The duke and duchess were extremely glad to see how readily Don Quixote fell in with their scheme; but at this moment Sancho observed, “I hope this senora duenna won’t be putting any difficulties in the way of the promise of my government; for I have heard a Toledo apothecary1, who talked like a goldfinch, say that where duennas were mixed up nothing good could happen. God bless me, how he hated them, that same apothecary! And so what I’m thinking is, if all duennas, of whatever sort or condition they may be, are plagues and busybodies, what must they be that are distressed2, like this Countess Three-skirts or Three-tails! — for in my country skirts or tails, tails or skirts, it’s all one.”
“Hush, friend Sancho,” said Don Quixote; “since this lady duenna comes in quest of me from such a distant land she cannot be one of those the apothecary meant; moreover this is a countess, and when countesses serve as duennas it is in the service of queens and empresses, for in their own houses they are mistresses paramount3 and have other duennas to wait on them.”
To this Dona Rodriguez, who was present, made answer, “My lady the duchess has duennas in her service that might be countesses if it was the will of fortune; ‘but laws go as kings like;’ let nobody speak ill of duennas, above all of ancient maiden4 ones; for though I am not one myself, I know and am aware of the advantage a maiden duenna has over one that is a widow; but ‘he who clipped us has kept the scissors.’”
“For all that,” said Sancho, “there’s so much to be clipped about duennas, so my barber said, that ‘it will be better not to stir the rice even though it sticks.’”
“These squires,” returned Dona Rodriguez, “are always our enemies; and as they are the haunting spirits of the antechambers and watch us at every step, whenever they are not saying their prayers (and that’s often enough) they spend their time in tattling about us, digging up our bones and burying our good name. But I can tell these walking blocks that we will live in spite of them, and in great houses too, though we die of hunger and cover our flesh, be it delicate or not, with widow’s weeds, as one covers or hides a dunghill on a procession day. By my faith, if it were permitted me and time allowed, I could prove, not only to those here present, but to all the world, that there is no virtue6 that is not to be found in a duenna.”
“I have no doubt,” said the duchess, “that my good Dona Rodriguez is right, and very much so; but she had better bide7 her time for fighting her own battle and that of the rest of the duennas, so as to crush the calumny9 of that vile10 apothecary, and root out the prejudice in the great Sancho Panza’s mind.”
To which Sancho replied, “Ever since I have sniffed11 the governorship I have got rid of the humours of a squire5, and I don’t care a wild fig8 for all the duennas in the world.”
They would have carried on this duenna dispute further had they not heard the notes of the fife and drums once more, from which they concluded that the Distressed Duenna was making her entrance. The duchess asked the duke if it would be proper to go out to receive her, as she was a countess and a person of rank.
“In respect of her being a countess,” said Sancho, before the duke could reply, “I am for your highnesses going out to receive her; but in respect of her being a duenna, it is my opinion you should not stir a step.”
“Who bade thee meddle12 in this, Sancho?” said Don Quixote.
“Who, senor?” said Sancho; “I meddle for I have a right to meddle, as a squire who has learned the rules of courtesy in the school of your worship, the most courteous13 and best-bred knight14 in the whole world of courtliness; and in these things, as I have heard your worship say, as much is lost by a card too many as by a card too few, and to one who has his ears open, few words.”
“Sancho is right,” said the duke; “we’ll see what the countess is like, and by that measure the courtesy that is due to her.”
And now the drums and fife made their entrance as before; and here the author brought this short chapter to an end and began the next, following up the same adventure, which is one of the most notable in the history.
公爵和公爵夫人见唐吉诃德按照他们的意图乖乖地上了钩,十分高兴。这时桑乔却忽然说道:
“我不想让这位女佣妨碍实现让我当总督的诺言。我听托莱多的一位饶舌的药剂师说过,凡事只要有女佣插手准糟糕。那位药剂师是多么讨厌她们呀!由此我想到,既然所有的女佣不管是什么性格和脾气都令人讨厌,那么,这位被称作‘三摆裙’或‘三尾裙’伯爵夫人的女佣又能怎么样呢?在我们那儿,摆就是尾,尾就是摆,都是一回事。”
“住嘴,桑乔朋友,”唐吉诃德说,“这位女佣既然从很远的地方跑来找我,就决不会是药剂师说的那类女佣,况且她还是伯爵夫人呢。伯爵夫人当女佣,肯定是服侍女王或王后,而在家里则受其他女佣服侍,是十足的贵夫人。”
这时,在场的唐娜罗德里格斯说道:
“我们公爵夫人的女佣若是运气好,也可以做伯爵夫人,只可惜命运的安排往往不如意。谁也别想说女佣的坏话,特别是身为老处女的女佣的坏话!虽然我不是老处女,也完全了解身为老处女的女佣比身为寡妇的女佣强多少。有人剪了我们的头发,手里却仍然拿着剪刀。”
“即使剪了头发,”桑乔说,“女佣身上还是有很多可剪的东西。我们那儿的理发师说过,‘米饭即使粘锅,还是别搅好’。”
“侍从们总是和我们作对。”唐娜罗德里格斯说,“他们就像是前厅里的幽灵,总是随时注视着我们。除了祈祷之外,他们常常嚼舌头议论我们,翻我们的老帐,诋毁我们的名誉。不管这些用黑衣服裹着我们的细嫩或者不细嫩的肌肤,就像在游行的日子里得用什么东西把垃圾堆盖上一样,我们还是存活于世,而且生活在贵人家里!如果有可能的话,而且时间又允许,我会让在场的人以及世界上所有的人都知道,女佣身上具备了各种美德!”
“我觉得唐娜罗德里格斯说得不错,”公爵夫人说,“而且说得很对。不过,你若是想为自己和其他女佣辩护,驳斥那个药剂师的恶意中伤,根除桑乔的偏见,最好还是另外再找时间吧。”
桑乔于是说道:
“自从我有望当上总督之后,骄矜使我摆脱了侍从的所有晦气,我根本就不把这些女佣放在眼里。”
若不是又响起了鼓乐声,表示“忧伤妇人”已经光临,他们的谈话还会继续下去。公爵夫人问公爵该不该出去迎接,因为这毕竟是一位伯爵夫人,是贵人呀。
“因为她是伯爵夫人,”桑乔不等公爵答话便抢先说道,“所以我主张你们出去迎接。但她又是个普通妇人,所以我又觉得你们根本用不着挪步。”
“谁叫你多嘴了,桑乔?”唐吉诃德说。
“谁叫我多嘴,大人?”桑乔说,“是我自己。我这个侍从已经从您那儿学到了规矩,可以称得上是最有礼貌的侍从了。关于这种事,我听您说过:‘同样是输牌,输多输少无所谓’,‘对聪明人不必多言’。”
“桑乔说得对。”公爵说,“咱们先去看看这位伯爵夫人究竟是什么样子,再说该怎么样招待她吧。”
这时,鼓手和笛手又像刚才那样吹吹打打地进来了。
作者将这一短章写至此,便又开始了另一章,继续介绍这件令人难忘的事情。
1 apothecary | |
n.药剂师 | |
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2 distressed | |
痛苦的 | |
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3 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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4 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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5 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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6 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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7 bide | |
v.忍耐;等候;住 | |
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8 fig | |
n.无花果(树) | |
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9 calumny | |
n.诽谤,污蔑,中伤 | |
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10 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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11 sniffed | |
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 | |
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12 meddle | |
v.干预,干涉,插手 | |
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13 courteous | |
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的 | |
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14 knight | |
n.骑士,武士;爵士 | |
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