the zincali-第54节

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glorious　sun　and　benign　heaven　in　Europe；　and　their　country　is　by　



nature　rich　and　fertile；　yet　in　no　province　of　Spain　is　there　more　



beggary　and　misery；　the　greater　part　of　the　land　being　



uncultivated；　and　producing　nothing　but　thorns　and　brushwood；　



affording　in　itself　a　striking　emblem　of　the　moral　state　of　its　



inhabitants。







Though　not　destitute　of　talent；　the　Andalusians　are　not　much　



addicted　to　intellectual　pursuits；　at　least　in　the　present　day。　　



The　person　in　most　esteem　among　them　is　invariably　the　greatest　



MAJO；　and　to　acquire　that　character　it　is　necessary　to　appear　in　



the　dress　of　a　Merry　Andrew；　to　bully；　swagger；　and　smoke　



continually；　to　dance　passably；　and　to　strum　the　guitar。　　They　are　



fond　of　obscenity　and　what　they　term　PICARDIAS。　　Amongst　them　



learning　is　at　a　terrible　discount；　Greek；　Latin；　or　any　of　the　



languages　generally　termed　learned；　being　considered　in　any　light　



but　accomplishments；　but　not　so　the　possession　of　thieves'　slang　or　



the　dialect　of　the　Gitanos；　the　knowledge　of　a　few　words　of　which　



invariably　creates　a　certain　degree　of　respect；　as　indicating　that　



the　individual　is　somewhat　versed　in　that　kind　of　life　or　TRATO　for　



which　alone　the　Andalusians　have　any　kind　of　regard。







In　Andalusia　the　Gitano　has　been　studied　by　those　who；　for　various　



reasons；　have　mingled　with　the　Gitanos。　　It　is　tolerably　well　



understood　by　the　chalans；　or　jockeys；　who　have　picked　up　many　



words　in　the　fairs　and　market…places　which　the　former　frequent。　　It　



has；　however；　been　cultivated　to　a　greater　degree　by　other　



individuals；　who　have　sought　the　society　of　the　Gitanos　from　a　zest　



for　their　habits；　their　dances；　and　their　songs；　and　such　



individuals　have　belonged　to　all　classes；　amongst　them　have　been　



noblemen　and　members　of　the　priestly　order。







Perhaps　no　people　in　Andalusia　have　been　more　addicted　in　general　



to　the　acquaintance　of　the　Gitanos　than　the　friars；　and　pre…



eminently　amongst　these　the　half…jockey　half…religious　personages　



of　the　Cartujan　convent　at　Xeres。　　This　community；　now　suppressed；　



was；　as　is　well　known；　in　possession　of　a　celebrated　breed　of　



horses；　which　fed　in　the　pastures　of　the　convent；　and　from　which　



they　derived　no　inconsiderable　part　of　their　revenue。　　These　



reverend　gentlemen　seem　to　have　been　much　better　versed　in　the　



points　of　a　horse　than　in　points　of　theology；　and　to　have　



understood　thieves'　slang　and　Gitano　far　better　than　the　language　



of　the　Vulgate。　　A　chalan；　who　had　some　knowledge　of　the　Gitano；　



related　to　me　the　following　singular　anecdote　in　connection　with　



this　subject。







He　had　occasion　to　go　to　the　convent；　having　been　long　in　treaty　



with　the　friars　for　a　steed　which　he　had　been　commissioned　by　a　



nobleman　to　buy　at　any　reasonable　price。　　The　friars；　however；　were　



exorbitant　in　their　demands。　　On　arriving　at　the　gate；　he　sang　to　



the　friar　who　opened　it　a　couplet　which　he　had　composed　in　the　



Gypsy　tongue；　in　which　he　stated　the　highest　price　which　he　was　



authorised　to　give　for　the　animal　in　question；　whereupon　the　friar　



instantly　answered　in　the　same　tongue　in　an　extemporary　couplet　



full　of　abuse　of　him　and　his　employer；　and　forthwith　slammed　the　



door　in　the　face　of　the　disconcerted　jockey。







An　Augustine　friar　of　Seville；　called；　we　believe；　Father　Manso；　



who　lived　some　twenty　years　ago；　is　still　remembered　for　his　



passion　for　the　Gitanos；　he　seemed　to　be　under　the　influence　of　



fascination；　and　passed　every　moment　that　he　could　steal　from　his　



clerical　occupations　in　their　company。　　His　conduct　at　last　became　



so　notorious　that　he　fell　under　the　censure　of　the　Inquisition；　



before　which　he　was　summoned；　whereupon　he　alleged；　in　his　defence；　



that　his　sole　motive　for　following　the　Gitanos　was　zeal　for　their　



spiritual　conversion。　　Whether　this　plea　availed　him　we　know　not；　



but　it　is　probable　that　the　Holy　Office　dealt　mildly　with　him；　such　



offenders；　indeed；　have　never　had　much　to　fear　from　it。　　Had　he　



been　accused　of　liberalism；　or　searching　into　the　Scriptures；　



instead　of　connection　with　the　Gitanos；　we　should；　doubtless；　have　



heard　either　of　his　execution　or　imprisonment　for　life　in　the　cells　



of　the　cathedral　of　Seville。







Such　as　are　thus　addicted　to　the　Gitanos　and　their　language；　are　



called；　in　Andalusia；　Los　del'　Aficion；　or　those　of　the　



predilection。　　These　people　have；　during　the　last　fifty　years；　



composed　a　spurious　kind　of　Gypsy　literature：　　we　call　it　spurious　



because　it　did　not　originate　with　the　Gitanos；　who　are；　moreover；　



utterly　unacquainted　with　it；　and　to　whom　it　would　be　for　the　most　



part　unintelligible。　　It　is　somewhat　difficult　to　conceive　the　



reason　which　induced　these　individuals　to　attempt　such　



compositions；　the　only　probable　one　seems　to　have　been　a　desire　to　



display　to　each　other　their　skill　in　the　language　of　their　



predilection。　　It　is　right；　however；　to　observe；　that　most　of　these　



compositions；　with　respect　to　language；　are　highly　absurd；　the　



greatest　liberties　being　taken　with　the　words　picked　up　amongst　the　



Gitanos；　of　the　true　meaning　of　which　the　writers；　in　many　



instances；　seem　to　have　been　entirely　ignorant。　　From　what　we　can　



learn；　the　composers　of　this　literature　flourished　chiefly　at　the　



commencement　of　the　present　century：　　Father　Manso　is　said　to　have　



been　one　of　the　last。　　Many　of　their　compositions；　which　are　both　



in　poetry　and　prose；　exist　in　manuscript　in　a　compilation　made　by　



one　Luis　Lobo。　　It　has　never　been　our　fortune　to　see　this　



compilation；　which；　indeed；　we　scarcely　regret；　as　a　rather　curious　



circumstance　has　afforded　us　a　perfect　knowledge　of　its　contents。







Whilst　at　Seville；　chance　made　us　acquainted　with　a　highly　



extraordinary　individual；　a　tall；　bony；　meagre　figure；　in　a　



tattered　Andalusian　hat；　ragged　capote；　and　still　more　ragged　



pantaloons；　and　seemingly　between　forty　and　fifty　years　of　age。　　



The　only　appellation　to　which　he　answered　was　Manuel。　　His　



occupation；　at　the　time　we　knew　him；　was　selling　tickets　for　the　



lottery；　by　which　he　obtained　a　miserable　livelihood　in　Seville　and　



the　neighbouring　villages。　　His　appearance　was　altogether　wild　and　



uncouth；　and　there　was　an　insane　expression　in　his　eye。　　Observing　



us　one　day　in　conversation　with　a　Gitana；　he　addressed　us；　and　we　



soon　found　that　the　sound　of　the　Gitano　language　had　struck　a　chord　



which　vibrated　through　the　depths　of　his　soul。　　His　history　was　



remarkable；　in　his　early　youth　a　manuscript　copy　of　the　compilation　



of　Luis　Lobo　had　fallen　into　his　hands。　　This　book　had　so　taken　



hold　of　his　imagination；　that　he　studied　it　night　and　day　until　he　



had　planted　it　in　his　memory　from　beginning　to　end；　but　in　so　



doing；　his　brain；　like　that　of　the　hero　of　Cervantes；　had　become　



dry　and　heated；　so　that　he　was　unfitted　for　any　serious　or　useful　



occupation。　　After　the　death　of　his　parents　he　wandered　about　the　



streets　in　great　distress；　until　at　last　he　fell　into　the　hands　of　



certain　toreros；　or　bull…fighters；　who　kept　him　about　them；　in　



order　that　he　might　repeat　to　them　the　songs　of　the　AFICION。　　They　



subsequently　carried　him　to　Madrid；　where；　however；　they　soon　



deserted　him　after　he　had　experienced　much　brutality　from　their　



hands。　　He　returned　to　Seville；　and　soon　became　the　inmate　of　a　



madhouse；　where　he　continued　several　years。　　Having　partially　



recovered　from　his　malady；　he　was　liberated；　and　wandered　about　as　



before。　　During　the　cholera　at　Seville；　when　nearly　twenty　thousand　



human　beings　perished；　he　was　appointed　conductor　of　one　of　the　



death…carts；　which　went　through　the　streets　for　the　purpose　of　



picking　up　the　dead　bodies。　　His　perfect　inoffensiveness　eventually　



procured　him　friends；　and　he　obtained　the　situation　of　vendor　of　



lottery　tickets。　　He　frequently　visited　us；　and　would　then　recite　



long　passages　from　the　work　of　Lobo。　　He　was　wont　to　say　that　he　



was　the　only　one　in　Seville；　at　the　present　day；　acquainted　with　



the　language　of　the　Aficion；　for　though　there　were　many　pretenders；　



their　knowledge　was　confined　to　a　few　words。







From　the　recitation　of　this　individual；　we　wrote　down　the　



Brijindope；　or　Deluge；　and　the　poem　on　the　plague　which　broke　out　



in　Seville　in　the　year　1800。　　These　and　some　songs　of　less　



consequence；　constitute　the　poetical　part　of　the　compilation　in　



question；　the　rest；　which　is　in　prose；　consisting　chiefly　of　



translations　from　the　Spanish；　of　proverbs　and　religious　pieces。











BRIJINDOPE。　…　THE　DELUGE　（65）



A　POEM：　　IN　TWO　PARTS



PART　THE　FIRST











I　with　fear　and　terror　quake；



Whilst　the　pen　to　write　I　take；



I　will　utter