1.1.17
Don Quixote 1.1.17 · Everything he read was true1.1.17Everything he read was true
His head is now full of the romances, and he takes every word of them for history.
· · ·
Llenósele3
lle·NÓ·se·le
filled
la1
la
histhe
fantasía2
fan·ta·SÍ·a
imaginationfantasy
de4
de
withof
todo5
TO·do
all
aquello6
a·QUE·llo
that
que7
que
which
leía8
le·Í·a
read
en9
en
in
los10
los
the
libros11
LI·bros
books
, así12
a·SÍ
boththus
de13
de
of
encantamentos14
en·can·ta·MEN·tos
enchantments
como15
CO·mo
andas
de16
de
of
pendencias17
pen·DEN·cias
quarrels
, batallas18
ba·TA·llas
battles
, desafíos19
de·sa·FÍ·os
challenges
, heridas20
he·RI·das
wounds
, requiebros21
re·QUIE·bros
compliments
, amores22
a·MO·res
love affairsloves
, tormentas23
tor·MEN·tas
storms
y24
y
and
disparates25
dis·pa·RA·tes
nonsense
imposibles26
im·po·SI·bles
impossible
; y27
y
and
asentósele28
a·sen·TÓ·se·le
settled
de29
de
inof
tal30
tal
such
modo31
MO·do
a waymanner
en32
en
in
la33
la
histhe
imaginación34
i·ma·gi·na·CIÓN
imagination
que35
que
that
era46
E·ra
was
verdad47
ver·DAD
truetruth
toda36
TO·da
all
aquella37
a·QUE·lla
that
máquina38
MÁ·qui·na
structuremachine
de39
de
of
aquellas40
a·QUE·llas
those
sonadas41
so·NA·das
famousmuch talked-about
soñadas42
so·ÑA·das
dreamed-up
invenciones43
in·ven·CIO·nes
fictionsinventions
que44
que
that
leía45
le·Í·a
read
, que48
que
so that
para49
PA·ra
for
él50
él
him
no51
no
no
había52
ha·BÍ·a
there was
otra53
O·tra
other
historia54
his·TO·ria
historystory
más55
más
more
cierta56
CIER·ta
truecertain
en57
en
in
el58
el
the
mundo59
MUN·do
world
. His imagination filled up with all that he read in the books, both of enchantments and of quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, compliments, love affairs, storms and impossible nonsense; and it settled in such a way in his imagination that all that structure of those famous dreamed-up fictions he read was true, so that for him there was no other history more true in the world.
His imagination filled up with all that he read in the books, both of enchantments and of quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, compliments, love affairs, storms and impossible nonsense; and it settled in such a way in his imagination that all that structure of those famous dreamed-up fictions he read was true, so that for him there was no other history more true in the world.
Interpretation
His imagination filled up with everything he read in the books, enchantments and quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, sweet talk, love affairs, storms and impossible nonsense. And it lodged so firmly in his mind that the whole grand structure of those famous, dreamed-up inventions seemed true to him, so that for him no history in the world was more certain.
The list runs on the way the romances themselves run on: spells, fights, duels, wounds, compliments, loves, storms. Then comes a small joke in sound, sonadas soñadas, "famous" and "dreamed", two words one letter apart.
The last word to watch is historia, which in Spanish means both "history" and "story". The gentleman can no longer tell the two apart. Cervantes plays on the same word all through the book, since he calls his own novel a historia and pretends it is a true chronicle.
1.1.18
Don Quixote 1.1.18 · The Cid and the Knight of the Burning Sword1.1.18The Cid and the Knight of the Burning Sword
He ranks the heroes he has read about. A real Spanish hero comes second to an invented one.
· · ·
He used to say that the Cid Ruy Díaz had been a very good knight, but that he was no match for the Knight of the Burning Sword, who with one backstroke had cut down the middle two fierce and monstrous giants.