|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 63
=245. miraran=: here and elsewhere the second (=-ra=) tense of the
imperfect subjunctive is equivalent to a simple past. This use of the
tense is frequent. At other times this tense is better rendered by a
pluperfect indicative, when the common subjunctive meaning does not
serve.
=268.= These verses are the most frequently quoted of the whole poem.
=268. juguete=: I retain, though with some doubt, the reading of the
original. Later editions have changed to juguetes.
=278.= The thought of these verses is that mean objects may present a
beautiful appearance when viewed through a telescope. "Distance lends
enchantment." So woman when viewed through the illusion of fancy is
better than the woman of reality. This thought is developed farther in
"A Teresa."
=298.= A frequently recurring thought in Espronceda, typical of Romantic
pessimism. Truth is man's greatest enemy, he holds. Illusion is
friendly.
=318.= In this and what follows, Elvira is plainly a copy of Ophelia.
The influence of Hamlet cannot be doubted. Churchman has pointed out
that Elvira is a composite of Goethe's Margarete, Shakespeare's Ophelia,
and the Haid�e and Do�a Julia of Lord Byron. See "Byron and Espronceda,"
_Revue Hispanique_, Vol. XX, p. 164.
=324. otra=: I retain the original reading. Later editions erroneously
read _otras_.
=347. Vaso de bendici�n=: `blessed vessel,' i.e. an individual
peculiarly favored with the divine blessing. The phrase _vaso de
elecci�n_ is commoner, meaning one chosen for a particular mission or
appointed task. The latter term is frequently applied to the Apostle
Paul (Acts ix, 15).
=359. Mas despert� tambi�n de su locura=, etc.: Ophelia did not recover
her reason before dying. Likewise she was drowned, while Elvira dies of
love.
=364. El bien pasado y el dolor presente=: an obvious reminiscence of
Dante's:
Nessun maggior dolore
Che ricordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria.--"Inferno," Canto V, ll. 121-123.
There is no greater sorrow than to recall the happy time in the midst of
misery.
=371.= The letter which follows represents Espronceda's most important
borrowing from Byron. It is based upon Do�a Julia's letter of adieu to
Don Juan: see "Don Juan," Canto I, stanzas 192-197. The circumstances
attending the writing of the two letters are entirely different. The
tone of Do�a Julia's letter is cynical; she is a married woman whose sin
has been discovered and whose husband is forcing her to enter a convent.
Do�a Elvira's letter, written with death in view, is tender and
pathetic. For details see Churchman, "Byron and Espronceda," _Revue
Hispanique_, Vol. XX, p. 161.
PARTE TERCERA
In giving this quotation from the second act of Moreto's "El Lego del
Carmen o San Franco de Sena," Espronceda is either quoting erroneously
or following some edition not known to me. In the Rivadeneyra edition
the passage is as follows:
SARGENTO
�Tiene m�s que parar?
FRANCO
Tengo los ojos,
Y los juego en lo mismo; que descreo
De quien los hizo para tal empleo.
As this play influenced Espronceda, it is well to give a synopsis of it.
Like the "Rufi�n dichoso" of Cervantes, the "San Franco de Sena" deals
with the sinful life and conversion of one who was destined to be a
saint. Franco of Siena, a youth noted for his wild conduct, falls in
love with the inappropriately named Lucrecia. He kills her lover Aurelio
in a duel, and, passing himself off for Aurelio, elopes with her and
gets possession of her jewels. A cross with a lighted lamp before it is
placed on a wall to mark the spot where Aurelio fell. One night, as he
is passing, Franco sacrilegiously attempts to extinguish the light. A
hand issues from the wall and seizes him by the wrist. Words of warning
accompany this action. Franco shows neither fear nor compunction. He
kills all the officers of justice who try to arrest him. Again passing
the wall, he hears a ghostly voice urge him to try his hand at play,
for by losing he will win. Franco hopes to win in a material way, and
decides to follow this advice. He loses all and then stakes his eyes,
making the blasphemous remark quoted above. He loses and is stricken
blind. His conversion follows immediately. In the weak third act he
becomes a Carmelite monk, and his companions in sin experience a like
change of heart.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|