2.{60-2} Á cada ... suyo, (lit., to every one whatever may be his own) let every one have whatever is his by right.
Page 61.—1.{61-1} For the life and works of Pérez Galdós, see pages xiii-xiv of the Introduction. The text of La mula y el buey is taken from Torquemada en la hoguera, etc., por B. Pérez Galdós, Madrid, 1898.
2.{61-2} se fué poniendo; cf. 6, note 2. Note also that se precedes fué. One might also say fué poniéndose.
Page 62.—1.{62-1} angelitos al cielo; since the souls of little children go directly to heaven.
Page 63.—1.{63-1} les = los (direct object), as often in the writings of Pérez Galdós. See also castigarles, page 23, line 8.
2.{63-2} Cómo había de, how could.
Page 64.—1.{64-1} si se quiere, if you wish.
2.{64-2} éralo;—lo = aflictiva.
Page 65.—1.{65-1} del mucho comer; cf. 24, note 3.
2.{65-2} Delirando ... fiebre, when she was delirious under the torture of a high fever (lit., raving, when the fever put her in its furnace of torture).
3.{65-3} almendras; note how conspicuous the almond is at Christmas-tide in Spain.
Page 66.—1.{66-1} quien; this use of quien with an antecedent that is plural and does not denote persons is now archaic.
2.{66-2} se hizo acompañar de, he brought with him.
3.{66-3} Rey Mago negro; according to an old tradition, one of the Three Wise Men, who followed the star to the birthplace of the infant Jesus, was a negro. This is well illustrated in the painting, The Worshiping Wise Men, by the Spanish painter, Fray Juan Bautista Maino.
4.{66-4} Por traer, for the sake of bringing things.
5.{66-5} Conocedora Celinina (an absolute construction), as Celinina was a judge.
Page 67.—1.{67-1} Santa Cruz; see Vocab.
2.{67-2} lotería, probably the government lottery from the profits of which the government receives a considerable sum. There is usually a large prize, sometimes of a million pesetas, at Christmas.
Page 68.—1.{68-1} que aun ... esperanza, which still continued to exist in her hope.
Page 69.—1.{69-1} la que = la niña que.
Page 70.—1.{70-1} que era dado imaginar, that could be imagined.
2.{70-2} tocó el pecho con la barba, began to nod.
Page 71.—1.{71-1} debía ... gloria, must have savored of heavenly bliss.
Page 72.—1.{72-1} haya; note the omission of que before haya, to avoid repetition.
2.{72-2} parece ... adelante, seems to run out across the table.
Page 73.—1.{73-1} Perico el ciego; blind beggars are numerous in Spain, and they are in evidence especially during holidays.
2.{73-2} The barrio Salamanca is a new and fashionable quarter of Madrid.
4.{73-4} le; cf. page 33, note 6.
Page 74.—1.{74-1} Mahonesa and Scropp are probably makers or sellers of toys.
Page 75.—1.{75-1} faltándole ... seculares, because its foundations, centuries old, were found wanting.
Page 76.—1.{76-1} Ya ... día, when day was near.
2.{76-2} Abuelo, i.e., God.
Page 79.—1.{79-1} For the life and works of "Fernán Caballero", see pages ix-x of the Introduction. The text of Obrar bien... que Dios es Dios is taken from the Otras completas de Fernán Caballero, Cuadros de Costumbres, Tomo II, Madrid, 1902.
2.{79-2} labrarían; cf. page 2, note 3.
3.{79-3} árabes. The Mohammedan Moors and Arabs entered Spain from Africa in 711 and conquered most of the peninsula. It was only after seven centuries of warfare that the Spaniards were able to reconquer the entire country. Toledo was taken from the Moors in 1085, Cordova in 1236, Seville in 1248, and finally Granada in 1492. The peaceful Moors (Moriscos) who had remained in Spain after the reconquest were expelled at the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is needless to say that the Moors left a deep impress on the Spanish race.
4.{79-4} sería; note that sería is equivalent to probablemente fué.
5.{79-5} que puede fuese, which was perhaps. Note the omission of que before fuese, to avoid repetition.
6.{79-6} lo que sí sabemos, what we do know.
Page 80.—1.{80-1} expulsión de los árabes; this refers, not to their final expulsion from Spain, but to their earlier expulsion from the provinces of Cordova and Seville. See Santo Rey in the Vocab.
2.{80-2} se le veía; note this use of se, which is nearly equivalent to the French indefinite pronoun on or the German man.
3.{80-3} Cual la = como la vista.
Page 81.—1.{81-1} le ... hombre; le is indirect, and hombre direct, object.
2.{81-2} que dijo ser, who was, he said.
Page 82.—1.{82-1} opuesta ... ella, lit., opposed to that they should occupy themselves with her. How should this be expressed in correct English?
2.{82-2} como ... corazón = como su vanidad no le pedía el agradar á los hombres, ni su corazón le pedía agradar á aquél (= el guarda).
Page 83.—1.{83-1} ¿Á que = apuesto á que, I wager that.
2.{83-2} no sabo = no sé. The natural tendency of children everywhere is to make all verbs regular.
3.{83-3} carrillo. It creaks and shrieks when it rises laden, and rattles and prattles when it descends.
4.{83-4} reñir has here the force of an imperative.
5.{83-5} á cantar = vamos á cantar; á ver = vamos á ver.
6.{83-6} no se ... rogar, did not have to be coaxed.
7.{83-7} dice; canción (song) is understood as subject.
8.{83-8} que; note the use of que in this and the following lines, sometimes expletive (as here), and again meaning for.
Page 84.—1.{84-1} Carlanco, bugbear. In a footnote (Cuadros de Costumbres, Vol. II, Madrid, 1902, page 216) Fernán Caballero says: «El Carlanco pertenece á la familia de los pavorosos y fantásticos monstruos del Cancón, del Bu y del Coco.» Carlanco is not given in the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, but cancón, bu and coco are given and are defined as "an imaginary phantom with which one frightens children". In English one says "bugaboo", and sometimes "boo" to frighten children.
2.{84-2} que, for; as also in lines 19 and 23. Note again this common use of que.
3.{84-3} no tiene ... cal = no tiene dinero para comprar la cal.
4.{84-4} ésa soy yo, I am she.
Page 85.—1.{85-1} les; cf. 33, note 6.
Page 86.—1.{86-1} pegando unos bufidos ... resoplidos, blowing and snorting. Cf. the expression in the English nursery-tale, "and he huffed and he puffed."
2.{86-2} para servir á Vd., at your service. This is a conventional phrase commonly used when one person is presented to another.
3.{86-3} que echaba incendios, so that the sparks flew, i.e. like lightning.
4.{86-4} escuchare aquesto; note the hypothetical (or future) subjunctive and the pronoun aquesto, both of which are archaic. To-day one would say: Para el que escuche esto.
Page 87.—1.{87-1} pasada á deber, that had become a duty.
2.{87-2} sin que ... carita, so that nothing but her little face could be seen.
3.{87-3} mire Vd. antes en, first look at.
Page 88.—1.{88-1} ábrame Vd. la ventana. This is an invitation to Varmen to open her window and sit or stand there behind the grating (reja), so that the guard standing without may speak with her. This is the common way to woo in southern Spain.
2.{88-2} tengo que ... here means I have something to ...
3.{88-3} ni pasarse [de la raya] ni llegarse = not to cross the line nor even to come up to it. Translate: I draw the line there, or you must not go too far.
4.{88-4} No exprima ... zumo. This proverbial saying comes from the fact, well known to southern Spaniards, that if the orange is squeezed too much, the juice will taste of the bitter peel. Here it means: do not go too far.
5.{88-5} con él = con su ministerio.
6.{88-6} estaba hacía; cf. 12, note 2.
7.{88-7} esto; the preceding clause is the antecedent.
8.{88-8} Note that unido esto al conocimiento individual is here felt to be a plural subject of hacían.
Page 89.—1.{89-1} Y tú lo que debes; note that tú is more emphatic than if it was placed immediately before its verb, debes.
2.{89-2} de manera ... vivir, almost to death.
Page 90.—1.{90-1} presurosa; cf. 4, note 2.
2.{90-2} de lo que. This word order is common in Spanish. The English word order would be lo de que.
3.{90-3} en su vida; when en mi (tu, su, etc.) vida, like jamás, nada, etc., precedes the verb, no is omitted. See vida in Vocab.
5.{90-5} ¡Á ése ... que, he is the one to whom. Note the redundant á before ése.
Page 91.—1.{91-1} que va mucho de ... á, there is a great distance between ... and.
2.{91-2} tiene echada el alma atrás, he has cast away his soul.
3.{91-3} Haga yo ... quiera, may I do my duty, and God's will be done.
4.{91-4} césped is the subject of cubre.
Page 92.—1.{92-1} No parece sino que, it seems only to have.
2.{92-2} eran; translate it was.
3.{92-3} que tienen ... quede = que tienen bastante para dar y para que les quede algún (perfume).
Page 93.—1.{93-1} Aquélla á ... conversación, on the one following his conversation.
2.{93-2} no cumple ... propósito = no cumple un mal propósito tan fácilmente como lo concibe.
Page 94.—1.{94-1} For the life and works of Trueba, see pages xii-xiii of the Introduction. The text of Ten-con-ten is taken from the Obras de Don Antonio de Trueba, Tomo IX, Nuevos cuentos populares, Madrid, 1905. The complete story is that of a monarch who tried to please everybody in a country divided by political factions. In his trouble he turned to General Robles for advice, and the general, in order to convince the monarch that he could not succeed in his effort to please everybody, told the story that is given in this volume. The king listened to this story, but he did not heed its moral, with the result that he lost his throne and was driven into exile.
2.{94-2} dícese ... lleva (lit., it is said that when the river sounds it brings water), where there is smoke, there is a fire.
Page 95.—1.{95-1} Traga-santos; a play on the double meaning of the word tragar, 'to swallow' and 'to believe implicitly in'. See in the Vocab. Animalejos and other proper nouns.
Page 96.—1.{96-1} es para ... referida, must be imagined; it cannot be told.
Page 97.—1.{97-1} El alma ... Traga-santos, poor Traga-santos' heart sank into his shoes.
2.{97-2} víctimas; this paragraph is a sarcastic allusion to the irreligious way in which the holiday of San Isidro is observed at Madrid.
3.{97-3} y más, the more so.
4.{97-4} ¿cuál no ... asombro, imagine the amazement.
Page 98.—1.{98-1} para que ... lloviese, in order that he should see to it that it did not rain.
2.{98-2} It is said that in the rural districts of both Spain and Spanish America the images of saints have been beaten or stoned because prayers were not granted. The scene that is given here is, probably, purely imaginary.
3.{98-3} ¡Lo que ... lluvia!, the fact is that the rain ceased! (lit., flew away immediately)
Page 99.—1.{99-1} en ... ser, valued so little the fact that it was.
Page 100.—1.{100-1} é hizo ... escultor, and had a good sculptor make him....
2.{100-2} lo mucho que, how much.
3.{100-3} ni al Santo ... Dios. = ni Dios le niega nada al Santo.
4.{100-4} lo santo que, so saintly as.
Page 101.—1.{101-1} era de muerte, was to be killed. Dar la muerte, i.e. the killing of the bull, is the crowning and most dangerous feat of the bull-fighter.
2.{101-2} ¡qué quiere ... rezar!, what do you expect me to do but pray, or what can I do but pray!
Page 103.—1.{103-1} arrégleselas, manage it. Note again the fem. personal pronoun, with the force of an indefinite pronoun.
Page 104.—1.{104-1} ¿Si nos irán, I wonder whether they are going.
2.{104-2} nos doblan ... medio, they will close us up entirely (like a jack-knife).
Page 105.—1.{105-1} ¿Qué va á = ¿qué va á apostar usted?
2.{105-2} Buena ... hacen, we are badly in need of them (the rains).
Page 106.—1.{106-1} hasta ... noche, until night was well advanced.
2.{106-2} ¡Qué lástima de fuego en ella, what a pity that fire does not strike it.
3.{106-3} ha llovido; in Spanish the present perfect is sometimes used instead of the preterite to express an act that occurred recently.
4.{106-4} Con un ... dar porque, we might be happy to-day, if. This is a vulgar paraphrase of the expression: darse con un canto en los pechos.
Page 107.—1.{107-1} por lo ... nosotros, for having acted so kindly towards us.
2.{107-2} si al ... quisiera, if heaven had been left to do as it pleased.
3.{107-3} que llueva ... llover, that it might rain or fail to rain.
4.{107-4} habrá quien, can there be any one who. Here, as often, quien includes its antecedent.
Page 108.—1.{108-1} The irony of this mock-heroic proclamation and of the lines that follow is characteristic of Trueba's later and riper work.
2.{108-2} cuanto ... parte, my part, or all that was in my power.
3.{108-3} si Dios tenia que; this may be translated freely, as much as it could.
Page 109.—1.{109-1} una; cf. hacer una con = 'to play a trick on.' Here una has the force of an indefinite pronoun; cf. 19, note 3.
Page 110.—1.{110-1} el que, the fact that. Here the def. art. introduces a subordinate clause. Cf. also page 16, note 4.
2.{110-2} See page ix of the Introduction.
Page 111.—1.{111-1} echaba; note here the use of the imp. ind. for the cond. in a condition contrary to fact.
2.{111-2} de, if.
3.{111-3} Trueba takes this opportunity to offer good advice to budding authors.
4.{111-4} esto ó ... allá, this or that or the other.
Page 114.—1.{114-1} For the life and works of Narciso Campillo, see page xiii of the Introduction. The text of Vino y frailes is taken from Una docena de cuentos, por D. Narciso Campillo, Madrid, 1878.
2.{114-2} grave y lentamente = gravemente y lentamente.
3.{114-3} admirábase; note how frequently Campillo places the personal pronoun-object after an indicative verb. This usage is not uncommon, but it is generally considered incorrect except when the verb comes first in a sentence or clause.
Page 115.—1.{115-1} aplaste and perdone; subjunctive with force of imperative.
2.{115-2} hubiese, whether there was.
Page 116.—1.{116-1} Padre había, there was a father or two. Note the indefinite use of Padre.
Page 117.—1.{117-1} en cuyo dia; the 24th of June is consecrated to St. John.
Page 120.—1.{120-1} resaltaba causante ... vino ..., it resulted that the ... wine was the cause...
2.{120-2} ¿Habría nadie, had anyone.
Page 121.—1.{121-1} caiga ... caiga, let him die who will (lit., let him fall who may fall).
2.{121-2} á poco más se ve, a little more and he would have been.
Page 125.—1.{125-1} mas ... encargo, but he was not so simple-minded that he did not recognize how arduous and annoying was the commission.
Page 128.—1.{128-1} estruja; cf. 21, note 1.
2.{128-2} —¡En mi vida me ha sucedido otra! Here otra is an indefinite pronoun: translate,—never before in my life has such a thing happened to me. Cf. page 90, note 3; cf. also page 109, note 1.
3.{128-3} Yo se los iría sacando ... por muy agarrados que estuvieran, I should drive them out ..., however firmly they held on to him.
Page 129.—1.{129-1} tendría; cf. 2, note 3.
2.{129-2} Más ... amenazando (lit, a lifted hat obtains more than do six threatening swords), humility will accomplish more than arrogance.
3.{129-3} no tan calvo que se le vean los sesos, do not overdo it. What is the literal meaning?
4.{129-4} y sí, but is.
Page 130.—1.{130-1}—Alabado y bendito sea (Dios por siempre), a greeting used among the friars.
2.{130-2} como que, acted as if.
Page 131.—1.{131-1} ¡Dos mil ... usted! the devil take you!
Page 132.—1.{132-1} For the life and works of Larra, see page ix of the Introduction. The text of El castellano viejo is taken from the Obras completas de D. Mariano José de Larra (Fígaro), Barcelona, 1886.
2.{132-2} á que ... el negarse, to refuse which...
3.{132-3} di con quien ... las doblaba, I had with some who were turning them ...
Page 133.—1.{133-1} no se ... tintero, will not leave anything undone (lit., will leave no [ink] in the inkstand).
2.{133-2} el pan ... vino, I call a spade a spade.
Page 134.—1.{134-1} Vete á paseo (an expression of contempt at what has just been said), come now!
2.{134-2} á la española; in the larger Spanish towns it is now customary to dine at 7 or 8; but it was formerly the custom to dine much earlier, as is still done in the country.
3.{134-3} de lo lindo; note here a partitive expression similar to that which is so common in French. Transl., something fine.
4.{134-4} un día malo ... cualquiera lo pasa = cualquiera pasa un día malo.
5.{134-5} Vile = le vi.
6.{134-6} In southern Europe, where much damage is done by hail, a black cloud is greatly feared.
7.{134-7} cuarenta mil reales de renta; how many pesetas, and how many American dollars, is this? The salaries of government employes in Spain are popularly reckoned in reales. It should be borne in mind that a peseta would probably buy as much in Spain when this story was written, as a dollar will buy to-day in the United States.
Page 135.—1.{135-1} plantarle ... alba, to give a piece of his mind to Lucifer himself.
2.{135-2} se le espeta ... cara, he says so to his face.
3.{135-3} cumplo, I fulfill; miento, I lie.
Page 136.—1.{136-1} Note this popular saying which would imply that, although a Spaniard should live up to an agreement made with another Spaniard, he need not do so with a Frenchman.
Page 137.—1.{137-1} Cf. page 15, note 1.
2.{137-2} se le ... palabra, they should understand a word she said.
3.{137-3} estamos ... comer, we who are to dine are here.
4.{137-4} Fígaro, the pen-name of Mariano José de Larra, author of El castellano viejo.
Page 138.—1.{138-1} If the text is correct, this is a curious case of agreement, or rather of disagreement, of adjective and noun. Apparently Larra had in mind, not gentes, but Braulio and his wife. Cf. the somewhat similar use of gens in French.
2.{138-2} This repetition of entre is unusual, but it makes clear the meaning of the sentence.
Page 139.—1.{139-1} que Dios maldiga, which is an abomination, or curse it.
Page 143.—1.{143-1} Cerrar, an infinitive with the force of an imperative.
Page 145.—1.{145-1} For the life and works of Bécquer, see page viii of the Introduction. The text of El beso is taken from the Obras de Gustavo A. Bécquer, Tomo Segundo, Madrid, 1907.
2.{145-2} una parte ... siglo. The French armies entered the Spanish peninsula in 1807, and were finally expelled by the combined Spanish, English and Portuguese forces in 1814. To this day the Spaniards are fond of telling in song and story the brave exploits of their forefathers who fought against Napoleon's men. The French devastated parts of the country, but they also brought with them many new ideas that helped to awaken Spain from its torpor. This war is known in England as the "Peninsular War", and in Spain as the "Guerra de la Independencia" (War of Independence).
3.{145-3} The alcázar (Arabic for the castle) stands on the highest ground in Toledo. Originally a citadel, it was converted into a palace which served as a royal residence. It was enlarged and embellished by Charles V.
4.{145-4} la Puerta del Sol, a handsome gateway in the Moorish style, built in the 12th century.
5.{145-5} Zocodover, a small three-cornered plaza in the northeastern quarters of Toledo. It is the focus of the city's life. The name Zocodover is of Moorish-Arabic origin. In Tangier, Morocco, there are a small socco ('market') and a large socco.
Page 146.—1.{146-1} cuanto más, much less.
2.{146-2} San Juan de los Reyes, a convent founded in 1476 by the "Catholic Kings", Ferdinand and Isabella, and dedicated to their patron saint, John the Baptist. It was much damaged by the French in 1808.
Page 148.—1.{148-1} las antes losas sepulcrales = las losas, antes losas sepulcrales.
2.{148-2} rey José; Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, whom the latter made king of Spain in June, 1808. Madrid was his capital.
Page 149.—1.{149-1} de todo tenían menos de, were anything but.
2.{149-2} ciudad de los Césares. Toledo was an important strategic point and trading center during the Roman domination of Spain, but it was not the capital city of the land.
Page 151.—1.{151-1} llegar y besar el santo, to meet promptly with success. The expression probably has its origin in the fact that at the time of a pilgrimage to a holy shrine one must usually wait a considerable while before being able to kiss the image of the saint, and fortunate is he who arrives and kisses without delay.
Page 152.—1.{152-1} trece, a slight discrepancy; according to the statement at the beginning of the story there were fourteen.
Page 154.—1.{154-1} ya no vivo, I shall have no peace.
Page 158.—1.{158-1} Elvira de Castañeda was doubtless the lady's maiden name, which in Spain a woman retains after marriage, and to which she joins, connected by de, her husband's name.
Page 160.—1.{160-1} el emperador, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Page 161.—1.{161-1} 5.º = quinto, the Fifth Regiment.
2.{161-2} Los guerreros ... pusieron = dicen que los guerreros del claustro pusieron.
Page 163.—1.{163-1} For the life and works of Pereda, see page xi, of the Introduction. The text of La leva is taken from the Obras completas de D. José M. de Pereda, Tomo V, Escenas Montañesas, Madrid, 1901. La leva consists of several more or less detached incidents. Some of these incidents, in whole or in part, have been selected for this volume, the selections amounting in all to two-thirds of the entire story. For the complete story, the reader is referred to Escenas Montañesas. La leva is a realistic description of the life of the fisher-folk of Santander in Northern Spain, and of the distress caused amongst these poor people by compulsory service in the Spanish navy.
It is written partly in dialect; but the dialect, for the most part, is not local, as most of the expressions occur in the speech of the lower classes wherever Spanish is spoken.
2.{163-2} que no hay ... resista, that is irresistible.
Page 165.—1.{165-1} poeta ... Mancha; Pereda believes that only an inhabitant of the interior provinces of Castile or la Mancha would be likely to idealize in poetic language the rough life of a seaman or a fisherman.
Page 166.—1.{166-1} ¿Qué se te pudre? what ails you?
2.{166-2} Salú = salud. Both final d and intervocalic d are often dropped by the common people throughout the entire Spanish-speaking world. Cf. usté (usted), quitao (quitado), arrastrao (arrastrado), na (nada), too (todo), lao (lado), salío (salido), sentío (sentido), etc.
3.{166-3} Note the common use of the augmentative suffix, -on, -ona, in this story: ingratona (from ingrata); chismosona (from chismosa), borrachona (from borracha), viciosona (from viciosa), flojón (from flojo), etc. These augmentatives are here also depreciatives.
Page 167.—1.{167-1} el mi hijo = mi hijo or el hijo mío. Thus one may hear un mi amigo for un amigo mío, etc. The use of a possessive adjective before its noun, and preceded by another modifier, was once common, but it is now archaic or poetic.
2.{167-2} angelucos; note this use of the diminutive ending -uco in the Montaña. Note also san Pedruco (from Pedro). These diminutives here express affection.
3.{167-3} que poner, to put on.
Page 168.—1.{168-1} Mártiles (= Mártires); jewels and candles are frequently offered to the pictures and images of saints and martyrs to secure their favor and assistance in enterprises, races, bull-fights, illness, etc.
2.{168-2} Emeterio and Celedonio were Roman soldiers. They became Christians and suffered martyrdom at Calahorra, Spain.
Page 170.—1.{170-1} dos reales y medio = approximately 21 cuartos, or 63 céntimos. See these words in Vocab.
3.{170-3} habrán; cf. 3, note 1.
4.{170-4} dos reales en plata = a silver 50-céntimos piece.
Page 171.—1.{171-1} el demonio ... mujer, the devil himself cannot get rid of this woman.
Page 172.—1.{172-1} Note the fall of initial d in é (de), icen (dicen), etc. This is common.
2.{172-2} la echara los Avangelios (= Evangelios). This is by analogy with echar maldiciones ('curses'), echar suertes ('lots'), etc.
3.{172-3} cogió ... lamber, she got frightfully drunk. The lower classes sometimes use cafetera for borrachera, 'drunkenness'. No poderse lamer = estar tan privado de sí como el perro que no puede lamerse la herida, 'to be as much overcome as a dog that can not lick its wound'.
4.{172-4} paece; note the fall of intervocalic r in pa (para), paece (parece), etc. This is common.
Page 173.—1.{173-1} se había trinca(d)o; this may mean colloquially, she had made fast to, or she had drunk.
Page 174.—1.{174-1} por hacerme ... gentes = porque estas pobres gentes me hacen partícipe.