1.1.4
Don Quixote 1.1.4 · The household1.1.4The household
Who lives in the gentleman’s house: a housekeeper, a niece and a hired lad.
· · ·
Tenía1
te·NÍ·a
had
en2
en
in
su3
su
his
casa4
CA·sa
house
una5
U·na
a
ama6
A·ma
housekeepermistress
que7
que
who
pasaba8
pa·SA·ba
was pastpassed
de9
de
(beyond)
los10
los
(the)
cuarenta11
cua·REN·ta
forty
, y12
y
and
una13
U·na
a
sobrina14
so·BRI·na
niece
que15
que
who
no16
no
not
llegaba17
lle·GA·ba
reachedarrived
a18
a
(at)
los19
los
(the)
veinte20
VEIN·te
twenty
, y21
y
and
un22
un
a
mozo23
MO·zo
ladyoung man
de24
de
for
campo25
CAM·po
fieldcountryside
y26
y
and
plaza27
PLA·za
marketsquare
, que28
que
who
así32
a·SÍ
as readilythus
ensillaba29
en·si·LLA·ba
saddled
el30
el
the
rocín31
ro·CÍN
nag
como33
CO·mo
as
tomaba34
to·MA·ba
took up
la35
la
the
podadera36
po·da·DE·ra
pruning hookbillhook
. He had in his house a housekeeper who was past forty, and a niece who was not yet twenty, and a lad for field and market, who saddled the nag as readily as he took up the pruning hook.
He had in his house a housekeeper who was past forty, and a niece who was not yet twenty, and a lad for field and market, who saddled the nag as readily as he took up the pruning hook.
Interpretation
In his house he kept a housekeeper past forty, a niece not yet twenty, and a lad for the fields and the market who could saddle the nag as readily as he could handle the pruning hook.
The household is small, and the narrator gives each woman her age. The housekeeper and the niece will matter: they watch him read, and in chapter 6 they help the priest and the barber purge his library.
A mozo de campo y plaza worked both the fields and the town square, where the market was. The pairing así ... como, "as readily ... as", makes him a man for every job, the saddle one hour and the vines the next. He is never mentioned again in the book.
1.1.5
Don Quixote 1.1.5 · His age and looks1.1.5His age and looks
The narrator gives the gentleman’s age and describes his body and habits.
· · ·
Our gentleman's age bordered on fifty years; he was of a strong build, lean of body, gaunt of face, a great early riser and fond of hunting.