Vivaldo and Don Quixote discuss knight-erranty, and Don Quixote explains that tradition dictates that knights-errant dedicate themselves to ladies rather than to God.
He adds that all knights-errant are in love, even if they do not show it. He describes Dulcinea to the company in flowery and poetic terms.
Vivaldo takes one poem, and Ambrosio asks him to read it aloud. Vivaldo reads the poem aloud. Marcela herself then appears and claims never to have given Chrysostom or any of her other suitors any hope of winning her affection.
She attributes all her beauty to heaven and says she is not at fault for remaining chaste. Marcela leaves before Ambrosio can respond. The second brother, seeing how his comrade was treated, drove his heels into his castle of a mule and made off across the country faster than the wind.
Sancho Panza, when he saw the friar on the ground, dismounting briskly from his ass, rushed towards him and began to strip off his gown. At that instant the friars muleteers came up and asked what he was stripping him for. Sancho answered them that this fell to him lawfully as spoil of the battle which his lord Don Quixote had won.
The muleteers, who had no idea of a joke and did not understand all this about battles and spoils, seeing that Don Quixote was some distance off talking to the travellers in the coach, fell upon Sancho, knocked him down, and leaving hardly a hair in his beard, belaboured him with kicks and left him stretched breathless and senseless on the ground; and without any more delay helped the friar to mount, who, trembling, terrified, and pale, as soon as he found himself in the saddle, spurred after his companion, who was standing at a distance looking on, watching the result of the onslaught; then, not caring to wait for the end of the affair just begun, they pursued their journey making more crosses than if they had the devil after them.
Don Quixote was, as has been said, speaking to the lady in the coach: "Your beauty, lady mine," said he, "may now dispose of your person as may be most in accordance with your pleasure, for the pride of your ravishers lies prostrate on the ground through this strong arm of mine; and lest you should be pining to know the name of your deliverer, know that I am called Don Quixote of La Mancha, knight-errant and adventurer, and captive to the peerless and beautiful lady Dulcinea del Toboso: and in return for the service you have received of me I ask no more than that you should return to El Toboso, and on my behalf present yourself before that lady and tell her what I have done to set you free.
One of the squires in attendance upon the coach, a Biscayan, was listening to all Don Quixote was saying, and, perceiving that he would not allow the coach to go on, but was saying it must return at once to El Toboso, he made at him, and seizing his lance addressed him in bad Castilian and worse Biscayan after his fashion, "Begone, caballero, and ill go with thee; by the God that made me, unless thou quittest coach, slayest thee as art here a Biscayan.
Don Quixote understood him quite well, and answered him very quietly, "If thou wert a knight, as thou art none, I should have already chastised thy folly and rashness, miserable creature. The Biscayan, when he saw him coming on, though he wished to dismount from his mule, in which, being one of those sorry ones let out for hire, he had no confidence, had no choice but to draw his sword; it was lucky for him, however, that he was near the coach, from which he was able to snatch a cushion that served him for a shield; and they went at one another as if they had been two mortal enemies.
The others strove to make peace between them, but could not, for the Biscayan declared in his disjointed phrase that if they did not let him finish his battle he would kill his mistress and everyone that strove to prevent him. The lady in the coach, amazed and terrified at what she saw, ordered the coachman to draw aside a little, and set herself to watch this severe struggle, in the course of which the Biscayan smote Don Quixote a mighty stroke on the shoulder over the top of his buckler, which, given to one without armour, would have cleft him to the waist.
Don Quixote, feeling the weight of this prodigious blow, cried aloud, saying, "O lady of my soul, Dulcinea, flower of beauty, come to the aid of this your knight, who, in fulfilling his obligations to your beauty, finds himself in this extreme peril.
The Biscayan, seeing him come on in this way, was convinced of his courage by his spirited bearing, and resolved to follow his example, so he waited for him keeping well under cover of his cushion, being unable to execute any sort of manoeuvre with his mule, which, dead tired and never meant for this kind of game, could not stir a step.
If you wish to reward me for my good deed, send an envoy to the lady of my heart, the sublime Dulcinea of Toboso. Tell her of my heroic exploit and that I through my courage have delivered you from the hands of two vile enchanters.
But Don Quixote replied calmly, with solemn mien: "Beware!! If you were a knight, I should challenge you to a duel, so be gone, you slavish good-for-nothing!
Don Quixote threw his lance down angrily, held his shield to his breast, drew his sword and rushed with determination at his antagonist. He spends a sleepless night thinking about Dulcinea. Sancho sleeps heavily in a drunken stupor. Quixote tells Sancho that the laws of chivalry state that his squire can only fight in battles against normal scoundrels. If the battles are with other knights, he must not interfere.
Sancho promises to adhere unless the knights threaten him. Two friars appear with a coach behind them that is carrying a Biscayan lady who is going to visit her husband, who is about to set sail. The friars are not with the party, merely traveling the same road.
Quixote believes the friars are wizards abducting a princess. Sancho tells him that they are monks, and the coach is some travelers. Don Quixote reminds Sancho that he is inexperienced at adventuring. Don Quixote orders the friars to release the princess.
The monks are bewildered, but identify themselves as Benedictine monks. They are ignorant of who is in the coach. Quixote, not believing them, attacks. He would have killed the first monk if the man had not fallen off his donkey. The second monk races away. Sancho goes up to the fallen monk and disrobes him, for his clothing are the spoils for his master.
The servants of the monks attack Sancho and leave him stunned. The monk gets on his donkey and speeds towards his friend, who is watching at a safe distance.
Don Quixote goes up to the Biscayan lady and tells her he has liberated her. He asks that she present herself to Dulcinea and tell her of his deed. All Rights Reserved. Text Summary About This Translation. The Author's Preface.
Dedication of Part I. Chapter I.
0コメント