ALENCAR

O Guarani 2.17 · 2.17

April 1593: the house begins

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Isto se passava em abril de 1593; no dia seguinte, começarão os trabalhos da edificação de uma pequena habitação que servio de residencia provisoria, até que os artesãos vindos do reino construirão e decorárão a casa que já conhecemos.

This was happening in April of 1593; the next day the work of building began, on a small dwelling that served as a temporary residence, until the craftsmen come from the kingdom built and decorated the house we already know.

Word by word

IstoEESH-tooThisseseitselfpassavapa-SA-vawas happeningemeninabrila-BREELAprildedeof1593meel kee-nyen-toz i no-VEN-ta i tresh1593;nonooon thediaDEE-adayseguintese-GEEN-teenext,começarãoko-me-sa-ROWNbeganosooshthetrabalhostra-BA-lyooshworksdadaof theedificaçãoe-dee-fee-ka-SOWNbuildingdedeofumaOO-maapequenape-KE-nasmallhabitaçãoa-bee-ta-SOWNdwellingquekewhichservioser-VEE-ooserveddedeasresidenciahe-zee-DEN-see-aresidenceprovisoriapro-vee-ZO-ree-aprovisional,atéa-TEHuntilquekethatosooshtheartesãosar-te-ZOINSHcraftsmenvindosVEEN-dooshcomedodoofrom thereinoHAY-nookingdomconstruirãokonsh-troo-ee-ROWNbuilteeeanddecorárãode-ko-ra-ROWNdecoratedaathecasaKA-zahousequekethatzhahalreadyconhecemosko-nye-SE-mooshwe know.

The setting

The date is fixed: this happened in April 1593, and the next day work began on a small provisional dwelling, until craftsmen from Portugal built and decorated the house we already know.

A note on this passage

Alencar snaps the timeline back to the house of Chapter I with a novelist's satisfaction — 'the house we already know' — closing the loop between the man's history and the setting we have already walked through. The precise date, 1593, quietly reminds us we are watching a specific, doomed moment of the colony being made by hand.

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