Chapter 3 carmen--three

three He said, I was born in the town of Elizondo in the Bastan Valley.My name is Don Jose Lisarabengoa.You know Spain quite well, and you can tell right away from my name that I am a Basque and an old Christian.If I have "Don" in front of my name, it's because I have the right to show you my family tree on parchment if we were in Elizondo now.My family wanted me to be a priest and to study, but I couldn't get in.I love playing tennis so much that it ruined my life.We Navarroans forget everything when we play tennis.One day I won the fight, a young man from Álava quarreled with me, and both sides fought "Makira", and I defeated him again; but this made me leave my hometown.On the way, I met dragoons, and I joined the army, joining the Almansa cavalry company⑥.Those of us in the mountains quickly learned the trade of being a soldier.I was soon made squad leader, and I was promised to be promoted to platoon commander, but unfortunately at this time, I was sent to be a guard at the tobacco factory in Seville.If you go to Seville, you can see this great building, outside the city walls, near the Guadalquivir River.I still seem to be able to see the gate and the guardhouse next to it.When the Spaniards are on duty, they always play cards or sleep. I am a true Navarro, and I never want to be idle.I was making a chain of brass wire to fasten the fuses of my muskets, when all my companions said, "The bell is ringing, and the maids are at work."

-------- ①Elizondo Town, a town in Navarro Province, 45 kilometers away from Pamplona. ② Lisara Bengoa is derived from the Basque language Lisara, which means ash tree, so the meaning of this surname is: "the owner of the ash tree plantation". ③Old Christians, the descendants of Spaniards who refused to give up Catholicism or intermarry with Muslims during the time when the Arabs ruled Spain, are called old Christians. ④ This kind of ball is the ancestor of net ball and pelota; when playing, both sides bring rackets or ball pockets, and the venues are outdoors and indoors. There is a center line in the middle of the venue, but there is no net.Later evolved into tennis and pelota.In terms of form, this kind of ball is very similar to tennis, but not very similar to playing pelota against the wall. Therefore, although there is no net on the center line, it is tentatively translated as tennis.

⑤This is a Basque iron-clad stick. ——Original note. ⑥ Almansa is a city in Spain. During the war for the Spanish throne in 1707, a major battle took place near the city.In honor of this battle, a Spanish cavalry company was named the Almansa cavalry company. You know, sir, there are four or five hundred women working in this factory.They rolled cigars in a hall that no man could enter without a permit from the Twenty-Four, because they dressed casually in hot weather, especially the young women.When they finished their meal and went to work, there were many young men who watched them pass by and did everything possible to tease them.Few of these girls would refuse to accept a thin silk kerchief; a man of the hobby had only to stoop down and pick it up for such a fish.I sat on a bench near the door while the others looked on.I was young then, always thinking of my hometown, and I never believed that beautiful girls didn't wear blue skirts and two pigtails hanging from their shoulders.Besides, Andalusian women frightened me, I couldn't get along with them, they were always joking and never had a serious word.So I buried my head in making my chain, when suddenly I heard the voices of the townsfolk shouting: "Here comes Chiddana!" I raised my eyes, and saw her.It was Friday and I will never forget it.I see the same Carmen you know, at her house I met you a few months ago.

-------- ① Officials in charge of the police station and municipal administration. ——Original note. ②This is the customary dress of country girls in Navarro and the Basque provinces. ——Original note. She was wearing a very short red dress, revealing not only her white stockings with a hole, but also a pair of small red Moroccan shoes tied with fiery red ribbons.She pushed back the shawl, exposing her shoulders and showing a large bouquet of acacias on top of her blouse.She also had an acacia flower in the corner of her mouth, and she walked forward, twisting her haunches like a mare coming out of a stud farm in Cordoba.In my hometown, when you see a woman dressed like this, you have to make the sign of the sign of the cross②.In Seville, everyone would say a few frivolous compliments to her for the way she looked; Himia girl.She didn't please me at first, and I got back to my talk; but she, like all women and cats, didn't come when she called, and came when she didn't.She stood before me and spoke to me:

"Fellow," she said to me in the Andalusian way, "will you give me your chain and the key to the safe?" "I used to tie my kindling pin," I answered her. "Your kindling pin!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Ah! This gentleman is a lace weaver. No wonder he needs knitting needles!" All the people present laughed, only I blushed and didn't know how to answer her. "Come on, sweetheart," she said again, "knit me seven feet⑤ openwork black yarn for a headscarf, my beloved needle dealer!" -------- ① This flower is yellow and has a strong fragrance.

②The purpose is to expel bad luck. ③Carmen uses the spelling of the two characters of knitting needle and lighting needle to be somewhat similar in the original text to play word games. ④Here we are talking about ancient rulers, each foot is about 1.20 meters, which is obviously too long. She took off the acacia flower she was holding in her mouth, flicked the flower with her thumb, and it hit the center of my eyebrow.It's like a bullet hit me, sir... I wish I had a hole in the ground, and I just stood there like a log.When she came into the factory, I saw the acacia flower falling on the ground between my feet; I don't know what prompted me to do it, but I picked it up while my companions were not looking, and pretended Covered under my coat like a baby.This is the first stupid thing I do!

Two or three hours later, I was still thinking about it, when suddenly the porter came into the guard-room out of breath, with a frightened face.He told us that a woman worker had been murdered in the cigar-rolling hall and that a guard was to be sent there.The platoon leader told me to take two people to have a look.I led the men up the stairs.Just imagine, sir, when I entered the hall, the first thing I saw were 300 working girls, in their underwear, or something like that, shouting, gesticulating, and making such a noise that even the thunderstorm can not hear.In a corner of the room, a female worker fell on the ground with her limbs in the air, covered in blood, and had X-shaped scars on her face, which were scratched with a knife.A few well-meaning women workers were busy in the crowd; opposite the wounded I saw Carmen being grabbed by five or six women.The wounded worker was crying: "Priest, come and make me repent! Make me repent! I'm dying!"

Carmen didn't say a word; she gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes like a lizard. "What's going on?" I asked.It took me a long time to figure out what was going on, because all the girls were talking to me at the same time.It turned out that the wounded woman boasted that she was rich enough to buy a donkey in the Triana fair. -------- ①The suburb of Triana in Seville is known for its lively market. "Well," said quick-talking Carmen, "isn't your broom not enough?" ①The woman worker, irritated by this taunt, and perhaps because it offended her, replied to Carmen that she did not know what a broom was good for, since she was not blessed to be a bohemian girl or a disciple of the devil, But Miss Carmen will have a chance to get acquainted with her donkey in the near future, because the mayor will ask Miss Carmen to ride the donkey through the streets, and will send two servants to follow her to catch flies for her②. "Okay," said Carmen, "I'll just dig a drinking trough for flies in your cheek, and I'd like to draw some squares on it." And when she had finished she crackled, With the cigar-cutting knife she scratched the cross of St. Andrew on the face of the maid.

-------- ① There is a legend in Western Europe that witches can fly at night on a broom. What Carmen means is: you are a witch, you can fly on a broom instead of a donkey. ②In ancient Spain, witches and unwholesome women were paraded through the streets on donkeys, followed by two guards who beat them with whips continuously. "Chasing flies" here means "constantly whipping", as if chasing flies for her. ③The drinking tank of flies means a wide and long wound. ④The original words mean: paint a three-masted boat.Most Spanish three-masted ships are painted with red and white squares on the side of the ship. ——Original note.

⑤ St. Andrew is a disciple of Jesus. When he was preaching in Turkey, he was caught and nailed to the cross by the Turks. The crossbar of the cross is inclined, so the meaning here is to draw two oblique crosses on her face. The case was clear and I grabbed Carmen's arm. "Sister," I said to her very politely, "you come with me." She gave me a look as if she recognized me; then she said with a resigned air, "Come on. Where is my kerchief ?” She covered her head with a kerchief so that only one of her big eyes was exposed, and followed the two people I brought, as tame as a sheep.When she arrived at the guard room, the platoon leader said the case was serious and she should be sent to prison.I was supposed to send her there again.I told her to walk between the two dragoons, and I myself walked behind, as a squad leader should do in such cases.We started walking towards the city.At first the bohemians were silent, until they entered Serpent Street—you know this street, winding and true to its name.When we got to Snake Street, she threw her kerchief over her shoulders, and, letting me see her lovely face, she turned round to look at me as much as she could, and said to me:

"Sir, where are you taking me?" "Go to prison, poor child," I answered her as gently as I could, as a good soldier should address a prisoner, especially if the prisoner is a woman. "Poor! What will happen to me? Sir officer, you are pitiful. You are young and lovely! . . . " Then he lowered his voice and said to me, "Let me escape, and I will give you a piece of barlachi , it can make all women love you when they see you." The so-called barlachi, sir, is a lodestone, and according to the Persians, if one knows how to use this lodestone, one can perform many enchantments.For example, grind it into powder and put it in a glass of white wine for a woman to drink, and she will never refuse you again.I answered her as seriously as possible: "This is not a place for nonsense; you have to go to prison, that's the order, there's no other way." We Basques have an accent that is easily recognized by Spaniards, but not a single Spaniard can speak bai Jaona.Carmen guessed that I was from a privileged province.You will know, sir, that Bohemians have no country, they are wandering, they speak all languages, and most of them live in Portugal, France, the privileged provinces, Catalonia, and everywhere else as they live The same at home; even with the Moors and the English, they could talk to each other.Carmen speaks Basque quite well. -------- ① Basque language, meaning: Yes, sir. ——Original note. "My beloved friend, my dear companion," she asked me suddenly, "are you from my country?" Sir, the dialect of our hometown is so pleasant that we can't help trembling when we hear it in other places... Speaking of which the robber added in a low voice: "I wish to have a priest from the privileged province from which I came to hear my confession." -------- ①The original text is Basque. ②Catholics must confess to the priest before death in order to forgive the sins committed during their lifetime. Then there was a silence, and he went on: "I'm Elizondo," I answered her in Basque, which I was very excited to hear. "Me, I'm from Echaral," she said, four hours away from my hometown. "I was lured to Seville by bohemians. I worked in a tobacco factory. Earn a little money to go back to Navarro to support my mother, who depends on me alone, and she has only a small barratcea with 20 apple trees for wine! Ah! If only I could go back to my hometown and stand in that How good it would be in front of the white mountains! People bully me here because I'm not from here, not from the same town as these scammers selling rotten oranges; all these bitches are against me because I said that even if they All the Jacques with knives can't frighten a boy from our hometown with a peaked cap and a makila in his hand, fellow, friend, can't you do a little favor for a fellow girl?" She lies, sir, she always lies.I don't know if this girl has ever spoken a single truth in her life; but when she speaks, I believe her, and there's nothing I can do about it.She said some half-basque words, and I believed she was Navarro; in fact, just by looking at her eyes, her mouth and complexion, she was already a Bohemian woman.I was so crazy I didn't notice anything.I thought if the Spaniards dared to say bad things about my hometown, I would cut their faces too, just like she did to her colleagues just now, anyway, I started to say stupid things like I was drunk, and I was about to do it something stupid. "If I push you and you fall to the ground, countryman," she continued in Basque words, "these two Castilian recruits will not be able to catch me..." My God, I have forgotten orders and all, and said to her: "Well! My friend, fellow countryman, try it, and may Our Lady of the Mountains help you!" -------- ① Basque language, meaning: garden, garden. ——Original note. ② Basque language, meaning: warriors, people who talk big. ——Original note. ③See note ⑤ on the first 360 pages. ④The Basques have a strong sense of locality; their hometown is located in a mountainous area, so they say: "Our Lady of the Mountains..." At this moment, we came to a narrow alley, of which there are many in Serbia.Suddenly Carmen turned around and punched me in the chest, and I deliberately fell to the ground.She jumped over my body in one jump and started running so fast that only her two thighs were left to show us! ...People often say: "Basque legs", her legs are indeed equal to other people's legs...not only runs fast but also looks good.Me, I got up at once, but I barred the way with my spear horizontally, and delayed my two companions for a while.Then I started to give chase, and they followed me; but to overtake her?We wear spurs, hang sabers, and carry long guns, and we can't catch up!Before I could tell you about it, the female prisoner was gone.In addition, the women in this area all helped her escape, and played tricks on us, deliberately telling us things.After going back and forth several times, we had no choice but to go back to the guard room, but did not get the receipt from the warden. In order to avoid punishment, the two soldiers admitted that Carmen had spoken Basque to me; to be honest, it seemed unreasonable that a girl so weak could knock down a strong man like me with a single blow.The incident seemed very suspicious, or rather too obvious.I was dismissed after get off work and spent a month in prison.This is the first time I've been punished since I joined the military.I thought I had already got the epaulettes, now I have to say goodbye to it forever! My first few days in prison were very difficult.When I was a soldier, I thought at least I was going to be an officer.Because my countrymen Longa ② and Mina ③ have become generals; Chaparangala ④ is a "black" like Mina, and like Mina, he also fled to your country to seek refuge. Colonel; his brother is a pauper like myself, and I've played tennis with him twenty times.At that time I said to myself: "The time you served without punishment is now in vain. Now that you have such a bad record, if you want to restore your credibility in the eyes of the commander, you must do more than you did when you were a recruit." Just work ten times harder!" And why should I be punished?For a bohemian slut who played tricks on me, maybe she's stealing again somewhere in the city right now.But I can't help thinking about her.Sir, do you believe it?I could clearly see the pair of silk stockings riddled with holes that she wore when she ran away, but now they keep shaking in front of my eyes.I looked out into the street from the bars of the prison, and indeed none of the women passing by was like this leprechaun.Then, I couldn't help sniffing the acacia flower she threw to me. The flower was dry, but the fragrance still remained... If there are fairies in the world, this girl must be one of them! -------- ① Spanish cavalry all carry long guns. ——Original note. ② Longa (1783-1831), the famous Spanish commander who fought against Napoleon's troops when Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808. ③ Mina (1784-1836), a Spanish general, became famous during the War of Independence. He participated in the 1820 Revolution and was one of the leaders of the liberal opposition party against the Spanish dynastic autocracy. ④ Chapalangala (died 1830), a hero of the War of Independence, who fought bravely in 1823 against the French army that invaded Spain to protect the royal power.After the revolution failed, he fled to England. Returning to China in 1830, he attempted to organize an uprising and was arrested and executed. ⑤ The Spanish called the participants of the 1820 revolution and the liberals who opposed the royal power "blacks". One day a prison guard came in and handed me a loaf of alcala bread. "Here," said he, "your cousin gave you this." -------- ① Alcala, a small town 8 kilometers away from Seville, produces sweet buns.It is said that the quality of the bread is so good because of the water in Alcala. Every day, a large amount of bread is sent to Seville for sale. ——Original note. I took the bread, very strange because I don't have a cousin in Seville.I looked at the bread and thought: Maybe I made a mistake; but the bread is delicious and very appetizing, so I don't worry about who it comes from or who it is for, and I am determined to eat it.Just as I was cutting down with the knife, the knife touched something hard.On closer inspection, it turned out that someone had put an English rasp in the flour before the bread was baked.There was also a gold coin worth two dollars.There is no doubt that this gift must have been sent by Carmen.For the Bohemians, freedom is everything, and they would rather set fire to a city to save a day in prison.This woman is so shrewd that a piece of bread can fool the prison guards.In an hour, the thickest iron railing can be sawed through with this small file; with that two-dollar gold piece, I can exchange my military uniform for a set at the first second-hand clothing store I meet Civilian clothing.You can easily imagine that a person who has touched the eagle's nest on the cliff many times to catch the young eagle would not feel any difficulty in jumping from a window about 10 meters high into the street; but I don't want to escape.I still have the honor of a soldier, and I think desertion is a great crime.But I was very moved by this nostalgic expression.When you're locked up in a cell, it's always nice to think you have a friend out there who cares about you.That gold piece disturbs me a little, and I would like to return it; but where can I find my creditor?I don't think it's easy. After the dismissal ceremony, I thought that I would not suffer any more humiliation; unexpectedly, there was another humiliation waiting to be endured: after I was released from prison, my superiors sent me to be on duty, like a soldier.You can't imagine how a warrior feels in this situation.I would rather be shot than accept this insult.I could still walk in front of a troop of soldiers all by myself when I was shot, and everyone looked at me, and I still felt that I was a big man. I was sent to stand guard at the gate of a colonel.He was a rich young man with a good temper and a love of fun.All the young officers went to his house, as well as many townspeople, and women, actresses, it was said.To me, it seemed to me that the whole town had made an appointment to come to his door to watch me.At this moment the colonel's car arrived, with his valet sitting on the roof.You know who I saw getting out of the car?It's that Jidana.This time she was dolled up and full of jewels.Her gown was studded with glittering sequins, as were her blue shoes, and she was adorned with flowers and gold and silver ribbons.She holds a Basque tambourine and is followed by two bohemian women, one young and one old.They usually have an old woman leading them; another old man with a guitar, also a Bohemian, comes to accompany their dances.You know, people like to invite bohemian women to social places, and make them dance romanli, which is their own dance, often with other entertainment.Carmen recognized me and we exchanged glances.I don't know why, at this moment, I can't wait to get into the ground. "Agurlaguna," she said, "sir, you stand here like a recruit!" Before I could think of a word to answer, she had entered the house. The guests were all in the inner courtyard, and though there were so many people, I could see through the iron grated gate in general all that was going on inside.I heard castanets, tambourines, laughter and applause; occasionally I could see her head as she danced with her tambourine.Then I heard some of the officers say a lot to her, which made my face turn red.How she answered it, I don't know.I think it was from this day that I really fell in love with her, because three or four times I wanted to rush into the inner courtyard and kill all these frivolous men who molested her with a saber.I suffered for a full hour; then the bohemians came out and drove them back again in their carts.Carmen walked past me, looked at me with those eyes you have seen, and whispered to me: "My fellow, if you want delicious fried fish, go to Lila Pastia's restaurant on the outskirts of Triana." -------- ①Basque language, meaning: "Hello, companion!"——.original note. ②Most houses in Seville have inner courtyards surrounded by corridors.People are here in summer.The yard is covered by a cloth tent, which is sprinkled with water during the day and closed at night.The gate to the street was almost always open, and the passage to the courtyard was separated by an iron grating, very finely carved. ——Original note. She was as light as a kid, and she got into the cart as soon as she got in. The driver beat the donkey, and this happy group of people didn't know where they were going. As you can guess, I went to Triana right after work; I shaved and brushed beforehand, as I did on the day of the parade.She lived in the restaurant of Lila Pastia, an old merchant of fried fish, also a Bohemian, black as a Moor.Many citizens went to his restaurant to eat fried fish, and since Carmen came here, more people ate. "Lila," she said as soon as she saw me, "I don't do anything today. We'll talk about tomorrow! Come on, countryman, let's go for a walk." She covered her face with a turban and we were out on the street and I didn't know where to go. "Miss," I said to her, "I thank you for the gift you gave me while I was in prison. I ate the bread, and the file with which I sharpened my gun, or kept it in memory of you. As for money, I Give it back to you." "Look! He's keeping the money," she cried, laughing, "but that's all right, I've got no money to spend. But what does it matter? A running dog doesn't die of starvation. Go ahead, let's eat up all the money.You are my guest. " -------- ① "Talk about tomorrow." is a Spanish proverb. ——Original note. ② Bohemian proverbs.Meaning: A running dog will always find a bone. ——Original note. When we got back to Seville, we went to the corner of Via Serpentis and she bought a dozen oranges and put them in my handkerchief.A little further on she bought a loaf of bread, some sausages, a bottle of manzanilla; then we went into a sweet shop.As soon as she came into the shop, she threw the gold piece I returned to her, and another gold piece, and some silver pieces, which she took out of her pocket, on the counter; at last she made me take all the money.I had but a silver piece and a few coppers, which I gave to her, and felt very ashamed that I could not give more.It looks like she wants to move the whole store.She bought the best and most expensive things until she ran out of money, sweet egg yolks, marzipan, candied fruit, and so on.I still have to carry these things in a paper bag.You probably know the Rua de la Lampa, where there is a head of King Dom Pedro, "The Man of Justice."This avatar could have evoked many emotions in me.We stopped in front of an old house on this street.She went into the hall and knocked on a door downstairs.A Bohemian woman, who looked like a disciple of the devil, came to answer the door.Carmen spoke to her a few words in Bohemian.The old woman muttered at first, and to gag her, Carmen gave her two oranges, a handful of sweets, and made her drink a few sips of wine.Then Carmen put her cloak on her, and led her out the door, fastening the door with the bolt.When we were alone, Carmen danced and laughed like a madman, and sang, "You are my Roma, I am your Romi." In the middle of the room, I held a lot of bought things in my hands, and I didn't know where to put them.She threw everything on the ground, jumped up and put her arms around my neck, and said to me: "I pay my debt, I pay my debt! It's the rule of Calais!" Ah!Sir, this day! ...I think about this day and forget that there is another day. -------- ①This is a light white wine produced in Andalusia. ②King Don Pedro, we call him "the cruel man", and the queen "Isabella the Catholic" always calls him "the man who upholds justice". He likes to wander the streets of Seville at night, A troublemaker, like the Mohammedan King Haroon-Ali Rashid, he got into a row one night in a quiet street with a man who sang nocturnes to his lovers.Everyone used force, and the king killed the lover.An old woman heard the sound of fencing, and stuck her head out of the window, holding a small lamp in her hand, illuminating the scene at that time.We know that King Pedro, though quick and strong, had a curious physical defect.He walked, his knees rattling.The old woman could tell it was him as soon as she heard the rattling sound.The next day, the "Twenty Four" who was on duty came to report to the king: "Your Majesty, there was a duel in a certain street last night, and one of the duelists died."——"Have you found the murderer?"—— "Found it, Your Majesty."—"Why hasn't the murderer been punished yet?—"Your Majesty, I am waiting for your order. "—"Execute the law. "The king has just issued a decree that anyone who fights a duel shall be beheaded, and the head shall be exhibited at the place of the duel. The "twenty-four" handled the case very cleverly. He saw off the head of a statue of the king and put it in It was exhibited in a niche in the street where it happened. The king and all the inhabitants of Seville thought it was well done. The street was named after the old woman's lamp, because the old woman was the only witness to the incident. —The above is folklore, and Zuniga narrates it slightly differently (see "Seville Chronicle", volume II, page 136). In any case, there is indeed a street of lights in Seville, which There is a stone bust on the street that is said to be Don Pedro's. Unfortunately, this bust is a modern work. The old statue has peeled off in the 17th century, and the city government at that time replaced it with the one we see today. Statue.—Original note.