1.1.33
Don Quixote 1.1.33 · The name Rocinante1.1.33The name Rocinante
After much drafting in his head, he finds the horse’s name.
· · ·
Y1
y
And
así2
a·SÍ
so
, después3
des·PUÉS
after
de4
de
of
muchos5
MU·chos
many
nombres6
NOM·bres
names
que7
que
that
formó8
for·MÓ
made upformed
, borró9
bo·RRÓ
crossed outerased
y10
y
and
quitó11
qui·TÓ
threw outtook away
, añadió12
a·ña·DIÓ
added
, deshizo13
des·HI·zo
undid
y14
y
and
tornó15
tor·NÓ
againreturned
a16
a
to
hacer17
ha·CER
made
en18
en
in
su19
su
his
memoria20
me·MO·ria
memory
e21
e
and
imaginación22
i·ma·gi·na·CIÓN
imagination
, al23
al
at the
fin24
fin
end
le25
le
it
vino26
VI·no
came
a27
a
to
llamar28
lla·MAR
call
Rocinante29
ro·ci·NAN·te
Rocinantenag-before
: nombre30
NOM·bre
a name
, a31
a
in
su32
su
his
parecer33
pa·re·CER
opinionseeming
, alto34
AL·to
loftyhigh
, sonoro35
so·NO·ro
ringingsonorous
y36
y
and
significativo37
sig·ni·fi·ca·TI·vo
meaningful
de38
de
of
lo39
lo
whatthe
que40
que
(that)
había41
ha·BÍ·a
had
sido42
SI·do
been
cuando43
CUAN·do
when
fue44
fue
was
rocín45
ro·CÍN
a nag
, antes46
AN·tes
before
de47
de
(of)
lo48
lo
whatthe
que49
que
(that)
ahora50
a·HO·ra
now
era51
E·ra
was
, que52
que
which
era53
E·ra
was
antes54
AN·tes
aheadbefore
y55
y
and
primero56
pri·ME·ro
first
de57
de
of
todos58
TO·dos
all
los59
los
the
rocines60
ro·CI·nes
nags
del61
del
in theof the
mundo62
MUN·do
world
. And so, after many names that he made up, crossed out and threw away, added, undid and made again in his memory and imagination, at last he came to call it Rocinante: a name, in his opinion, lofty, ringing and meaningful of what it had been when it was a nag, before what it now was, which was ahead and first of all the nags in the world.
And so, after many names that he made up, crossed out and threw away, added, undid and made again in his memory and imagination, at last he came to call it Rocinante: a name, in his opinion, lofty, ringing and meaningful of what it had been when it was a nag, before what it now was, which was ahead and first of all the nags in the world.
Interpretation
And so, after many names that he made up, crossed out and threw away, added, undid and made again in his memory and imagination, he settled at last on Rocinante: a name, to his mind, lofty, ringing and meaningful, telling what the horse had been when it was a plain nag, before it became what it now was, the first and foremost of all the nags in the world.
The name records what the horse was and what it has become, which is what the knight thinks a name should do. Rocín is a nag, and antes is “before”. Read one way, Rocinante is “formerly a nag”; read the other, the horse comes antes y primero, ahead of and first among all the nags in the world. Cervantes spells out both readings inside the sentence.
The run of verbs, formó, borró y quitó, añadió, deshizo y tornó a hacer, is a writer drafting at a desk. The name outlived the book’s jokes: English dictionaries list rosinante for a broken-down old horse.
1.1.34
Don Quixote 1.1.34 · Eight days to name himself1.1.34Eight days to name himself
With the horse named, the gentleman turns to his own name and takes the title don.
· · ·
The name given, and so much to his liking, to his horse, he wanted to give one to himself, and over this thought he spent another eight days, and in the end he came to call himself Don Quixote; from which, as has been said, the authors of this so true history took it as grounds that, without doubt, he must have been called Quijada, and not Quesada, as others chose to say.