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第54章

don quixote(堂·吉珂德)-第54章

小说: don quixote(堂·吉珂德) 字数: 每页4000字

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the critical。〃
  〃I say that your worship is entirely right;〃 said Sancho; 〃and
that I am an ass。 But I know not how the name of ass came into my
mouth; for a rope is not to be mentioned in the house of him who has
been hanged; but now for the letter; and then; God be with you; I am
off。〃
  Don Quixote took out the note…book; and; retiring to one side;
very deliberately began to write the letter; and when he had
finished it he called to Sancho; saying he wished to read it to him;
so that he might commit it to memory; in case of losing it on the
road; for with evil fortune like his anything might be apprehended。 To
which Sancho replied; 〃Write it two or three times there in the book
and give it to me; and I will carry it very carefully; because to
expect me to keep it in my memory is all nonsense; for I have such a
bad one that I often forget my own name; but for all that repeat it to
me; as I shall like to hear it; for surely it will run as if it was in
print。〃
  〃Listen;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃this is what it says:

        〃DON QUIXOTE'S LETTER TO DULCINEA DEL TOBOSO

  〃Sovereign and exalted Lady;… The pierced by the point of absence;
the wounded to the heart's core; sends thee; sweetest Dulcinea del
Toboso; the health that he himself enjoys not。 If thy beauty
despises me; if thy worth is not for me; if thy scorn is my
affliction; though I be sufficiently long…suffering; hardly shall I
endure this anxiety; which; besides being oppressive; is protracted。
My good squire Sancho will relate to thee in full; fair ingrate;
dear enemy; the condition to which I am reduced on thy account: if
it be thy pleasure to give me relief; I am thine; if not; do as may be
pleasing to thee; for by ending my life I shall satisfy thy cruelty
and my desire。
  〃Thine till death;

            〃The Knight of the Rueful Countenance。〃

  〃By the life of my father;〃 said Sancho; when he heard the letter;
〃it is the loftiest thing I ever heard。 Body of me! how your worship
says everything as you like in it! And how well you fit in 'The Knight
of the Rueful Countenance' into the signature。 I declare your
worship is indeed the very devil; and there is nothing you don't
know。〃
  〃Everything is needed for the calling I follow;〃 said Don Quixote。
  〃Now then;〃 said Sancho; 〃let your worship put the order for the
three ass…colts on the other side; and sign it very plainly; that they
may recognise it at first sight。〃
  〃With all my heart;〃 said Don Quixote; and as he had written it he
read it to this effect:
  〃Mistress Niece;… By this first of ass…colts please pay to Sancho
Panza; my squire; three of the five I left at home in your charge:
said three ass…colts to be paid and delivered for the same number
received here in hand; which upon this and upon his receipt shall be
duly paid。 Done in the heart of the Sierra Morena; the
twenty…seventh of August of this present year。〃
  〃That will do;〃 said Sancho; 〃now let your worship sign it。〃
  〃There is no need to sign it;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃but merely to
put my flourish; which is the same as a signature; and enough for
three asses; or even three hundred。〃
  〃I can trust your worship;〃 returned Sancho; 〃let me go and saddle
Rocinante; and be ready to give me your blessing; for I mean to go
at once without seeing the fooleries your worship is going to do; I'll
say I saw you do so many that she will not want any more。〃
  〃At any rate; Sancho;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃I should like… and there
is reason for it… I should like thee; I say; to see me stripped to the
skin and performing a dozen or two of insanities; which I can get done
in less than half an hour; for having seen them with thine own eyes;
thou canst then safely swear to the rest that thou wouldst add; and
I promise thee thou wilt not tell of as many as I mean to perform。〃
  〃For the love of God; master mine;〃 said Sancho; 〃let me not see
your worship stripped; for it will sorely grieve me; and I shall not
be able to keep from tears; and my head aches so with all I shed
last night for Dapple; that I am not fit to begin any fresh weeping;
but if it is your worship's pleasure that I should see some
insanities; do them in your clothes; short ones; and such as come
readiest to hand; for I myself want nothing of the sort; and; as I
have said; it will be a saving of time for my return; which will be
with the news your worship desires and deserves。 If not; let the
lady Dulcinea look to it; if she does not answer reasonably; I swear
as solemnly as I can that I will fetch a fair answer out of her
stomach with kicks and cuffs; for why should it be borne that a
knight…errant as famous as your worship should go mad without rhyme or
reason for a …? Her ladyship had best not drive me to say it; for by
God I will speak out and let off everything cheap; even if it
doesn't sell: I am pretty good at that! she little knows me; faith; if
she knew me she'd be in awe of me。〃
  〃In faith; Sancho;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃to all appearance thou art no
sounder in thy wits than I。〃
  〃I am not so mad;〃 answered Sancho; 〃but I am more peppery; but
apart from all this; what has your worship to eat until I come back?
Will you sally out on the road like Cardenio to force it from the
shepherds?〃
  〃Let not that anxiety trouble thee;〃 replied Don Quixote; 〃for
even if I had it I should not eat anything but the herbs and the
fruits which this meadow and these trees may yield me; the beauty of
this business of mine lies in not eating; and in performing other
mortifications。〃
  〃Do you know what I am afraid of?〃 said Sancho upon this; 〃that I
shall not be able to find my way back to this spot where I am
leaving you; it is such an out…of…the…way place。〃
  〃Observe the landmarks well;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃for I will try
not to go far from this neighbourhood; and I will even take care to
mount the highest of these rocks to see if I can discover thee
returning; however; not to miss me and lose thyself; the best plan
will be to cut some branches of the broom that is so abundant about
here; and as thou goest to lay them at intervals until thou hast
come out upon the plain; these will serve thee; after the fashion of
the clue in the labyrinth of Theseus; as marks and signs for finding
me on thy return。〃
  〃So I will;〃 said Sancho Panza; and having cut some; he asked his
master's blessing; and not without many tears on both sides; took
his leave of him; and mounting Rocinante; of whom Don Quixote
charged him earnestly to have as much care as of his own person; he
set out for the plain; strewing at intervals the branches of broom
as his master had recommended him; and so he went his way; though
Don Quixote still entreated him to see him do were it only a couple of
mad acts。 He had not gone a hundred paces; however; when he returned
and said:
  〃I must say; senor; your worship said quite right; that in order
to be able to swear without a weight on my conscience that I had
seen you do mad things; it would be well for me to see if it were only
one; though in your worship's remaining here I have seen a very
great one。〃
  〃Did I not tell thee so?〃 said Don Quixote。 〃Wait; Sancho; and I
will do them in the saying of a credo;〃 and pulling off his breeches
in all haste he stripped himself to his skin and his shirt; and
then; without more ado; he cut a couple of gambados in the air; and
a couple of somersaults; heels over head; making such a display
that; not to see it a second time; Sancho wheeled Rocinante round; and
felt easy; and satisfied in his mind that he could swear he had left
his master mad; and so we will leave him to follow his road until
his return; which was a quick one。

  CHAPTER XXVI
  IN WHICH ARE CONTINUED THE REFINEMENTS WHEREWITH DON QUIXOTE
PLAYED THE PART OF A LOVER IN THE SIERRA MORENA

  RETURNING to the proceedings of him of the Rueful Countenance when
he found himself alone; the history says that when Don Quixote had
completed the performance of the somersaults or capers; naked from the
waist down and clothed from the waist up; and saw that Sancho had gone
off without waiting to see any more crazy feats; he climbed up to
the top of a high rock; and there set himself 

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