1.1.28
Don Quixote 1.1.28 · One blow undoes a week1.1.28One blow undoes a week
He tests the new helmet with his sword.
· · ·
Es1
es
is
verdad2
ver·DAD
truetruth
que3
que
that
para4
PA·ra
toin order to
probar5
pro·BAR
test
si6
si
whether
era7
E·ra
was
fuerte8
FUER·te
strong
y9
y
and
podía10
po·DÍ·a
could
estar11
es·TAR
standbe
al12
al
theto the
riesgo13
RIES·go
risk
de14
de
of
una15
U·na
a
cuchillada16
cu·chi·LLA·da
sword cutslash
, sacó17
sa·CÓ
drewtook out
su18
su
his
espada19
es·PA·da
sword
y20
y
and
le21
le
itto it
dio22
dio
gave
dos23
dos
two
golpes24
GOL·pes
blows
, y25
y
and
con26
con
with
el27
el
the
primero28
pri·ME·ro
first
y29
y
and
en30
en
in
un31
un
an
punto32
PUN·to
instantpoint
deshizo33
des·HI·zo
undid
lo34
lo
what
que35
que
(that)
había36
ha·BÍ·a
had
hecho37
HE·cho
made
en38
en
in
una39
U·na
a
semana40
se·MA·na
week
; It is true that to test whether it was strong and could stand the risk of a sword cut, he drew his sword and gave it two blows, and with the first, and in an instant, he undid what he had made in a week;
It is true that to test whether it was strong and could stand the risk of a sword cut, he drew his sword and gave it two blows, and with the first, and in an instant, he undid what he had made in a week;
Interpretation
It is true that, to test whether it was strong and could stand up to a sword cut, he drew his sword and gave it two blows, and with the first, in an instant, he undid what had taken him a week to make;
He set out, two passages ago, to go about deshaciendo wrongs. The first thing he actually undoes is his own week of work: deshizo, the same verb deshacer. Cervantes lets the knight’s great word turn against him at the first try.
Cuchillada is built on cuchillo, “knife”, with the ending -ada that Spanish uses for a blow with something, like pedrada, a blow with a stone, so a cuchillada is a cut from any blade, a sword included.
1.1.29
Don Quixote 1.1.29 · He declares it a fine helmet1.1.29He declares it a fine helmet
He rebuilds the helmet, stronger, and decides not to test it again.
· · ·
and the ease with which he had smashed it to pieces did not fail to look bad to him, and, to guard himself against this danger, he made it again from scratch, putting some iron bars on the inside, in such a way that he was satisfied with its strength; and, without wanting to make another test of it, he appointed it and held it as the finest closed helmet.