallthoseappurtenanceswithwhichsuchcastlesare
painted. So he approached the inn, which to his mind
wasacastle,andwhenstillashortdistanceawayreined
Rocinantein,expectingsomedwarftomountthebattle-
ments and sound a trumpet to announce that a knight
wasapproachingthefortress.Butwhenhesawthatthere
wassomedelay,andthatRocinantewasinahurrytoget
tothestable,hewentuptotheinndoorand,seeingthe
two young women standing there, took them for two
beauteousmaidensorgracefulladiestakingtheairatthe
castlegate.Nowatthatverymoment,aschancewould
have it, a swineherd was collecting from the stubble a
droveofhogs–pardonmefornamingthem–andblew
hishorntocallthemtogether.ButDonQuixoteimmedi-
atelyinterpretedthisinhisownway,assomedwarfgiving
noticeofhisapproach.Sowithrarepleasureherodeup,
whereuponthoseladies,thoroughlyfrightenedatseeinga
mancometowardsthemdressedinarmourwithlanceand
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HISFIRSTEXPEDITION
shield,turnedtogobackintotheinn.ButDonQuixote,
gatheringfromtheirflightthattheywereafraid,raisedhis
pasteboardvisor,partlyrevealinghisleananddustyface,
andaddressedthemwithacharmingexpressionandina
calmvoice:‘Ibegyou,ladies,nottofly,nortofearany
outrage;foritillfitsorsuitstheorderofchivalrywhichI
professtoinjureanyone,leastofallmaidensofsuchrank
asyourappearanceproclaimsyoutobe.’
Thegirlsstaredathim,tryingtogetalookathisface,
which was almost covered by the badly made visor. But
when they heard themselves called maidens – a title ill-
suitedtotheirprofession–theycouldnothelplaughing,
whichstungDonQuixoteintoreplying:‘Civilitybefitsthe
fair;andlaughterarisingfromtrivialcausesis,moreover,
greatfolly.Idonotsaythistooffendyounortoincuryour
displeasure,forIhavenootherwishthantoserveyou.’
His language, which was unintelligible to them, and
theuncouthfigureourknightcut,madetheladieslaugh
themore.Whereatheflewintoarage,andthingswould
have gone much farther, had not the innkeeper, a very
fat man and therefore very peaceable, emerged at this
moment.Nowwhenhesawthisgrotesquefigureinhis
equipment of lance, shield and coat of armour, which
sortedsoillwithhismannerofriding,hewasonthepoint
of joining the young women in their demonstrations of
amusement.But,fearingsuchacollectionofarmaments,
hedecidedtospeakpolitely,andaddressedhimthus:‘If
yourworshipislookingforlodging,SirKnight,exceptfor
abed–wehavenoneinthisinn–youwillfindplentyof
everything.’
And Don Quixote replied, seeing the humility of the
wardenofthefortress–forsuchhetooktheinnkeeperto
be:‘Forme,SirCastellan,whateveryouhaveisenough.
My ornaments are arms, my rest the bloody fray.’
The host thought that he had called him castellan
becausehetookhimforasafemanfromCastile,though
hewasanAndalusianfromtheStrandofSanLucar,as
thievishasCacusandastrickyasastudentorapage.So
hereplied:‘Atthatrate,yourbedshallbethecruelrock,
yoursleeptowatchtillday,andthatbeingso,youcan
safelydismounthereinthecertaintythatyouwillfindin
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