1.1.35
Don Quixote 1.1.35 · The example of Amadís1.1.35The example of Amadís
He remembers how his favorite hero, Amadís, added the name of his kingdom to his own.
· · ·
Pero1
PE·ro
But
, acordándose2
a·cor·DÁN·do·se
remembering
que3
que
that
el4
el
the
valeroso5
va·le·RO·so
valiantbrave
Amadís6
a·ma·DÍS
Amadis
no7
no
not
sólo8
SÓ·lo
only
se9
se
himself
había10
ha·BÍ·a
had
contentado11
con·ten·TA·do
been contentcontented
con12
con
with
llamarse13
lla·MAR·se
calling himself
Amadís14
a·ma·DÍS
Amadis
a15
a
plain
secas16
SE·cas
and nothing moredry
, sino17
SI·no
but
que18
que
rather
añadió19
a·ña·DIÓ
added
el20
el
the
nombre21
NOM·bre
name
de22
de
of
su23
su
his
reino24
REI·no
kingdom
y25
y
and
patria26
PA·tria
homeland
, por27
por
tofor
hacerla28
ha·CER·la
make it
famosa29
fa·MO·sa
famous
, y30
y
and
se31
se
himself
llamó32
lla·MÓ
called
Amadís33
a·ma·DÍS
Amadis
de34
de
of
Gaula35
GAU·la
Gaul
, But, remembering that the valiant Amadis had not only been content with calling himself plain Amadis, but rather added the name of his kingdom and homeland, to make it famous, and called himself Amadis of Gaul,
But, remembering that the valiant Amadis had not only been content with calling himself plain Amadis, but rather added the name of his kingdom and homeland, to make it famous, and called himself Amadis of Gaul,
Interpretation
But he remembered that the valiant Amadís had not been content to call himself plain Amadís, and had added the name of his kingdom and homeland to make it famous, calling himself Amadís de Gaula;
Amadís de Gaula is the knight Don Quixote most wants to be. The romance, printed in 1508 in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s version, was the most famous book of chivalry in Spain, and its hero carries his kingdom in his name. Gaula is a kingdom of the romance, usually taken to be Wales.
The idiom a secas means “plain, with nothing added”; literally it is “dry”, the way bread is eaten with nothing on it. Spanish still uses it: llámame Juan a secas, “just call me Juan”.
1.1.36
Don Quixote 1.1.36 · Don Quijote de la Mancha1.1.36Don Quijote de la Mancha
Following Amadís, he adds his homeland to his name, and the full name of the book’s hero is complete.
· · ·
so, like a good knight, he wanted to add to his own the name of his own land and call himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, by which, in his opinion, he declared very vividly his lineage and homeland, and honored it by taking the surname from it.