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I.—Fausto, a Gaucho Poem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Extract

It is ever a source of regret to anyone interested in the glorious Argentine, lying under the Southern Cross, that its name cannot be mentioned, even casually, without its suggesting revolutions, uprisings, financial distress and ruin. It is an association accepted without question. To speak of that land and not touch upon revolutions, would be like airing one's impressions of Hamlet without mentioning the noble Dane himself. This comparison is somewhat venerable, to be sure, when one considers its three hundred winters and as many summers, but it is singularly suggestive with regard to La Plata, since it points to something being decidedly “rotten in the State.” The latter thought, however, is not apt to disturb the equanimity of the average Argentine mind. To the native of that favored country a revolution is no more out of the normal order of things than is a cyclone to our own Western people.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1896

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References

page 6 note 1 Mitre, Vida del General Belgrano.

page 6 note 2 Mitre.

page 6 note 1 Recopilacion de Leyes de las Indias, Lib. VII, Tit. XIV.

page 6 note 3 Mitre.

page 6 note 1 La Vuelta de Martin Fierro.

page 6 note 1 Hernandez, Marlin Fierro.

page 6 note 1 gaucho = native.

page 6 note 2 County in the Province of Buenos Ayres.

page 6 note 3 wild-horse.

page 6 note 4 pull him up.

page 6 note 5 native.

page 6 note 6 wild-horse.

page 6 note 7 gentle.

page 6 note 8 gaucho-saddle.

page 6 note 9 “bit-champer.”

page 6 note 10 part of native bit.

page 6 note 11 breast-plate.

page 6 note 12 rings.

page 6 note 13 head-stall.

page 6 note 14 mine of wealth.

page 6 note 15 Boleadoras; three wooden or stone balls covered with raw-hide and connected by twisted thongs 1f12 yards long. Used for catching wild horses; thrown from a distance, they twist around the animal's hind legs and hobble them.

page 6 note 1 boulder.

page 6 note 2 prick up his ears.

page 6 note 3 horse-gear.

page 6 note 4 light-bay horse.

page 6 note 5 cock.

page 6 note 6 spurs.

page 6 note 1 to give.

page 6 note 2 exclamation = ve lo alii, contracted.

page 6 note 3 cloth, sheep or goat-skin, forming part of recado.

page 6 note 4 hobble.

page 6 note 5 “plug” of tobacco.

page 6 note 6 dry.

page 6 note 7 race-horse.

page 6 note 8 commissary.

page 6 note 9 illness (attack).

page 6 note 1 slang, “whopper.”

page 6 note 2 partner in love-affair = “pard.”

page 6 note 3 find the weak spot.

page 6 note 4 “devil take the chicken.”

page 6 note 5 coil of the lasso.

page 6 note 6 lasso-ring.

page 6 note 1 shy.

page 6 note 2 so pinched for money.

page 6 note 3 “at my uncle's.”

page 6 note 4 Exclamation.—Contraction of: Ah! hijo de una gran p—! expresses surprise, admiration, anger, etc., according to the intonation.

page 6 note 5 raw-hide straps on cantle of the saddle.

page 6 note 6 silver-mounted horse-gear.

page 6 note 7 “a scratcher.”

page 6 note 8 plated-ware.

page 6 note 9 in this sense, “humbug.”

page 6 note 10 “cock-sure.”

page 6 note 1 “husked my corn “= stripped me.

page 6 note 2 devil.

page 6 note 1 lariat, used for “staking out a horse”= tethering him.

page 6 note 2 “on the crupper of that “= after that.

page 6 note 3 fasten two horses together by the neck or halter and let them graze.

page 6 note 4 “give a kiss”= a drink.

page 6 note 5 “one swig.”

page 6 note 6 gurgles.

page 6 note 1 old opera-house in Buenos Ayres.

page 6 note 2 horned-cattle.

page 6 note 3 counter in a shop.

page 6 note 4 fuerza.

page 6 note 5 ticket.

page 6 note 6 crowd.

page 6 note 7 dado.

page 6 note 8 have a fit.

page 6 note 9 pushing.

page 6 note 10 “old plug.”

page 6 note 11 tottering = done-up.

page 6 note 12 chopped tobacco.

page 6 note 13 Fringe of the embroidered drawers worn by the gauchos under the chiripá, the cloth which with them takes the place of trousers.

page 6 note 1 slipped.

page 6 note 2 entré.

page 6 note 3 gauchos.

page 6 note 4 “bust out.”

page 6 note 1 “of the other side”= Banda Oriental.

page 6 note 2 augmentatives.

page 6 note 3 dark-bay horse.

page 6 note 4 in sense of colour.

page 6 note 5 in sense of “smart,”—quick.

page 6 note 6 “gargles “= gulps.

page 6 note 7 ciencia.

page 6 note 8 uselessly.

page 6 note 9 tena cattle while grazing—that is, when they are formed into “troops”0 for slaughter at the saladeros.

page 6 note 1 sweet, pretty.

page 6 note 2 hobble.

page 6 note 3 in sense of, “But, pshaw! “

page 6 note 4 in sense of “swearing.”

page 6 note 5 any kind of inflammable mixture.

page 6 note 6 deyil.

page 6 note 7 big.

page 6 note 8 goat.

page 6 note 9 withers.

page 6 note 1 foolish.

page 6 note 2 se fuese.

page 6 note 3 seguramente.

page 6 note 4 devil.

page 6 note 1 the Jay Gould of Buenos Ayres.

page 6 note 2 common term for governing power of any kind in the state.

page 6 note 3 ugly.

page 6 note 4 one of the many substitutes for an oath.

page 6 note 1 new-corn.

page 6 note 2 the Virgin.

page 6 note 3 compact (duck).

page 6 note 1 lawyers bear the title of doctor.

page 6 note 2 asi.

page 6 note 3 horse's hoof grown too long=” a stumbler.”

page 6 note 4 al ir.

page 6 note 5 long coat.

page 6 note 6 went off in smoke.

page 6 note 1 se fuese.

page 6 note 2 literally, “the gargler = throat.”

page 6 note 3 “I should say so.”

page 6 note 4 fine horse.

page 6 note 5 scarcely.

page 6 note 1 floating island.

page 6 note 2 lead by the halter.

page 6 note 3 angered.

page 6 note 4 angered.

page 6 note 1 perorate, literally, “play with the knuckle-bone “= a popular gambling pastime.

page 6 note 2 tavern.

page 6 note 3 “a crowd gathered.”

page 6 note 4 to get drunk.

page 6 note 5 augmentative of “guapo=” brave.

page 6 note 6 allusion to the Paraguayan war, then (1866) in progress. 7 “trying to become his brother-in-law.”

page 6 note 1 “half a fool or drunk.”

page 6 note 2 entrando.

page 6 note 3 absinthe.

page 6 note 4 fusil.

page 6 note 5 a light, made with grease and a big wick.

page 6 note 1 pour down.

page 6 note 2 guzzle.

page 6 note 3 “put out.”

page 6 note 4 draw his sword.

page 6 note 5 a rusty blade.

page 6 note 6 flint and steel.

page 6 note 1 hilt.

page 6 note 2 = whoop !

page 6 note 3 “pull their caps tighter “= take to their heels.

page 6 note 4 call the police.

page 6 note 5 “a heaven,” a native dance with song.

page 6 note 1 deretirse = melt himself.

page 6 note 2 leader of the dance.

page 6 note 3 make.

page 6 note 4 give it another cut with the whip.

page 6 note 1 get up to it.

page 6 note 2 literally, “close to my flesh.”

page 6 note 3 a piece of sausage.

page 6 note 4 A maté—sort of tea made with “zerba” and sucked from a gourd through a metal tube.

page 6 note 5 immediately.

page 6 note 6 cut.

page 6 note 1 exclamation of admiration or surprise.

page 6 note 2 sheep-pen.

page 6 note 3 well-known rich man.

page 6 note 1 literally, “balks in her love.”

page 6 note 2 common saying, “If I ever saw you before, I don't remember.”

page 6 note 3 “warming your tea for nothing.”

page 6 note 4 useless.

page 6 note 1 hill.

page 6 note 2 open air.

page 6 note 3 troublesome burr which gets into the wool of a sheep.

page 6 note 1 in a scurry.

page 6 note 2 bueno.

page 6 note 3 stopped.

page 6 note 4 huerta.

page 6 note 5 on his trail.

page 6 note 1 cleared out.

page 6 note 2 polite substitute for something “painful, frequent and free.”

page 6 note 3 heifer.

page 6 note 4 a fool.

page 6 note 5 a sort of armadillo = fool.

page 6 note 1 ear-rings.

page 6 note 1 deadonde.

page 6 note 2 common salutation on approaching a house on the plains.

page 6 note 3 the answer to Ave Maria ! or else, Bajese = dismount!

page 6 note 4 literally, “hooking-on.”

page 6 note 1 sharp.

page 6 note 2 segun.

page 6 note 3 allusion to an animal when lassoed, getting tired of bucking and running.

page 6 note 4 take hold.

page 6 note 5 corn-field.

page 6 note 1 allusion to a horse's shedding his winter coat in spring.

page 6 note 1 dark horse.

page 6 note 2 a “blueish-white “horse.

page 6 note 3 ahora.

page 6 note 4 para.

page 6 note 5 catch hold.

page 6 note 6 gee-whiz!

page 6 note 1 knife.

page 6 note 2 country-police.

page 6 note 3 lit., “drinking the winds.”

page 6 note 4 nadie.

page 6 note 5 means here, to kill a man.

page 6 note 1 adonde.

page 6 note 2 lit., “cut off her plait” = don't keep a promise.

page 6 note 3 take to your heels.

page 6 note 4 the plait.

page 6 note 5 wet.

page 6 note 1 hard-hearted gaucho.

page 6 note 2 cry.

page 6 note 3 big tear.

page 6 note 4 wrapped herself up.

page 6 note 5 áfuera.

page 6 note 6 disaster.

page 6 note 7 policeman's whistle.

page 6 note 1 elevation of the Host.

page 6 note 2 the weeping Magdalen.

page 6 note 1 holy-water font.

page 6 note 2 a fit.

page 6 note 3 very much arm in arm.”

page 6 note 4 “out and out native.”

page 6 note 5 There is a great variety of ponchos: the common “Brummagem” striped article, the costly vicuña, and the heavy blue-cloth; the gaucho's umbrella and blanket.

page 6 note 1 evening Angelus.

page 6 note 2 huddle.

page 6 note 3 dew.

page 6 note 1 the E string.

page 6 note 2 like a master.

page 6 note 3 special service.

page 6 note 4 “there was a row.”

page 6 note 5 guitar.

page 6 note 1 “good boy !”

page 6 note 2 a sabre.

page 6 note 3 fuss.

page 6 note 4 “cut and run.”

page 6 note 1 “who would have thought it!”

page 6 note 2 a cut.

page 6 note 3 fall in love.

page 6 note 1 hovers.

page 6 note 2 “clear-headed “=” a reacher.”

page 6 note 3 prison.

page 6 note 1 let, “forming the square.”

page 6 note 2 In Argentina, death-penalty is by shooting, although the old style of execution, throat-cutting, still obtains in the provinces.

page 6 note 3 let, “the rocket fizzled.”

page 6 note 1 love-ditty.

page 6 note 2 Play on the word “caja,” box, and also “drum,” i. e., the roll of the drum announcing the execution.

page 6 note 3 de repente.

page 6 note 4 devil.

page 6 note 1 kind of armadillo.

page 6 note 2 “with my head in a whirl.”

page 6 note 1 little hole.

page 6 note 2 “strike a trot.”

page 6 note 3 a roll of paper money.