Chapter 59 Chapter Three Interesting Talks Between Don Quixote, Sancho and Scholar Samson Carrasco

Don Quixote had been thinking carefully all this while he was waiting for Carrasco.He wanted to ask the bachelor what he wrote about himself in the book Sancho was talking about.He couldn't believe that there was such a book, because the blood on his sword hadn't dried yet, so someone had written his noble chivalry into the book?Still, he imagined that some literary figure, friend or foe, had magically written about him in a book.If a friend did this, it was to increase his influence, to make his deeds stand out above the most eminent knight-errant.If it was done by the enemy, it was to reduce him to a lower level than the lowest recorded squire.Because he knew in his heart that the deeds of the servants were never written in the book.But if there ever was a book, it was about knight errants, and it would be a great book, full of words, written with elegance and truth.Thinking of this, he was a little relieved.However, thinking that the author was a Moor, because that person's name was Sid, Don Quixote was worried again.The Moors have always been tricksters and tricksters.His greatest fear was that the book would speak inappropriately of his love for Dulcinea of ​​Toboso, which would cause contempt and injury to his chaste Madame Dulcinea.He hoped that in the book, he would always be loyal and respectful to Dulcinea, restrain his instinctive impulse, and despise queens, queens, and beauties of all identities.He was thinking wildly, Sancho and Carrasco came.Don Quixote received Carrasco very politely.

Although the bachelor was called Samson, he was not very tall.He was pale, but his mind was quick.He was twenty-four years old, with a round face, a flat nose, and a big mouth. He seemed to be a man of evil intentions and a joker.Sure enough, when he saw Don Quixote, he knelt down and said: "Extend your noble hand, Lord Don Quixote of Mancha. Although my rank is only junior fourth, I swear by this St. Peter's robe that you are the most famous knight-errant in this world. Thanks to tin De Ahmed Benengeli wrote this novel of your valor, and it is thanks to someone who cared enough to translate it from Arabic into Spanish for us all, so that it can be enjoyed by all.”

Don Quixote helped him to his feet and said: "It seems that there is a novel written about me, and it is written by a Moorish scholar!" "Indeed, my lord," said Samson, "and I estimate that at least twelve thousand copies have been printed by now. Believe me, in Portugal, in Barcelona, ​​and in Valencia. It is also said to be in Antwerp." .I estimate that no matter what country or language, a translation of this novel will be published.” "Among the things that please a man of high moral character and great achievement," said don Quixote, "is that his reputation is circulated among the people in printed books in every language. But I am speaking of a reputation , if it’s the other way around, it’s better to die.”

"In reputation," said the maester, "you have surpassed all knight-errants. Now the Moors have spoken their own language, and the Christians have given us their own, and have described you with the greatest veracity. You were fearless, you endured hardships, you endured all kinds of pain, and you also maintained your fidelity in your spiritual love with Mrs. Donna Dulcinea of ​​Toboso." "I've never heard of Madame Donna Dulcinea," said Sancho now, "I've only ever heard of her as Madame Dulcinea of ​​Toboso. That's a mistake in the novel. "

"It's not a big mistake," Carrasco said. "It is not a great mistake," said don Quixote, "but tell me, my lord, which of the deeds in this novel are most admired?" "Everyone's taste is different, so opinions are different," replied the maester. "Some people like best the thing about the windmills, which is what you think of as long-armed giants; others like to see the calender. ; this person thinks that the part describing the two armies is good, but the two armies seem to have become two flocks of sheep; That part is the best; and others say none of it is as good as the part where you meet the two giants of Benito and fight the brave man of Viscay."

"Tell me, my lord," interposed Sancho, "that our good horse Rossindo, the toad, wanted to eat the swan, and we encountered the Yanguas?" "The literati wrote down everything," said Samson, "everything, even the story of good Sancho flying under the sheets." "I'm not flying in the sheets," Sancho said, "I'm just flying in the air, whether I want to or not." "I think," said don Quixote, "that there is probably no period in the history of mankind in the world that does not contain twists and turns, especially the history of chivalry. It is impossible for knights to always have smooth sailing."

"Nevertheless," said the maester, "it is said that some people, after reading this novel, would have preferred that the author had forgotten some of the clubs to which Monsieur Don Quixote was subjected in the confrontation." "These are real things," Sancho said. "In order to be objective, these things need not be mentioned," said don Quixote, "because the facts are there and will not change, so there is no need to write them, if these things damage the dignity of the hero. Aenea Ulysses is not as sympathetic as Virgil portrays him, and Ulysses is not as shrewd as Homer portrays him."

"That's right," said Samson, "but it's one thing for a poet to write, and another for a historian. A poet can describe and sing about things not as they are, but as they should be. Those things. The historian writes not as things should be, but as they are, without adding or subtracting." "If that Monsieur Moore wants to write the truth," said Sancho, "then I must have had my part in those clubs my master received. When was he not clubbed on the back, I had to be beaten all over the body? But this time It's nothing new, it's like my master said, a headache and a whole body."

"You cunning Sancho," said don Quixote, "it seems that you will not forget what you do not want to forget." "Even if I wanted to forget the sticks I'd been through," Sancho said, "the bruises on my body wouldn't allow me, and my ribs still hurt." "Shut up, Sancho," said don Quixote, "and don't interrupt your maester. I asked him to continue talking about how I was written about in that novel. " "And I," said Sancho, "are said to be one of the important 'groups' of the novel." "It's 'characters,' not 'people,' my friend Sancho," said Samson.

"Another stingy word," said Sancho, "if it always goes like this, we'll never get enough of it in our lives." "You are the second character in the novel, Sancho. If not, God will punish me," said the maester. "There are some people who would rather listen to you than the one who portrays the most in the book. However, There are also people who think that you are too determined to believe that Lord Don Quixote present will really make you the governor of the island." "It is still too early," said don Quixote; "when Sancho is older and more experienced, he will be more capable of being a doge than he is now."

"My lord, my lord," said Sancho, "if I can't be governor at this age, I won't be at the age of Methuselah. Now, the bad thing is that this island doesn't know where it's hidden. Well, it’s not that I’m incapable of managing it.” "Praise God, Sancho," said don Quixote, "everything will come, perhaps better than you imagine. Without the will of God, not a leaf will be shaken." "That's right," said Samson. "And God will give you not one, but a thousand islands, Sancho." "The governors I have seen," said Sancho, "are nothing compared to me. Still, they must be called 'Your Excellencies,' and they should eat from silver." "Those are not island governors," said Samson, "but some other easy governors. An island governor must know grammar at least." "I'm fine with this 'language'," Sancho said, "this 'law' has nothing to do with me, I don't understand. However, let God decide these things, and I just ask God to send me to the place that suits me best. as long as the author of this novel doesn't write about me in such a way as to embarrass me too much, Mr. Samson Carrasco, I'll be content. I promise, if I don't write about me like I This old Christian did, then, 'I must let the deaf hear'." -------- ① Methuselah is a long-lived old man in the Bible, who lived to be 969 years old. ②Spanish colloquialism, expressing anger here. "That would be a miracle," said Samson. "A miracle is not a miracle," Sancho said. "Whoever introduces or describes a character can't just write it out of his imagination." "One of the things that people think is wrong with the novel is that the author inserted a story called 'Wordless Suspicions,'" said the Bachelor, "not that the story itself was bad or badly written, but that it was placed in the wrong place. , has nothing to do with the story of Lord Don Quixote." "I'll bet," said Sancho, "that he's got the horses and horses together." "It now appears," said don Quixote, "that the author of this novel about me is not a learned man of letters, but an ignorant talker. He wrote without any thought, and wrote wherever he thought, Just like Ovaneja, the painter in Úbeda, when people asked him what he painted, he replied: "It is what it looks like." Maybe he painted a rooster, but the painting is too unremarkable, so it has to be done. Write it in Gothic font next to it: This is a rooster. It is probably the same when I write this novel of mine, and it needs to be annotated to understand it.” "That's not true," said Samson, "it's written very clearly, there's nothing incomprehensible, and children can't put it down, teenagers are scrambling to pass it around, adults can understand it at a glance, and old people are full of praise. It was so widely circulated among people of the same class that later on, when people saw a skinny horse, they said, 'Here comes Rocinanto. No. As soon as this person put it down, that person took it away. Some people looked for it here, and someone borrowed it there. In short, this novel is by far the most interesting and the least vulgar novel. Nor is there a sentence at all that is immoral or contrary to ecclesiastical thought." "If it is not written in this way, it is not a portrait," said don Quixote, "but a lie. Those who make up history should be burned like those who counterfeit money. Only my business It's enough to write, I don't understand why the author writes about things big and small that have nothing to do with it. It's probably like the saying goes: 'Don't care about this and that...' In fact, the author just writes My thoughts, my exclamations, my tears, my good intentions, and my struggles are enough to fill a thick volume, thick enough to compare with all Tosta's writings. In fact Well, my lord, I have now come to the conclusion that history books need to be written with insight. Witty is what makes it great. In comedy, the stupidest characters are the shrewdest, because people who make people think they are simple-minded People are not simple-minded. History is a sacred thing, and it must be true, and there can be a God if there is truth. However, there are always some people who make up things and distribute their books everywhere.” -------- ① During the period of Don Juan II, the archbishop of Avila, Spain, is famous for his writings, and his writings amount to 24 volumes. "There is no book that is not good at all," said the maester. "There is no doubt about it," said don Quixote, "but it is often the case that an author, already famous, is destroyed when his work is published, or is never looked down upon." "The reason for this phenomenon," said Sancho, "is that things in print can be read slowly, so it is easy to pick mistakes, especially the works of great writers, people of great intelligence. Great poets, great Most historians are always, or often, envied by those who have not published their own books but are especially keen to find fault with others." "It is not surprising," said don Quixote, "that there are some theologians who, when they do not preach well themselves, are especially aware of the shortcomings of others." "Indeed, Monsieur Don Quixote," said Carrasco, "however, I wish that those who criticize are more forgiving and less demanding, and stop murmuring about the minutiae of other people's works." Homer also has Mistakes'. Those people should think more about the hard work the author put into getting his work published, and less about the dark side of his work. Maybe they think moles on their faces are unattractive, but some people think they are more beautiful. From this , it is really a great risk to publish a book, because it is impossible to make all readers satisfied and happy." "Probably not many people would like to write my book," said Don Quixote. "On the contrary, it's like 'Countless Fools'. Many people like this kind of novel. Some people even complain that the author has a bad memory or deliberately obstructs. He didn't explain who stole Sancho's donkey, but only wrote that the donkey was killed. It was stolen. He also said that he forgot to explain what happened to the one hundred shields in the suitcase he picked up in Mount Morena, and he never mentioned it again. Many people want to know what happened to the money, or What is it for. This is another very important loophole.” Sancho replied: "Master Samson, I don't want to pay any bills right now. My stomach is hurting right now, and I can't live without a couple of sips of old wine. I have wine at home. If you want to hear it, wait for me. I'll eat Come back after dinner, and no matter what you or anyone else wants to ask, whether it is about losing the donkey or the shield, I will answer." Sancho went home without waiting for an answer, or saying anything more. don Quixote begged the maester to stay and dine.The bachelor stayed.Two chicks were added to the table, and they talked about chivalry.Carrasco continued to joke.After eating, they took a nap.Then Sancho came back and they talked about it again.