Novelas Cortas by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón - HTML preview

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64-1: fué a parar nada menos que a Suecia: drifted into no lessremote a place than Sweden.

64-2: Marqués de la Romana: a Spanish patriot and general, whomNapoleon sent with 15,000

Spaniards to Denmark. When Spain clashed withNapoleon (1808) he reëmbarked most of his troops and returned to fightagainst him.

64-3: tomé de ordenanza a Risas: I took Risas along as myorderly.

64-4: miedo cerval: mortal fear (cerval, adj. from ciervo,deer, stag).

64-5: Polonia: Poland.

64-6: tal: is occasionally used for tal cosa, i.e. as a sort ofneuter. Cf. note ni es tal tierra, p. 68, 1.

64-7: espirituosas: cf. note estupefacto, p. 9, 1.

64-8: ora ... ora: either ... or.

64-9: guerra de España: cf. note Guerra de la Independencia, p.55, 3.

64-10: Varsovia: Warsaw, the largest city and former capital ofPoland.

64-11: sin perjuicio de que ... saliese: without preventing hissetting out.

64-12: a las pocas horas de haber echado a andar: a few hoursafter starting. Cf. note a la media hora, p. 59, 4. Echar a,followed by an infinitive, means to begin, to set about. Hence echar aandar, to begin to march or go, etc.

64-13: de lo más singular: an idiomatic substitution of thesingular for the plural.

65-1: aquí: after de aquí (hence) supply some verb like resultó.

65-2: el que ... ella se brindara: que ella se brindara istreated as a substantive clause, which el precedes as it would a merenoun.

65-3: por creer: because he believed.

65-4: la tal efigie: (familiar style) this (same) portrait.

65-5: debió de probar: must have proved. Cf. IdiomaticCommentary, 59.

66-1: Es cuanto sé: cf. note que cuanto veíamos, p. 48, 1.

66-2: Vive Dios que: as God lives. Cf. note como que no, p. 14,1.

67-1: El Libro Talonario: a book of checks, receipts, etc., inwhich duplicate stubs remain as records of transactions.

67-2: bahía de Cádiz: Cádiz, the ancient Gades, reputed 300 yearsolder than Rome itself, a large seaport of southwestern Spain, on theAtlantic, a little northwest of Gibraltar. It is situated on a narrowpromontory forming the outer wall of the bay ( bahía) of Cádiz.

67-3: con ser la menor: in spite of being the smallest.

67-4: a título de Duque de Arcos: in his right as Duke of Arcos.

67-5: el tío Buscabeatas: tío is familiarly used as a genericterm applied to old men. Cf. note on papá abuelo, p. 15, 5.

67-6: Huelva: a seaport a little northwest of Cádiz.

67-7: Sevilla: the most brilliant and characteristic city ofsouthern Spain, situated in Andalucía, toward the mouth of the Guadalquivir.

67-8: por lo que: (for which) wherefore. For relative use of loque cf. note por el que, p. 49, 1.

67-9: Andalucía la Baja: lower Andalusia, the southwest portionbordering on the Atlantic.

67-10: roteños: natives of Rota.

67-11: calabaceros ... tomateros: retailers of pumpkins andtomatoes.

68-1: ni es tal tierra: nor is this (soil) really soil. For tal neuter cf. note tal, p. 64, 6.

68-2: ni Cristo que lo fundó: render freely far from it.

68-3: Vesubio: Mt. Vesuvius.

68-4: ni: not even.

68-5: ora ... ora: now ... now. Cf. p. 64, line 16, and note 8,for a variant usage.

68-6: humus: (Latin) soil.

68-7: del vuelo de un plato chico: of the size of a small plate.

68-8: a tal mata: to this or that plant.

69-1: se dan: they strike.

69-2: la barba: their chins. For the article cf. note se la, p.4, 6.

69-3: y era que: and (the fact) was that.

69-4: llevaba: cf. note llevarían, p. 6, 2.

69-5: tamañas como: as big as. The usual tan of comparisons ofequality is implicit in the first syllable of tamaños (from the Latin tam magnas).

69-6: pasábase: cf. note lo que me digo, p. 7. 5.

70-1: se las coma: cf. note lo que me digo, p. 7. 5.

70-2: ¡Lástima: it's a pity!

70-3: ¿Qué he de hacer? : what am I to do? Cf. note no había deconocer, p. 3, 4.

70-4: salir de ellas: sell them.

70-5: cuánto sería: how great must have been. Cf. note no habríaandado, p. 8, 6. Cf. also line 25 below.

70-6: Para ahorrarme de razones: to save words, i.e. to bebrief.

70-7: Kemble: (John Philip) a great English tragedian (1757-1823).

70-8: ¡si te encuentro!: vide Merchant of Venice, Act I, sc. 3,line 47 (Globe edition).

70-9: por otra parte: ( on the other hand) moreover.

70-10: debió de robármelas: cf. note debió de probar, p. 65, 5.

70-11: barco de la carga: freight boat.

70-12: barco de la hora: (lit. hour boat) passenger boat.

70-13: fe de livores: (legal phrase) declaration of injuriessuffered.

70-14 hacerse a la vela: to set sail.

71-1: ciudad de Hércules: Hercules is claimed as the founder of Cádiz. Cf. note bahía de Cádiz, p. 67, 2.

71-2: ¡que no! : cf. note ¿Cómo que no? p. 14, 1.

71-3: ¡Tío ladrón!: you old thief! Cf. note el tío Buscabeatas,p. 67, 5.

71-4: educación: often loosely used for cortesía, its supposedfruit.

71-5: so indecentes: so, expletive, is often coupled with certaindepreciative epithets like indecente, etc.

71-6: faltarse: fail to respect, i.e. insult each other.

71-7: puñetazo: cf. note pistoletazo, p. 18, 3.

71-8: o sea: cf. note o sean, p. 39, 4.

72-1: Resignó ... en: resigned to.

72-2: A quién: cf. note compraros, p. 29, 2.

72-3: Al tío Fulano: from old So-and-so. Fulano is used assubstitute for a real name when the latter is forgotten or avoided.

72-4: vecino: cf. note vecinos, p. 37, 2.

72-5: abonado: fit, adapted, disposed (often in a bad sense).

72-6: rebolonda: thick-set, stout.

72-7: cachigordeta: small and fat.

72-8: barrigona: big-bellied.

72-9: coloradilla: ruddy.

73-1: subió de punto: increased.

73-2: recién llegado: recién is used instead of recientemente before a past participle.

73-3: se lo: cf. note se la, p. 4, 6.

73-4: materialmente: by bodily force.

73-5: el mismo Regidor: usually mismo intervening between articleand noun means same.

Occasionally it corresponds to the emphaticpronoun himself, etc.

73-6: ha de ver: must look to it, must beware.

73-7: Egido: apparently the name of his garden.

73-8: tirando de él: pulling at it (so as to empty it).

73-9: libraco: (big, ugly) book. The suffix aco isdepreciative.

73-10: tocón o pezuelo: a stub. Cf. note libro talonario, p.67, 1.

73-11: tal o cual: such and such.

74-1: o sea: cf. note ó sean, p. 39, 4.

74-2: en tanto que: while. Cf. note mientras tanto que, p. 82,9.

74-3: espectadores: cf. note estupefacto, p. 9, 1.

74-4: el mismo Concejal: cf. note el mismo Regidor, p. 73, 5.

74-5: llevárselo: cf. note lo que me digo, p. 7, 5.

75-1: fuese diciendo: observe that the preterit (and its derivedtenses) of ser and ir are identical.

75-2: He debido traerme: I should have brought back.

75-3: comérmela: me, ethical dative (like traerme).

76-1: Alpujarra: coast mountains of southern Spain near Almería,a ramification of the Sierra Nevadas. They formed the last refuge ofthe Moors.

76-2: hacia Levante: toward the east.

76-3: ni nadie: nor anybody else. Cf. note conoce nadie, p. 2,5.

76-4: ponga en cuarentena: put into quarantine, i.e. regard withsuspicion.

76-5: Aben-Humeya: (the prefixes ben and aben in Moorish namesmean son, the son). Lived 1520-1568. He was the king of the Moors of la Alpujarra, and was condemned to death by Philip II.

76-6: (a): alias.

77-1: el tal Juan: this same John. Cf. note la tal effigie, p.65, 4.

77-2: no entendía de letra: was illiterate.

77-3: a censo enfitéutico: on a long-time (or perpetual) lease.

77-4: caudal de Propios: public property (belonging to the town).

77-5: castillejo: the ending ejo is usually depreciative as wellas diminutive.

77-6: por lo que: cf. note por el que, p. 49, 1.

77-7: a sus solas: all alone. For a similar idiomatic plural, cf. de veras, and (on p. 4, line 31) con todas las veras.

77-8: que daba asco: ( such or so) that it inspired disgust. Que is often elliptical.

78-1: vas a echar un siglo: it will take you forever.

78-2: componértelas: to take the proper measures; to go about athing; to manage.

78-3: divertido: cf. note olvidado, p. 31, 1.

78-4: todo lo que es deshacer: destruction in any form.

78-5: hay que deshacer: cf. note lo que hay que hacer, p. 12, 4.

78-6: francmasón: in Catholic countries the freemason is regardedas the embodiment of radical and subversive ideas. The church ofticiallydisapproves of freemasonry.

78-7: que tengo: que, for. Que is often used elliptically for pues que, etc.

78-8: cañuto: tube. Apparently soldiers carried their dischargein a metallic tube to protect it from exposure.

78-9: ni tan siquiera: not even. Cf. note tan sólo, p. 13, 2.

79-1: también me estorba a mí lo negro: I also am embarrassed by whatever is set down in black (and white), i.e. print or writing.

79-2: licencia absoluta: the testimonial given to a soldier oncompleting his military service.

79-3: Mahoma: Mohammed.

79-4: de medio a medio: completely.

79-5: entraban en quintas: practiced conscription (the draftingof men by lot for military service).

79-6: en torno suyo: round about himself.

79-7: Granada: cf. note Granada, p. 1, 2.

79-8: en cuanto Dios eche sus luces: as soon as God lights hislamp (the sun).

79-9: puerto: mountain pass.

80-1: Ugijar: a small half-Moorish town on the southern base of theAlpujarras.

80-2: compadre: the compadrazgo (gossipry) is the relation whichexists between the father of a child and its godfather, who call eachother compadre (gossip). It is often used also as a mere friendlyepithet: My friend!

80-3: entiende de todo: understands all things.

80-4: todo será apretar un poco a la caballería: it will be aquestion only of urging along the mount (a mule, of course) a little.

80-5: cuidado: take care.

80-6: Valencia: a large seaport of eastern Spain. Its richlycolored paving tiles are its most famous specialty.

80-7: de más de vara en cuadro: more than a yard square.

80-8: so pena: in this and a few other expressions the antiquatedpreposition so (= bajo, under) still survives.

80-9: hay que excavar: cf. note lo que hay que hacer, p. 12, 4.

80-10: dice hubo trampa: says (that) there was some trickery. Theconjunction que is occasionally omitted after decir.

80-11: tengo entendido: cf. note llevo echados, p. 34, 1.

81-1: A saber: it remains to be learned.

81-2: Por de pronto: meanwhile; provisionally; for the present,i.e. as things now stand.

81-3: cuando se pronunció Riego: this patriotic officer, by hispronunciamento (1820), boldly set the example of revolt against theperfidious conduct of Fernando VII (see notes pp. 34, 5, and 51, 7), whoviolated the constitution adopted in 1812. After the French interventionthe king had Riego executed.

81-4: habría que mandar: cf. note lo que hay que hacer, p. 12, 4.

81-5: Guadix: city of southern Spain (between Granada and Almería) the birthplace of Alarcón.

81-6: puede que: (i.e. se puede que) it is possible.

81-7: No serían: cf. note no habría andado, p. 8, 6.

81-8: doctor en ambos Derechos: Latin: doctor in utroque (jure)doctor in civil and canonical law.

81-9: oído que hubo: cf. note echado que hubo, p. 1, 3.

81-10: debió de ser: cf. note debió de probar, p. 65, 5.

81-11: babuchero: closet? The babucha is a Moorish slipper.

82-1: viernes: Friday is the Mohammedan Sabbath.

82-2: Comisaría de los Santos Lugares: commission (for themaintenance, etc.) of holy places.

82-3: onzas de oro: the gold onza is worth about sixteen dollars.

82-4: en letra: (sc. de cambio) in (the form of) a draft.

82-5: lo del tesoro: the matter of the treasure.

82-6: a fe que: cf. note a fe que, p. 12, 6.

82-7: de a cuatro: this use of de a occurs in expressing theprice or value per piece of merchandise, coins, etc.

82-8: guardárselas: to put them away. For se (+ el bolsillo)see note se la, p. 4, 6.

82-9: mientras tanto que: while. Tiempo, or rather, the notion oftime, may be understood after tanto, which is in reality a neuter. Cf. en tanto que, p. 74, line 11, and en esto.

82-10: Tudela y González: in his or her full family name, theSpaniard joins the mother's family name to the father's with an(omissible) y.

82-11: Maestro de capilla: chapel-master (the musical director ina church).

82-12: Ceuta: a city in Africa opposite Gibraltar. It is still aSpanish possession.

82-13: sobrino político: nephew-in-law. The variousrelatives-in-law may all be indicated by analogous expressions, thoughspecific names also exist in most cases.

83-1: en carta certificada: in a registered letter.

83-2: como no sea: unless it be, except.

83-3: Que estés mejor: cf. que ... muera, p. 3, 6.

83-4: dolor de estómago: (usually: stomach-ache) stomachicdisorder.

83-5: Escrita la carta: in the absolute construction, the favoriteposition for the participle is at the beginning of the phrase.

83-6: Encarnación: many Spanish proper names are derived from themysteries of religion, as Dolores (Maria de los Dolores), etc.

83-7: meses mayores: the months just before harvest.

83-8: la de todos los días: your usual daily performance, i.e.chocolate that is not good.

83-9: Tarifa: the most southern and the most Moorish city of Spain.

84-1: Peñón: (sc. de Gibraltar) the Rock of Gibraltar. Peñón isan augmentative of peña.

84-2: Anghera, Benzú, Atlas: mountains of Africa, opposite Spain.

84-4: ¡Y vaya si es gorda! : and I tell you it's a long (lit. fat) one! For vaya cf. note vamos, p. 5, 11. For si cf. note si sonde alegría, p. 4, 2.

84-5: ¡Hombre! : used here as a mere emotional interjection. Cf.note hombre, etc. p. 44, 2.

84-6: cata aquí: (equivalent to he aquí) behold, here is, thisis, etc.

84-7: abencerraje: properly: a member of the princely Moorishfamily of the Abencerrajes. (Cf.

note Aben-Humeya, p. 76, 5.)Translate: old heathen.

84-8: dicho esto: cf. note escrita la carta, p. 83, 5.

84-9: por sí propio: of its own accord.

84-10: gaditana: of Cádiz (Latin Gades). Cf. note bahía deCádiz, p. 67, 2.

84-11: por más señas: cf. same note, p. 57, 2.

84-12: papelote: huge document.

84-13: En tanto que: cf. note mientras tanto que, p. 82, 9.

85-1: guardándose, etc.: cf. note guardárselas, p. 82, 8.

85-2: no se te olvide: cf. note se me ha olvidado, p. 51, 3.

85-3: ¡Que si tenemos hijos! : this may be rendered as an indirectquestion dependent on the verb pregunta (he asks) understood. In suchcases the redundant que is generally used after the interrogativeverb. Cf. note dices que cuándo, p. 5, 2.

85-4: zambombo, tonel, desagradecido: lout, wine-cask, ingrate.

85-5: Virgen de las Angustias: cf. the Latin: Mater Dolorosa.

85-6: tirando un pellizco: suddenly pinching.

86-1: plaza fuerte: stronghold. Ceuta is garrisoned by Spanishtroops.

86-2: chilava: a garment with a hood.

86-3: jaique: Arab cape with a hood.

86-4: Querer: do you wish? (The Moor's speech is ungrammatical.) 86-5: poniéndose en cruz: crossing his arms.

87-1: sudando a mares: (sweating seas) breaking out into a profuseperspiration.

87-2: Alah: (or Alá): Allah (Arabic), God.

87-3: a la boca: cf. note se la, p. 4, 6.

87-4: lo menos: (for a lo menos) at least.

88-1: Quesada y Sánchez: cf. note Tudela y González, p. 82, 10.

88-2: Aben-Humeya: cf. same note, p. 76, 5.

88-3: Penitenciario: father-confessor.

88-4: está en los huesos: is reduced to mere skin and bones.

88-5: alcuzcuz: pellets of honey and flour, a favorite Moorishdish.

88-6: candil: cf. note candil, p. 59, 2.

89-1: dicha de pronto: suddenly reported.

89-2: Fez: a large inland city of Morocco, south of Tangier.

89-3: como quiera que esta sea la hora ... que no se haya vuelto asaber de Manos-Gordas: inasmuch as up to the present hour no onehas ev