[57.2] la hora menos pensada, when least expected, lit.
"thehour least thought of."
[57.3] diesen con ellos al través, drive them ashore[ wrecked].
[57.4] dar la razón a los que, show that those were in theright who.
[57.5] levantiscos, turbulent.
Page 58. —
[58.1] a poder de, by dint of.
[58.2] José, levanta... perdida lancha = José, levántate...tienes perdida tu lancha. Somewhat broken Spanish.
[58.3] trajín, rocking, driving to and fro.
Page 59. —
[59.1] estrellas filantes, shooting stars.
[59.2] se halló con que, found out that.
[59.3] forano, from the sea, lit. "from outside."
[59.4] tanto montaba, amounted to the same thing.
Page 60. —
[60.1] Por la orilla adelante, On along the shore.
[60.2] barada, stuck, grounded. Barar also written varar. Pg 189
[60.3] cifrada, fixed, lit. "calculated."
[60.4] a pico, sheer.
Page 61. —
[61.1] abiertos, torn, lit. "opened (pierced)."
[61.2] al arma, armed, in battle array.
Page 62. —
[62.1] como si entonces tan sólo, as if then andthen only.
[62.2] se diese cuenta, realized.
Page 63. —
[63.1] "vaga de mar," la mar alta: " sea": the highwaves produced by the bursting of a storm.
[63.2] a los dos días del suceso, two days after the event.Cf.
page 36, note 2.
[63.3] bien a su pesar, much against his will, lit. "in hisdespite."
[63.4] allí había andado una mano alevosa, a treacherous handhad been at work in the matter.
[63.5] a su entender, in his opinion.
Page 64. —
[64.1] haciendo lo posible, doing his best.
[64.2] ni mucho menos, far from it.
[64.3] mostró tomar parte muy principal, evinced very greatsympathy, gave evidence of sharing very deeply.
[64.4] sin soltar, without uttering.
[64.5] a lo mejor, suddenly, all at once. Usually ofsomething disagreeable.
Page 65. —
[65.1] valía tanto como, was equivalent to.
[65.2] comenzó a correr... la especie, the rumor began tospread through the town without any one knowing who had started it.With saber supply the indefinite subject nadie, cf.
page 3, note 5. Soltara, the so-called first impf. or conditional subjunctive is byderivation a plpf. indicative (Lat. -averam > -
aram > -ara). Thisvalue still persists, but is confined to rather elevated style, and isusually, though not always, found in dependent clauses, not necessarily,however, in relative clauses alone. Soltar una especie, "to launch asuggestion," "throw out a feeler," "start a report."
[65.3] puso... el dedo en la llaga, solved the mystery, struck the nail on the head, lit. "laid her finger on the wound."
[65.4] Irritósele la bilis, her wrath was roused, lit."bile."
Page 66. —
[66.1] con los brazos en jarra, with arms akimbo,lit. "like (the handles of) a jug or jar."Pg 190
Page 67. —
[67.1] quedaban rotas, would be broken. Cf. page12, note 4.
[67.2] Con esto... relaciones, At this José was sorrowful andalarmed, expecting that at any time a disturbance might arise whichwould destroy his already uncertain relations.
Armar, lit. "to stirup," "set up."
Page 68. —
[68.1] ¡Peldóneme! = ¡Perdóneme!
[68.2] malicia, cunning.
[68.3] no sacará nada en limpio, you will not get to thebottom of it, lit. "bring nothing out clearly."
[68.4] hasta la evidencia, beyond a doubt, lit. "up to (thepoint of) evidentness."
Page 69. —
[69.1] por no habérselo... al idiota, at not havingbeen able to find it out from the idiot, " get it out of him."
[69.2] Allá voy, I am coming.
[69.3] encontraría, vería. Cf. page 49, note 5.
[69.4] ¿Para verte... que te ha quedado? The better to seethat old hag's face that you've got?
[69.5] acicate, sting, spur.
Page 70. —
[70.1] el marica de D. Cándido, D. Cándido the oldwoman.
Marica is applied to effeminate men and to such as interferein woman's business. De denotes apposition. Cándido = simpleton.
[70.2] velar las injurias, veiling one's insults.
[70.3] descubrirse, laying oneself open ( to prosecution).
Page 71. —
[71.1] un tanto, somewhat.
[71.2] ¿Que me he comido... tragaderas! So I ate up your son'sfishing-smack, did I? I didn't think I could swallow so large amouthful! lit. "had so good a gullet."
Page 72. —
[72.1] sentar plaza, enlist.
[72.2] doy parte, I shall inform.
un
soberbio
mojicón
de
mano
vuelta,
a
tremendousback-handed blow. For soberbio, cf. Fr. fier used in the samesense.
[72.4] por no soltar la tajada, not to let go the money, lit."slice." Cf. tener una buena tajada = "to have a good thing of it."
[72.5] ya pareció aquello! it's out at last, lit. "that (i.e.the real reason) has appeared."Pg 191
[72.6] echar las uñas a, get your claws on.
Page 73. —
[73.1] Lámete... hocico untado, Lick yourself, poorthing, for your
snout
is
greasy.
There
is
a
sub-sense
of
"undeceiveyourself" in this expression; untar la cara, el casco =
"to flatter."
[73.2] a mansalva = a mano salva, without risk.
[73.3] sin caérsele la sonrisa de los labios, without thesmile leaving her lips.
[73.4] por lo visto, evidently.
[73.5] aquello. The allusion is to the disgrace brought uponTeresa by her lover, the father of José.
[73.6] ¡Será terca esta mujer! Isn't this woman obstinate! Cf.
page 8, note 11.
Page 74. —
[74.1] hacer alto, stop, halt.
[74.2] esgrimiendo, wielding.
[74.3] ¡Anda, anda... y revientes! Begone, begone; go home andtake lime-tea and orange-flower, lest you get the palsy and burst. Tila y azahar is a popular remedy for hysteria and nervousness. Nosea cosa que = no sea que.
Page 75. —
[75.1] que demandase judicialmente, her bringingaction against.
[75.2] no se le conocían más bienes de fortuna, he was notknown to have other worldly goods.
Page 76. —
sacaba el maleficio al que no podía usar
delmatrimonio, she removed the spell from such as could not consummatemarriage.
Page 77. —
[77.1] José el de la viuda, José, the widow's(son).
[77.2] No será tanto, It can't be so bad (as you think).
[77.3] a eso de las nueve, about 9 o'clock. Cf. page 11, note5.
[77.4] hasta la hubo de ciento treinta, there were even somewith 130. For this distributive use of the pron. cf. page 40,
note 1. Asingular noun is sometimes used in the same way.
[77.5] al otro igual, the next the same.
Page 78. —
[78.1] ¿No sabes una cosa? Haven't you heard thenews?
[78.2] no les arriendo la ganancia, I would not be in theshoes of, I would not answer for the consequences to, lit. "I'll notrent their profit."Pg 192
[78.3] no son para dichas, are not [fit] to be mentioned.
Theexplanation of this construction, as of the use of the past part, after después de, etc., is that the verb ser is understood.
Creo que daban miedo, I should think they
werefrightful.
relamiéndose
interiormente,
with
inward
relish. Relamerse, lit. "to lick one's lips."
Page 79. —
[79.1] cual si... carne de gallina, as if themonster were getting gooseflesh. Cf. Fr. chair de poule.
[79.2] raba, codfish-roe.
Page 80. —
[80.1] puesto que = aunque.
[80.2] cae, comes up.
[80.3] envoltura, veil, wrapping.
[80.4] se indicó el contraste, there were signs of a suddenchange of wind [to foul].
Page 81. —
[81.1] A partir de esta hora, from now on.
[81.2] desaladas, eager, breathless. Cf. page 8, note 3.
Page 82. —
[82.1] en vuelta de, toward, in the direction of.Also la vuelta de.
[82.2] borriquete de proa, foretopsail.
Page 83. —
[83.1]salsa, spray.
[83.2]Phs, Pshaw! Also written ps! Expressive of scorn orindifference.
[83.3] concha, bay, harbor.
[83.4] a medio izar, cf. page 18, note 5.
Page 84. —
[84.1] Nicolás de la Tejera, cf. page 77, note 1.
Page 86. —
[86.1]¡Vaya todo por Dios! God's will be done!
[86.2]con muchísimo ojo, with the greatest vigilance.
[86.3] que no nos llegaba la camisa al cuerpo, when we werebeside ourselves with fear.
[86.4] dio vuelta, capsized.
Page 87. —
[87.1] morral, lubber, booby.
[87.2] ¡La lástima fue ésa! A pity you didn't!
[87.3] arriasteis de plan, lower flat.
[87.4] estaba la mar... dulces con ella, the sea could becontrolled at will, lit. "was (in a condition) for us to makesweetmeats out of it."Pg 193
[87.5] rascándote la barriga, scratching your paunch, i.e."idling."
[87.6] disteis fondo, cast anchor.
Page 88. —
[88.1] hasta el tope, to the dregs, lit. "to thetop," hence "fully,"
"completely."
Page 89. —
[89.1] percance, accident, mishap.
[89.2] todo lo bien que, as well as.
Page 90. —
[90.1] no había sacado... jergón, had not gotteneven a wretched straw tick [ out of it].
[90.2] serían, añadiese, importaría. This use of simple forcompound tense is quite common when a negative is
expressed or implied.The effect is to render the diction more graphic.
Page 91. —
[91.1] que no existe... desgracia. Dante, Inferno, V,ll. 121, ff.:
...Nessun
maggior
dolore,
Che
ricordarsi
del
tempo
felice
Nella miseria;...
[91.2] más adelante, later on.
[91.3] andar suelta, circulate freely.
Page 92. —
[92.1] no consentía... pareados, did not allow oftheir walking abreast.
Page 93. —
[93.1] En esto, Meanwhile.
Page 94. —
[94.1] me las vas a pagar todas, you are going topay up for everything. Cf. page 1, note 4.
[94.2] los lances de la faena, the vicissitudes of the task.
Page 95. —
[95.1] desde muy antiguo, from of old.
[95.2] acaso acaso, perhaps, who knows? Repetition to expressemphasis or the superlative idea is a characteristic Romanceconstruction, cf. Fr. beaucoup beaucoup.
Page 96. —
[96.1] se daba traza para ir tirando, contrived toget along, lit.
"found means to go pulling (along)."
[96.2] patinejo, little yard.
[96.3] prenda, article of dress.
[96.4] el derecho de pernada, seignorial right. This is the jus primae noctis, droit du seigneur, Herrenrecht, according towhich the bride of a vassal belonged, for the wedding night, to thefeudalPg 194 lord. The existence of this right as a part of the feudal systemis a moot question. Dr. Vicente de la Fuente, quoted by Karl Schmidt, Jus Primae Noctis, Freiburg, 1881, p.
56, says: "Entre nosotros no fueconocido ese derecho inmoral y abominable." Schmidt indeed, as theresult of a thorough historical investigation, characterizes the customas a legend and a "learned superstition."
Page 97. —