Chap 2 (cont) 'Are you Hungry?'

Chap 2 (cont) 

This post relates DQ's first adventure - an encounter with two young women "of the district" Dos mujeres mozas "del partido"

COMMENTARY FOLLOWED BY THE TEXT:

Quijote is an ordinary guy. Crazy? Sure! But one of the boys.

When he rides up to the roadhouse, it’s a castle to him because DQ is delusional. Relentlessly delusional.

But crazy or not, DQ is still a man, among men. Delusional, muttering to himself, armed, but still . . . a man.

So, when DQ encounters two well-worn young women, who survive by travelling the countryside, selling themselves to muleteers and other rough sorts, DQ is not a dangerous crazy whom they can confront, so as to protect themselves. No. He is a dangerous crazy they must run away from. It’s run or maybe die . . . or, as this story flows, run and disobey, or stay where you are and, who knows what will happen now?

If frightened by a strange man, women had better get out of the way. If that’s possible. 

For a couple of whores in a roadhouse with a number of men, it’s not as though the place is much of a refuge to begin with.

When encountering DQ on the open road, what would another man do?  We shall see as the story unfolds. 

But in Cervantes' story, DQ’s first encounter on his first adventure is with women, whose first thought is to get away from him.

Seeing the look of panic on their faces, DQ asks the women to set aside their fears. He tells them, they have nothing to worry about. This armed, crazy-talking guy says he presents no danger, no risk. ‘Hey, I won’t hurt you.’

When an armed, delusional man announces, 'there is nothing to worry about; don’t run from me' is this a reasonable request or a further unfolding of the delusion?

Doubtless, for disobeying a man, women could be hurt just as quickly in 16th century Spain as they can be in the 21st century. When a guy tells a woman ‘Hey, I won’t hurt you’ the woman could get hurt by disobeying the order to stay right there.

It’s biology. Women tend to be physically weaker. 

It’s cultural. Men are accustomed to having their ‘requests’ obeyed by the womenfolk.

So, in this adventure, the two women stay put - right where they have been put by all of the men.

Staying put, their powers of observation take hold. Watching men is a survival skill in women, no? Without having to discuss their plans with each other - (1) let’s stay put (2) let’s keep an eye on this guy - they act in concert.

Levity breaks out. This also may be a survival tactic, intended to lighten the mood; but if a woman’s laughter is directed at a man, you are asking for trouble, which is exactly what happens.

“. . . looking him up and down . . . they could not restrain their laughter . . . which made don Quixote angry . . . ”

Sure enough, the man who said, 'nothing's gonna happen' gets pissed off.

In this novelist’s riff on reality, a second, bigger man, the landlord of the roadhouse, enters the scene and distracts the delusional, armed man, who invokes a folk titty to justify his insanity. This is a tune, which emphasizes the role to be played by "princesses" in his dementia.

The timely intervention of the landlord enables the women to “make their peace” with the crazy dude who has told they had nothing to fear, just before he got angry with them.

The women, trapped and at the mercy of these men - of any men in this story - move into their most acceptable, social role: ‘do you want something to eat?’

They wind up feeding DQ, like a baby.

_______________________

. . . Estaban acaso a la puerta dos mujeres mozas, destas que llaman "del partido" , las cuales iban a Sevilla con unos arrieros

At the door were standing two young women, 'girls of the district' as they call them, on their way to Seville with some muleteers

. . . vio a las dos destraídas mozas que allí estaban, que a él le parecieron dos hermosas doncellas o dos graciosas damas, que delante de la puerta del castillo se estaban solazando.

. . . he saw two inattentive girls, right there, who seemed to him to be two fair maidens or lovely ladies, taking it easy right at the castle gate.

. . . llegó a la venta y a las damas, las cuales, como vieron venir un hombre de aquella suerte armado, y con lanza y adarga, llenas de miedo se iban a entrar en la venta; pero don Quijote, coligiendo por su huida su miedo, descubriendo su seco y polvoroso rostro, con gentil talante y voz reposada les dijo.

. . . he rode up to the inn and to the ladies, who, seeing a man of this condition approaching in armour and with lance and buckler, got very scared, and turned to go into the inn; but don Quixote, seeing their fear by their flight, disclosing his dry, dusty visage, spoke to them with a gentle bearing and a calming voice.

- Non fuyan las vuestras mercedes , ni teman desaguisado alguno , ca a la orden de caballería que profeso non toca ni atañe facerle a ninguno, cuanto más a tan altas doncellas como vuestras presencias demuestran.

"Your ladyships need not run away or fear any rudeness, for that sort of thing has nothing to do with the order of knighthood which I profess, nor to act like that to anyone, much less to high maidens as your appearance shows you to be."

Mirábanle las mozas, y andaban con los ojos buscándole el rostro, que la mala visera le encubría; mas, como se oyeron llamar doncellas, cosa tan fuera de su profesión, no pudieron tener la risa, y fue de manera, que don Quijote vino a correrse y a decirles.

The young women, looking at him and then looking him up and down, to make out the features which the crumby visor obscured; plus, hearing themselves called maidens, something far out of their line of work, they could not restrain their laughter, which made don Quixote get angry, and say,

- Bien parece la mesura en las fermosas, y es mucha sandez, además, la risa que de leve causa procede, pero non vos lo digo porque os acuitedes ni mostredes mal talante, que el mío non es de al que de serviros.

"Restraint becomes the fair, and besides, laughter for no reason is nonsense; now I say this not to pain or anger you, for my desire is nothing else than to serve you."

El lenguaje, no entendido de las señoras, y el mal talle de nuestro caballero, acrecentaban en ellas la risa, y en él el enojo.

The jargon, incomprehensible to the young women, plus the sorry aspect of our gentleman, prompted laughter from them, and annoyance in him.

. . . al cual estaban desarmando las doncellas, (que ya se habían reconciliado con él), las cuales, aunque la habían quitado el peto y el espaldar, jamás supieron ni pudieron desencajarle la gola, ni quitarle la contrahecha celada , que traía atada con unas cintas verdes y era menester cortarlas, por no poderse quitar los ñudos; mas él no lo quiso consentir en ninguna manera; y así, se quedó toda aquella noche con la celada puesta, que era la más graciosa y estraña figura que se pudiera pensar; y al desarmarle, como él se imaginaba que aquellas traídas y llevadas que le desarmaban eran algunas principales señoras y damas de aquel castillo, les dijo con mucho donaire.

. . . the damsels (by now, had made their peace with him) were relieving him of his armour. They had taken off his breastplate and backpiece, but they neither knew nor saw how to open his gorget or remove his make-shift helmet, for he had fastened it with green ribbons, which, as there was no untying the knots, would need to be cut. This, however, he would by no means permit, so he remained all the evening with his helmet on, the silliest and oddest figure imaginable; while he was being relieved of his equipment, he imagined that the women who were handling and disarming him were the principal women and mistresses of that castle, so he spoke to them neatly:

Nunca fuera caballero

de damas tan bien servido.

como fuera don Quijote

cuando de su aldea vino.

donde curaban del

princesas del su rocin.

Oh, never, surely, was there knight

So served by mistress' hand.

As was he, don Quijote, right

from his town he'd land

With maidens on him waiting,

Princesses of his hack.

- o Rocinante, que éste es el nombre señoras mías, de mi caballo, y don Quijote de la Mancha el mío; que puesto que no quisiera descubrirme fasta que las fazañas fechas en vuestro servicio y pro me descubrieran, la fuerza de acomodar al propósito presente este romance viejo de Lanzarote, ha sido causa que sepáis mi nombre antes de toda sazón; pero tiempo vendrá en que las vuestras señorías me manden y yo obedezca, y el valor de mi brazo descubra el deseo que tengo de serviros

-or former-hack, for that, ladies mine, is my horse's name, and don Quixote of La Mancha is mine; for though I had no intention of revealing myself until my deeds done in your service and honour had made me known, the necessity of adapting that old folksong of Lancelot to the present moment has revealed my name out of season. A time, however, will come for your ladyships to command and me to obey, and then the might of my arm will show my desire to serve you."

Las mozas, que no estaban hechas a oír semejantes retóricas, no respondían palabra; sólo le preguntaron si quería comer alguna cosa.

The girls, who were not used to hearing this kind of patter, made no reply; but they did ask him if he wanted anything to eat.

Pusiéronle la mesa a la puerta de la venta, por el fresco, y trújole el huésped una porción del mal remojado y peor cocido bacalao, y un pan tan negro y mugriento como sus armas; pero era materia de grande risa verle comer , porque, como tenía puesta la celada y alzada la visera, no podía poner nada en la boca con sus manos si otro no se lo daba y ponía, y así una de aquellas señoras servía deste menester. Mas al darle de beber, no fue posible, ni lo fuera, si el ventero no horadara una caña, y puesto el un cabo en la boca, por el otro le iba echando el vino: y todo esto lo recebía en paciencia, a trueco de no romper las cintas de la celada.

For fresh air, they laid a table for him at the door of the inn, and the host brought him a portion of poorly-soaked and even more poorly cooked cod, and a piece of bread as black and grimy as his own armour; still, his eating was a source of hilarity, since he kept his helmet on with the visor up, and could not put anything in his mouth with his own hands with his own hands put anything into his mouth so someone else pick up the food and put it in did it; this service was provided him by one of the women. Worse. To drink anything was impossible, or would have been, had not the landlord bored out a reed; putting one end in his mouth and through the other end, poured the wine into him; all this he bore with patience, rather than sever the ribbons of his helmet.