Part 24
=vivo=, =-a=, alive, vivid, eager
=volador=, =-ora=, flying
=volante=, flying, light; =artillería ----=, field artillery
=volar=, to fly
=volcánico=, =-a=, volcanic
=volcar=, to upset
=voltear=, to throw down, over-power
=voltigero=, voltigeur, light-armed infantry soldier
=voluntad=, will, mind
=voluntariamente=, voluntarily
=voluntario=, =-a=, voluntary
=voluntario=, volunteer
=voluntarioso=, =-a=, willful
=volver=, to return, turn; =---- a= + _infin._, to do again; =---- en sí=, to regain consciousness; =----se=, to become
=vomitar=, to vomit, belch
=votar=, to vote
=voto=, vote, ballot, vow
=voz=, _f._, voice
=V. S.=, _abbr. for_ =Vueseñoría=, Your Lordship
=vuelo=, flight; loftiness in discourse
=vuelta=, turn; =dar una ----=, to take a stroll
=vulgar=, vulgar, commonplace
=vulgarísimo=, =-a=, very vulgar, commonplace
=vulgo=, crowd, populace
Y
=y=, and
=ya=, already, even, now; _with a negative_, no longer; =---- ... ----=, whether ... or
=yacer=, to lie
=yermo=, =-a=, waste, desert
=yerto=, =-a=, stiff, inert, lifeless
=yugo=, yoke
=yunta=, pair, yoke
Z
=zafar=, to untie
=zaga=, rear of anything; =ir en ----=, to be behind, inferior
=zagal=, shepherd
=zamarra=, sheepskin coat
=zanja=, ditch
=zanjón=, _m._, deep ditch
=Zaragoza=, city in Spain
=zarpar=, to weigh anchor, set sail
=zona=, zone, belt
=zoológico=, =-a=, zoölogical
=zorzal=, _m._, thrush
=zozobra=, worry, anguish
=zumbido=, buzzing
=Zupay=, _m._, mythical character in the Quichua Indian traditions; represents the evil spirit of the forest
FOOTNOTES:
[1] =León=, an allusion to the lion on the Spanish coat of arms.
[2] =su=, _i.e._, _de los campeones_.
[3] =hace=. The subject is =Marte= in line 2.
[4] =Inca=. When the Spanish _Conquistadores_ came to America, all of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and north-western Argentina were inhabited by the Quichua Indians. These Indians were divided into seven tribes, from one of which came the Incas who became the rulers of the vast territory occupied by the Quichuas. The Inca was the head of the ruling class and consequently the emperor of all the Quichuas. The reference here is to Atahualpa, the last Inca, who was strangled in 1533 by order of Pizarro, conqueror of Peru.
[5] =sus=, _i.e._, _del Inca_.
[6] =lo que=, trans., _as: As he sees his sons renewing the old splendor of the Fatherland_. Vide Bello-Cuervo, _Gramática_, §§ 976, 977; and Cuervo, _Apuntaciones críticas_, § 337.
[7] =se sienten=, _are heard_. The student should exercise special care in noting the difference between the use of the reflexive as a substitute for the passive voice and the true use of the reflexive; the first use is confined almost entirely to the third person, singular and plural.
[8] =Méjico=. From 1810 to 1820 the Mexicans fought bravely, but with scant success, to free themselves from the Spanish yoke. During that period three great leaders of Mexican independence were captured and shot by the Spaniards: the priest Miguel Hidalgo, in 1811; the priest Morelos, in 1815; and Francisco Xavier Mina, in 1817. Under the leadership of Santa Ana, in 1823, the Mexicans were finally successful in driving out the Spaniards and establishing a republican form of government.
[9] =Quito=. Until the beginning of the sixteenth century the present republic of Ecuador was the kingdom of Quito, ruled over by the Incas. After Pizarro's conquest in 1533 it became the _Audiencia_ of Quito, subject to the rule of the Viceroy of Peru. Ecuador was the last South American country to obtain its independence from Spain. From 1810 to 1822, when the Spaniards were defeated at the battle of Pichincha, it was the scene of much ruthless and fierce fighting.
[10] =cuál=, trans., _how_.
[11] =Potosí=, =Cochabama=, =la Paz=, cities in Bolivia. Most of the fighting against the Spaniards in Bolivia took place in the triangle formed by those three cities. V. map.
[12] =Caracas=, capital of Venezuela, the first South American country to declare its independence from Spain, in 1811. About that time the terrors of an earthquake, which destroyed the greater part of the city, were added to those of war.
[13] =cual=, trans., _like_.
[14] =a=, trans., _against_.
[15] =vencedor=, trans., _as a conqueror_; note absolute construction.
[16] =San José=, =Piedras=, =La Colonia=, battles fought by the Uruguayans in coöperation with the Argentineans. At Las Piedras there were two engagements, hence =ambas Piedras=.
=San Lorenzo=, name of the first battle fought by San Martín against the Spaniards.
=Suipacha=, =Salta=, =Tucumán=. General Balcarce defeated the Spaniards at Suipacha, as did General Belgrano at the battles of Salta and Tucumán.
[17] =la Banda Oriental=, popular name for the republic of Uruguay. Until the period of the Revolution, Uruguay was one of the Provinces of the Plata, and from its location on the eastern bank of the Uruguay River it received the name of "Eastern District."
[18] =su=, _i.e._, =del guerrero argentino=.
[19] =sus=, _i.e._, =del tirano=.
[20] =por=, trans., _as_.
[21] =su=, _i.e._, =de la libertad=.
[22] =les=, _i.e._, =a los hombres=.
[23] =trono dignísimo=, _i.e._, independence from Spain.
[24] =¡..., salud!= _hail!_
[25] =para responder al título de la propiedad=, _to insure claim to the property_.
[26] =sequedades=, abstract noun used as a concrete noun; trans., _sterile lands_.
[27] =absoluto=, taken in its literal sense here, _apart_, _by himself_.
[28] =_volteadas_=, Argentinism; separation and selection of cattle without previously rounding them up; hasty selection of cattle. Cf. Darwin's _The Voyage of the Beagle_: "About two leagues beyond this curious tree we halted for the night; at this instant an unfortunate cow was spied by the lynx-eyed gauchos, who set off in full chase, and in a few minutes dragged her in with their lazos, and slaughtered her."
[29] =leyes positivas=, _established laws_.
[30] =con sendas o vados=, etc., _i.e._, =cerca de su choza=, _nearby_.
[31] =género de vida que hacían=, _kind of life they led_.
[32] =lo hacían... tiempo=, _gave him an air of mystery and dignity at the same time_.
[33] =voz cubierta=, _soft voice_.
[34] =con el monosílabo=, _by a monosyllabic remark_.
[35] =introdujo una revolución social=, _i.e._, the internal revolution that followed immediately upon the heels of the struggle for independence.
[36] =por esto=, _on this account_.
[37] =vecindarios=. This word means both _district_ or _ward of a town_, and _vicinity_; hence the statement that follows.
[38] =si es que=, _i.e._, =si es verdad que=.
[39] =a la altura... se nutren=, _on a par with the social milieu in which they are born and grow_.
[40] =Eso sí=, _Of course_, _Most assuredly_.
[41] =Tomaba partido... y por pasión=, _He took sides, guided by his personal sentiments and emotions_.
[42] =a su modo=, _peculiar to himself_.
[43] =por escapar=, lit., _for the sake of escaping_; translate as if it were =para escapar=. There is very little difference between =por= and =para= when followed by an infinitive: =para= is by far the commoner preposition used.
[44] =San Martín=, =Belgrano=, the two greatest military leaders of Argentina during the period of the struggle for independence.
[45] =cuerpo de doctrina=, _system of dogmas_.
[46] _=sui generis=_, Latin for =a su modo=. V. note 18, 10.
[47] =de que no se daba otra cuenta... superior=, lit., _of which he gave himself no other account save as of a superior fact_, i.e., _of which he knew nothing save that it was a divine fact_.
[48] =le venía impuesto=, _was imposed upon him_. =Venir= is here used as an auxiliary for the passive voice instead of =ser=.
[49] =doctrina=. Notice the use of a general term for a concrete term. What is meant here by =doctrina= is not _teaching_ but _teachers_.
[50] MOTTO. _The steppes, like the ocean, fill the soul with the feeling of the infinite._ Taken from Humboldt's _Voyages aux régions équinoxiales du nouveau continent._
[51] =no puede... negarse=, _it cannot be denied_. Cf. 2, 9.
[52] =lucha imponente=. The indefinite article is regularly omitted in Spanish with nouns in apposition.
[53] =están combatiendo=. The first edition of Sarmiento's _Facundo_, the work from which this extract is taken, appeared in 1845; hence the use of the present.
[54] =Echeverría=, one of Argentina's foremost poets.
[55] _=La Cautiva=_, name of the poem for which Echeverría is best known. It marks a departure from Spanish classical traditions, depicting a struggle typical of the pampas, its scenery, its inhabitants, and its poetry.
[56] =Dido= and =Argía=, the titular heroines of dramas by Juan Cruz Varela, the foremost Argentine poet of the classical school; the first is based on the fourth book of Virgil's _Æneid_; the second on Alfieri's _Antigone_.
[57] =proporciona=. The subject is =el espectáculo=.
[58] =a ellos=. The use of the prepositional object pronoun adds emphasis to the sentence.
[59] =Ojo de Halcón=, _Hawkeye_, character in Cooper's _The Last of the Mohicans_.
[60] =Mingos=, epithet applied to the Huron Indians in Cooper's _Leatherstocking Tales_.
[61] "=van a tapar el arroyo=," "_they are going to dam the brook_." Cf. Chapter XXI of _The Last of the Mohicans_.
[62] _=La Pradera=_, Cooper's novel, _The Prairie_.
[63] =el Trampero=, _the Trapper_; known also in the other works of Cooper's _Leatherstocking Tales_ as Deerslayer, Hawkeye, Pathfinder, Settler.
[64] =lo mismo que el Trampero sugiere=. Cf. _The Prairie_, Chapter XXIII.
[65] =los incendios del pasto=. The dangers from such fires will be evident when it is known that not infrequently grass grows so tall in the pampas as to cover a man on horseback.
[66] =la misteriosa operación del Pawnie=. Cf. _The Prairie_, Chapter XXIV. The Pawnie is an Indian character in _The Prairie_, friend of the Trapper.
[67] A cowhide, fashioned so as to give it buoyancy, is often used in the pampas to cross streams. An improvised craft of this type is called a =pelota=, _i.e._, _ball_. Though the =pelota= is often mentioned and described by Argentine travelers and explorers, nowhere other than in this passage of Sarmiento have the editors read that they were towed by women. Cf. _The Prairie_, Chapter XXIV.
[68] =con la pelota... lazo=, _with the pelota towed by means of a rope seized between the teeth_.
[69] =El procedimiento para asar una cabeza de búfalo=. For reference V. _The Prairie_, Chapter IX. Sarmiento has evidently made a mistake here, meaning not the head but the hump of a buffalo.
[70] =En fin,...= In his _Voyage of the Beagle_, Chapter III, Darwin, writing almost contemporaneously of conditions on the pampas, says: "It is curious how similar circumstances produce such similar results in manners. At the Cape of Good Hope the same hospitality, and very nearly the same points of etiquette, are universally observed."
[71] =acaba=. The verb is in the singular because =lo palpable y vulgar= are taken to be one and the same thing.
[72] =se aleja=. The subject of this verb and the following verbs of the sentence is =horizonte=.
[73] =despierto=, with concessive force, _though awake_.
[74] =es poeta=, _is poetical_. Notice the use of a noun with the force of an adjective.
[75] =y cómo ha de dejar de serlo=, _and how can it help being so_. =Lo= refers to the previous statement, =es poeta=.
[76] =mientras se cruzan dos palabras=, _in the twinkling of an eye_.
[77] =atraerse=. The reflexive is here the indirect object of the verb.
[78] =Masas de tinieblas..., masas de luz lívida=, in loose apposition with colores of the preceding sentence.
[79] =y muestra... poder=, _and shows the limitless stretches of the pampa as they are vividly pierced by the lightning, the symbol of power_.
[80] =Añádase=, _Let it be added_.
[81] =una atmósfera cargada de electricidad=. "On a second night we witnessed a splendid scene of natural fireworks; the masthead and yard arm ends shone with St. Elmo's light; and the form of the vane could almost be traced, as if it had been rubbed with phosphorus. The sea was so highly luminous that the tracks of the penguins were marked by a fiery wake, and the darkness of the sky was momentarily illuminated by the most vivid lightning."--DARWIN, _The Voyage of the Beagle_, describing the entrance to the estuary of the Plata.
[82] =como el pelo contrariado del gato=, _like a cat's hair when stroked the wrong way_.
[83] =la vista=, subject of the verbs =gira=, =reconcentra=, =encuentra=, in the preceding lines.
[84] =Paraná= and =Uruguay= (next line). Two rivers. V. map.
[85] =arrojan=. Strictly speaking, the subject is =ceibos y palmas=, though the meaning is clearly that _all_ the trees overhanging the banks, _i.e._, the aromo and the orange tree, shower their flowers.
[86] =flor del aire=, _flower of the air_; popular name for a plant of the genus Tillandsia, very common in Argentina. There are many varieties, with flowers of different colors. The striking characteristic of this plant is that it will grow without having its roots in the ground, getting its sustenance from the air when tied to or suspended from anything.
[87] =Guazú=, one of the rivers of the Paraná delta.
[88] =es un canto frigio=. The well-known archeologist, Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, in his article on Phrygia in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_ says: "The scenery is generally monotonous; even the mountainous districts rarely show striking features or boldness of character; where the landscape has beauty it is of a subdued melancholy character. The circumstances of the country are well calculated to impress the inhabitants with a sense of the overwhelming power of nature and of their complete dependence on it. Their mythology, so far as we know it, has a melancholy and mystic tone, and their religion partakes of the same character."
[89] =Rousseau= (Jean Jacques), the celebrated French philosopher of the eighteenth century (1712-1778), in his youth wrote a _Dissertation on Modern Music_, in which he attempted to introduce a new system of musical notation.
[90] =Copiapó=, city in Chile. V. map.
[91] =no lo han de haber adoptado=, _cannot have adopted it_.
[92] =y lo populariza... exige=, _and popularizes it by the audiences which his song gathers_.
[93] =andaluz genuino=. Most of the Spanish colonizers of Argentina were Andalusians. To this day their influence is noticeable in the pronunciation of Spanish throughout South America. The most striking difference in the pronunciation of the Castilians and that of the Andalusians is that the latter pronounce the =z=, and the =c= when followed by =e= or =i=, like an =s=. The Andalusians do not make the =s= as sibilant as the Castilians; with them it is very often a light aspirate sound.
[94] =algunos= refers to =especialidades= in the preceding sentence. It is made masculine because the word is used to denote males, _i.e._, the =tipos= and =caracteres= which are described in detail later on.
[95] =guerra civil=. The revolutionary struggle between Buenos Aires and the provinces of the interior, which broke out close upon the heels of Argentine independence, is referred to here. V. Introduction.
[96] =es de muy buena silla=, _she is a very good mount_.
[97] =ha pasado ayer=. A Spaniard would say here =pasó ayer=. This use of the perfect instead of the preterite is a common Gallicism in South America.
[98] =sierra de San Luis=, in the province of San Luis. V. map.
[99] =fallarle=, _pass sentence against him_. =Le= is dative of disadvantage.
[100] =que=, object of =considera=.
[101] =si le sucedía momentáneamente extraviarse=, _if he happened to lose the track for a moment_.
[102] "=¡Dónde te _mi-as-dir_!=" stands for "=¡Dónde te me has de ir!=" _Where do you think you will get away from me?_
[103] =unas hierbas=, _some blades of grass_.
[104] =_baquiano_=, also spelled =baqueano=. This adjective is derived from the verb =vaquear=, which in Argentina means to round up cattle. In the course of their work, the =baquianos=, or cattlemen, acquired an intimate knowledge of the country, and it was only natural, therefore, that the pathfinders, the sense in which the word is used here, should come from their midst. To-day it is also used to denote a person who is an expert in anything.
[105] =Imaginaos=. The final =d= of the second person plural imperative is dropped in reflexive verbs.
[106] =el camino que lleva=, _the road he is following_.
[107] =si no los hay=, _if there aren't any_.
[108] =el camino ha de ir al Sur=, _the road must be to the south_.
[109] =lago o arroyo de agua salada o dulce=. Salt streams and lakes are common in Argentina, particularly in the central provinces. "One day I rode to a large salt lake, or salina, which is distant fifteen miles from the town. During the winter it consists of a shallow lake of brine, which in summer is converted into a field of snow-white salt.... One of these brilliantly white and level expanses, in the midst of the brown and desolate plain, offers an extraordinary spectacle."--DARWIN, _The Voyage of the Beagle_.
[110] =El general Rosas=. V. Introduction.
[111] =lo=. Cf. 29, 2.
[112] =Cuando se aproxima=. The subject is =el enemigo=.
[113] =observa los polvos=, _observes the clouds of dust_.
[114] =el jefe obra bajo este dato=, _the chief makes his plans in accordance with this information_.
[115] =las aciertan=, _succeed in them_.
[116] =Creeráse=. The object pronoun is placed after the verb for stylistic effect. The student should avoid this use.
[117] =El general Rivera=. José Fructuoso Rivera (1790-1854), famous gaucho leader of the revolutionary movement in Uruguay. He was twice elected to the presidency of his country. Defeated in 1845 by Urquiza, he fled to Brazil.
[118] =Banda Oriental=. V. 5, 1.
[119] =Oribe= (Manuel), one of the famous "Thirty-three" liberators of Uruguay. V. Introduction.
[120] =Lavalleja= (Juan Antonio), leader of the liberating expedition of the "Thirty-three".
[121] =con toda su ciencia=. The possessive adjective =su= refers to =Ojo de Halcón= and =el Trampero=, which are different names for the hero in Cooper's _Leatherstocking Tales_.
[122] =La justicia=, _i.e._, its emissaries, the police.
[123] =enlaza una vaca=.... This is hardly so to-day, save perhaps occasionally in the depths of the pampas. But in the days of Sarmiento it was far from being an uncommon event. Cf. 9, 22.
[124] =se provee _de los vicios_=. He supplies himself with tobacco and _mate_. In the simple life of the gaucho, tobacco and _mate_ are luxuries, vices (!).
[125] =entra en baile con su pareja, confúndese en las mudanzas del _cielito_=, _joins in the dance with his partner, mingles with the others in the steps of the =cielito=_.
[126] =su morada sin limites=, _i.e._, =los cardales=, the thistle fields of the pampa.
[127] =en la provincia=, _i.e._, in whichever province the =gaucho malo= may be living, or better, roving.
[128] =Si no se le pide=, _If he is not asked_.
[129] =a menos que él lo solicite=. =Él= refers to =alguno=; =lo=, to =acercársele=; trans., _unless the traveler wishes the gaucho to approach him_.
[130] =valiente Rauch=, popular hero and gaucho leader; comparable to Custer in American history.
[131] =catástrofe de Facundo=. Reference to the assassination of this rival of Rosas. He was murdered by the outlaw gaucho Santos Pérez at the instigation of Rosas. His death was a favorite theme of the =cantores=.
[132] =el infeliz=, a term of mild contempt, _the poor fellow_.
[133] =de lo que tiene sobre su cabeza=, _i.e._, the cultured city element.
[134] =de lo que tiene a los pies=, _i.e._, the semicivilized gaucho element of the country.
[135] =Dondequiera que=, _Wherever_.
[136] No es fuera de propósito recordar aquí las semejanzas notables que presentan los argentinos con los árabes. En Argel, en Orán, en Máscara y en los aduares del desierto, ví siempre a los árabes reunidos en cafés, por estarles prohibido el uso de los licores, apiñados en derredor del cantor, generalmente dos que se acompañan de la vihuela a duo, recitando canciones nacionales plañideras como nuestros tristes. La rienda de los árabes es tejida de cuero y con azotera, como las nuestras; el freno de que usamos es el freno árabe, y muchas de nuestras costumbres revelan el contacto de nuestros padres con los moros de la Andalucía. De las fisonomías no se hable: algunos árabes he conocido que jurara haberlos visto en mi país.--EL AUTOR.
(=Orán=, port in Algeria.
=Máscara=, town in Algeria, to the southeast of Orán.
=azotera=. In Argentina reins are often made long enough so that the ends may be used as a whip; these constitute the =azotera=.
=no se hable=, _let us not speak_.)
[137] =con ser=, _though being_.
[138] =no está libre de=..., _is not free from having some accounts to settle with the police_.
[139] =lo del rapto=, _the story of the abduction_.
[140] =el poncho=. The poncho used by the gauchos is a thick woolen blanket of oblong shape, with a slit in the center so that it may fall over the wearer's shoulders. It is an inseparable accouterment of the gaucho. It is his winter coat, his raincoat, and his shield to boot, for in his dueling, to which he is much given, the gaucho fights with the knife in one hand and the poncho wrapped around the other hand and arm.
[141] =se veía salir=, _there was seen emerging_.
[142] =tomado de la cola=, _clinging to the tail_.
[143] =la sangrienta lucha=, _i.e._, the struggle between the unitarians and federalists. V. Introduction.
[144] =Andando esta historia=, _As this history goes on_.
[145] =En el capítulo primero=, _i.e._, of the author's _Facundo_, from which this and the preceding selection are taken.
[146] =No se olvide=, _Let it not be forgotten_.
[147] =que en éstos=. Translate as if it were =y que en éstos=.
[148] =a su tiempo=, _at the proper time_.
[149] =ocupa=. The subject is =labrador=.
[150] =lo variado=, _the variety_.
[151] =Todo lo contrario=, _Just the opposite_.
[152] =Los límites de la propiedad no están marcados=. Later on, when Sarmiento became president, he introduced wire fences to indicate the boundary lines of the _estancias_.
[153] =aunque no sepan qué hacerse=, _though they may not know what to do with themselves_.
[154] =la corbata=. To a gaucho the cravat is the mark of the city man.
[155] =El año 41=, _i.e._, 1841.
[156] =¡Cómo me ha de ir!= _How do you suppose!_
[157] =estas dos frases=, _i.e._, =¡En Chile! ¡y a pie!= _In a foreign land! and on foot!_ Chile, moreover, being a mountainous country, ill suits the gaucho accustomed as he is to the plains of Argentina. Being horseless is of course always a calamity for a gaucho, whether in the pampa or far from it.
[158] =se dan=. V. 2, 9.
[159] =dónde se le han visto rastros al león=, _where the tracks of the lion_ (_puma_) _have been seen_.
[160] =se fraterniza=, lit., _it is fraternized_; trans., _there drinking and the prodigality of those with means induce comradeship_.
[161] =empiezan a echarse=, _begin to be laid_.
[162] =la Península=, _i.e._, Spain.
[163] =¡guerra a cuchillo!= _war to the knife!_ The Spanish general, José Palafox Melfi, defender of the city of Zaragoza against the besieging troops of Napoleon (1808-1809), being asked by the French general to surrender, answered with the famous words above mentioned. For this heroic defense of Zaragoza he was made Duke of Zaragoza.
[164] =a más de un arma=, _besides being a weapon_.
[165] =a la par de jinete=. After the words =a la par= the words =de hacer alarde= are understood and =ser= is understood before =jinete= and =valiente=.
[166] =una esgrima=, _a form of dueling_.
[167] =Así se ve a estos gauchos=, _thus these gauchos are seen_.
[168] =por brillar=. V. 18, 15.
[169] =si _corre a la partida_=, _if he gets the better of the rural guards_.