FOOTNOTES:

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 isMartein line 2.[4]Inca. When the SpanishConquistadorescame 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 theAudienciaof 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, henceambas 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’sThe 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 bothdistrictorward of a town, andvicinity; 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 werepara escapar. There is very little difference betweenporandparawhen followed by an infinitive:parais 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 fora 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.Veniris here used as an auxiliary for the passive voice instead ofser.[49]doctrina. Notice the use of a general term for a concrete term. What is meant here bydoctrinais notteachingbutteachers.[50]Motto.The steppes, like the ocean, fill the soul with the feeling of the infinite.Taken from Humboldt’sVoyages 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’sFacundo, 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]DidoandArgía, 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’sÆneid; the second on Alfieri’sAntigone.[57]proporciona. The subject isel espectáculo.[58]a ellos. The use of the prepositional object pronoun adds emphasis to the sentence.[59]Ojo de Halcón,Hawkeye, character in Cooper’sThe Last of the Mohicans.[60]Mingos, epithet applied to the Huron Indians in Cooper’sLeatherstocking Tales.[61]“van a tapar el arroyo,” “they are going to dam the brook.” Cf. Chapter XXI ofThe 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’sLeatherstocking Talesas 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 inThe 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 apelota,i.e.,ball. Though thepelotais 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 hisVoyage 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 becauselo palpable y vulgarare taken to be one and the same thing.[72]se aleja. The subject of this verb and the following verbs of the sentence ishorizonte.[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.Lorefers 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 verbsgira,reconcentra,encuentra, in the preceding lines.[84]ParanáandUruguay(next line). Two rivers. V. map.[85]arrojan. Strictly speaking, the subject isceibos y palmas, though the meaning is clearly thatallthe 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 theEncyclopædia Britannicasays: “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 aDissertation 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 thez, and thecwhen followed byeori, like ans. The Andalusians do not make thesas sibilant as the Castilians; with them it is very often a light aspirate sound.[94]algunosrefers toespecialidadesin the preceding sentence. It is made masculine because the word is used to denote males,i.e., thetiposandcaractereswhich 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 herepasó 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.Leis dative of disadvantage.[100]que, object ofconsidera.[101]si le sucedía momentáneamente extraviarse,if he happened to lose the track for a moment.[102]“¡Dónde temi-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 spelledbaqueano. This adjective is derived from the verbvaquear, which in Argentina means to round up cattle. In the course of their work, thebaquianos, 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 finaldof 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 isel 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 adjectivesurefers toOjo de Halcónandel Trampero, which are different names for the hero in Cooper’sLeatherstocking 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 proveede los vicios. He supplies himself with tobacco andmate. In the simple life of the gaucho, tobacco andmateare luxuries, vices (!).[125]entra en baile con su pareja, confúndese en las mudanzas delcielito,joins in the dance with his partner, mingles with the others in the steps of thecielito.[126]su morada sin limites,i.e.,los cardales, the thistle fields of the pampa.[127]en la provincia,i.e., in whichever province thegaucho malomay be living, or better, roving.[128]Si no se le pide,If he is not asked.[129]a menos que él lo solicite.Élrefers toalguno;lo, toacercársele; 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 thecantores.

[1]León, an allusion to the lion on the Spanish coat of arms.

[2]su,i.e.,de los campeones.

[3]hace. The subject isMartein line 2.

[4]Inca. When the SpanishConquistadorescame 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 theAudienciaof 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, henceambas 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.

[16]San José,Piedras,La Colonia, battles fought by the Uruguayans in coöperation with the Argentineans. At Las Piedras there were two engagements, henceambas 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’sThe 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 bothdistrictorward of a town, andvicinity; 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 werepara escapar. There is very little difference betweenporandparawhen followed by an infinitive:parais 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 fora 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.Veniris here used as an auxiliary for the passive voice instead ofser.

[49]doctrina. Notice the use of a general term for a concrete term. What is meant here bydoctrinais notteachingbutteachers.

[50]Motto.The steppes, like the ocean, fill the soul with the feeling of the infinite.Taken from Humboldt’sVoyages 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’sFacundo, 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]DidoandArgía, 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’sÆneid; the second on Alfieri’sAntigone.

[57]proporciona. The subject isel espectáculo.

[58]a ellos. The use of the prepositional object pronoun adds emphasis to the sentence.

[59]Ojo de Halcón,Hawkeye, character in Cooper’sThe Last of the Mohicans.

[60]Mingos, epithet applied to the Huron Indians in Cooper’sLeatherstocking Tales.

[61]“van a tapar el arroyo,” “they are going to dam the brook.” Cf. Chapter XXI ofThe 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’sLeatherstocking Talesas 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 inThe 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 apelota,i.e.,ball. Though thepelotais 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 hisVoyage 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 becauselo palpable y vulgarare taken to be one and the same thing.

[72]se aleja. The subject of this verb and the following verbs of the sentence ishorizonte.

[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.Lorefers 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 verbsgira,reconcentra,encuentra, in the preceding lines.

[84]ParanáandUruguay(next line). Two rivers. V. map.

[85]arrojan. Strictly speaking, the subject isceibos y palmas, though the meaning is clearly thatallthe 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 theEncyclopædia Britannicasays: “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 aDissertation 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 thez, and thecwhen followed byeori, like ans. The Andalusians do not make thesas sibilant as the Castilians; with them it is very often a light aspirate sound.

[94]algunosrefers toespecialidadesin the preceding sentence. It is made masculine because the word is used to denote males,i.e., thetiposandcaractereswhich 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 herepasó 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.Leis dative of disadvantage.

[100]que, object ofconsidera.

[101]si le sucedía momentáneamente extraviarse,if he happened to lose the track for a moment.

[102]“¡Dónde temi-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 spelledbaqueano. This adjective is derived from the verbvaquear, which in Argentina means to round up cattle. In the course of their work, thebaquianos, 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 finaldof 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 isel 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 adjectivesurefers toOjo de Halcónandel Trampero, which are different names for the hero in Cooper’sLeatherstocking 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 proveede los vicios. He supplies himself with tobacco andmate. In the simple life of the gaucho, tobacco andmateare luxuries, vices (!).

[125]entra en baile con su pareja, confúndese en las mudanzas delcielito,joins in the dance with his partner, mingles with the others in the steps of thecielito.

[126]su morada sin limites,i.e.,los cardales, the thistle fields of the pampa.

[127]en la provincia,i.e., in whichever province thegaucho malomay be living, or better, roving.

[128]Si no se le pide,If he is not asked.

[129]a menos que él lo solicite.Élrefers toalguno;lo, toacercársele; 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 thecantores.

Back to Index Next