Traducción
Original
Capítulo XX
Juegos olímpicos
Mientras Arabela meditaba sobre la conducta extravagante de la Groves, recibió una carta de su tío en que la decía que sus hijos iban a pasar con ella algunos días. Muy complacida quedó Arabela con la noticia. Esperaba hallar en su prima una compañera agradable y, como conocía el mérito de su hermano, se prometía placer en volver a verlo. A la carta siguió la pronta llegada de Glanville y de su hermana. Carlota era una de aquellas mujeres que nada disimulan en tratándose de graduar la belleza. Pensaba, sí, que el amor habría ampliado la de su prima, pero no quedó poco admirada de encontrarla superior al retrato que su hermano la había hecho. Arabela, prendada de Carlota, la dijo mil cosas lisonjeras sobre su persona y sus gracias y, acabados los primeros cumplimientos, explicó Glanville tiernamente a su prima cuán larga le había parecido la ausencia, aunque corta, y la significó, con energía, el gusto que le causaba volverla a ver.
—No contenderé sobre lo que me decís –replicó Arabela riéndose–, pues parece que estáis contento, pero explicadme cómo ha podido pareceros vuestra ausencia corta y larga, porque en esto hallo una contradicción.
—¡Ay, prima! Quisiera que me permitierais deciros lo que he sufrido...
—Vuestra buena salud, a lo menos, me prueba que os ha sido favorable y este es un cumplimiento que desde luego os hago.
Iba a responderla Glanville cuando Carlota, que había estado ocupada con su persona en el espejo, llegó a mezclarse en la conversación.
Después de comer fueron a pasearse a los jardines, donde Carlota, entrando y saliendo por varias partes, dio tiempo a su hermano para que hablara con Arabela. Temió el destierro y no se atrevió a hablarla de amor, sino con mucha retentiva. Lisonjeada Arabela de su discreción, se le dio por entendida y le dijo cosas que pudieron alentar sus esperanzas. Carlota, al cabo de dos días, se fastidió de tan magnífica soledad y habló de volverse a Londres, pero Glanville la prometió diversiones que la harían gustosa la vida del campo y propuso a Arabela ir a ver las carreras de caballos que habían de celebrarse a algunas millas de la quinta. Primero lo rehusó por causa del luto, pero, viendo que su prima lo deseaba, se rindió por complacencia.
—Ya que gustas de los juegos públicos –la dijo–, celebro que estos se verifiquen mientras estás en proporción de verlos...
—¿Se hacen estos juegos en carros? p. 85
—No, prima mía –contestó Glanville–; los postillones montan en los mejores caballos que se encuentran y hay apuestas, a veces considerables, que gana el primero que llega a la meta48.
—¿Y qué dama dará el premio? Porque sin duda alguno de sus amantes estará en la arena y con menos inquietudes que la dama. Me acuerdo de que la bella Elisimonda tuvo la felicidad, en ocasión semejante, de ver triunfar tres veces en un día al que amaba y de coronarlo ella misma49.
—¿De quién hablas, prima mía? –preguntó Carlota, que ignoraba todas aquellas noticias.
—Hablo de los juegos olímpicos, así llamados a causa de Olimpia, ciudad a que pertenecía la llanura de Elis donde se celebraban50. Consistían en carreras, en luchas y en batallas que figuraban los gladiadores con cestos o con manoplas de metal. Instituyéronse en honor de los dioses y de los héroes y se miraban como parte del culto religioso. Era una escuela militar en que el valor de la juventud tenía ocasión de mostrarse. La gloria del triunfo era la mayor honra a que entonces podía aspirar la juventud. Por eso cuando coronaron al hijo de Diágoras, uno de sus amigos le dijo: «muere ahora dichoso ya que no puedes ser un Dios»51. No acabaría si te contara lo que pasaba en los juegos olímpicos, pero puedes formarte alguna idea por lo que hayas leído de justas y torneos.
—En verdad que nada de eso he leído.
—¡No! Pues en ese caso te diré que las justas y torneos tenían el medio entre las peleas verdaderas y los juegos inventados para el placer. Los juegos olímpicos eran más variados y se hacían con más aparato y pompa. Toda la Grecia y los países circunvecinos no solamente asistían, sino que también pagaban contribuciones para que el espectáculo fuera más majestuoso.
—De nada de eso oí jamás hablar –repuso Carlota bostezando–. Las carreras que he visto me han parecido muy diferentes.
—Sin duda veremos una multitud de héroes atraídos de todas partes por el deseo de adquirir gloria.
—Los postillones o héroes, como se te antoje llamarlos –replicó Carlota– tienen poca parte en la gloria y en el provecho, porque aquella pertenece a los caballos y este a sus dueños.
—¡A sus dueños! –exclamó Arabela–; ¿pues qué envían los príncipes a sus favorecidos? Acuérdome que leí que Alcibiades triunfó por tres veces en los juegos olímpicos y que debió su gloria a los embajadores que vinieron a combatir por sus monarcas52.
Glanville, temiendo alguna respuesta inoportuna de su hermana, se apoderó de la conversación y disertó sobre la historia griega, mientras Carlota se divertía en gorgoritear algunas cantinelas.
48 Postillón significa aquí ‘jinete’, aunque, específicamente, es «el mozo que va a caballo, delante de los que corren la posta, para guiarlos y enseñarlos el camino» (Aut).
49 En Clélie IV.1, Elisimonda vio, en efecto, cómo su amante secreto Hortensio ganaba, pero solo una vez, y no tres como afirma el texto (Dalziel 393).
50 La llanura de Élide se encuentra al noroeste del Peloponeso y, en ella, Olimpia, donde, tal como afirma Arabela, se celebraron los juegos olímpicos de la Edad Antigua.
51 «Diágoras de Rodas fue un atleta griego del siglo V a.C., nacido en la isla de Rodas, descendiente del rey de su ciudad natal Damágenes, que se hizo famoso por ganar varias veces el premio que se daba al vencedor en los cuatro grandes juegos: Olímpicos, Nemeos, Ístmicos y Píticos […]. Ya anciano tuvo la satisfacción de ver a sus dos hijos Damageto y Acusilao vencedores en los Juegos Olímpicos. Se cuenta que justo tras ser coronados, sus hijos lo cogieron en hombros y lo pasearon triunfalmente por el estadio. Entonces uno de los espectadores gritó Κάτθανε Διαγόρα, ουκ εις Όλυμπον αναβήση (“Ya puedes morir, Diágoras, pues no esperes subir al Olimpo”)» (Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana, Espasa, 1915, s. v. «Diágoras de Rodas»).
52 Así sucedió en los Juegos Olímpicos del año 416 a. C.
Chapter VII
Which treats of the Olympic Games.
While Arabella was ruminating on the unaccountable behaviour of her new acquaintance, she received a letter from her uncle, informing her (for she had expressly forbid Mr. Glanville to write to her) that his son and daughter intended to set out for her seat in a few days.
This news was received with great satisfaction by Arabella, who hoped to find an agreeable companion in her cousin, and was not so insensible of Mr. Glanville’s merit, as not to feel some kind of pleasure at the thought of seeing him again.
This letter was soon followed by the arrival of Mr. Glanville and his sister, who, upon the sight of Arabella, discovered some appearance of astonishment and chagrin; for, notwithstanding all her brother had told her of her accomplishments, she could not conceive it possible for a young lady, bred up in the country, to be so perfectly elegant and genteel as she found her cousin.
As Miss Charlotte had a large share of coquetry in her composition and was fond of beauty in none of her own sex but herself, she [119] was sorry to see Lady Bella possessed of so great a share; and, being in hopes her brother had drawn a flattering figure of her cousin, she was extremely disappointed at finding the original so handsome.
Arabella, on the contrary, was highly pleased with Miss Glanville; and, finding her person very agreeable, did not fail to commend her beauty, a sort of complaisance mightily in use among the heroines, who knew not what envy or emulation meant.
Miss Glanville received her praises with great politeness, but could not find in her heart to return them. And, as soon as these compliments were over, Mr. Glanville told Lady Bella how tedious he had found the short absence she had forced him to, and how great was his satisfaction at seeing her again.
“I shall not dispute the truth of your last assertion,” replied Arabella, smiling, “since I verily believe you are mighty well satisfied at present; but I know not how you will make it appear that an absence, which you allow to be short, has seemed so tedious to you, for this is a manifest contradiction. However,” pursued she, preventing his reply, “you look so well, and so much at ease that I am apt to believe absence has agreed very well with you.”
“And yet I assure you, madam,” said Mr. Glanville, interrupting her, “that I have suffered more uneasiness during this absence, than I fear you will permit me to tell you.”
“Since,” replied Arabella, “that uneasiness has neither made you thinner, nor paler, I don’t think you ought to be pitied. For, to say the [120] truth, in this sort* of matters, a person’s bare testimony has but little weight.”p. 100
Mr. Glanville was going to make her some answer, when Miss Glanville, who, while they had been speaking, was adjusting her dress at the glass, came up to them, and made the conversation more general.
After dinner, they adjourned to the gardens, where the gay Miss Glanville, running eagerly from one walk to another, gave her brother as many opportunities of talking to Lady Bella as he could wish. However, he stood in such awe of her, and dreaded so much another banishment that he did not dare, otherwise than by distant hints, to mention his passion; and Arabella, well enough pleased with a respect that in some measure came up to her expectation, discovered no resentment at insinuations she was at liberty to dissemble the knowledge of; and if he could not, by her behaviour, flatter himself with any great hopes, yet he found as little reason, in Arabella’s language, to despair.
Miss Glanville, at the end of a few weeks, was so tired of the magnificent solitude she lived in that she heartily repented her journey, and insinuated to her brother her inclination to return to town.
Mr. Glanville, knowing his stay was regulated by his sister’s, entreated her not to expose him to the mortification of leaving Arabella so soon; and promised her he would contrive some amusements for her, which should make her relish the country better than she had yet done.
[121] Accordingly, he proposed to Arabella to go to the races, which were to be held at …, a few miles from the castle. She would have excused herself, upon account of her mourning; but Miss Glanville discovered so great an inclination to be present at this diversion that Arabella could no longer refuse to accompany her.
“Since,” said she to Miss Glanville, “you are fond of public diversions, it happens very luckily that these races are to be held at the time you are here. I never heard of them before, and I presume it is a good many years since they were last celebrated. Pray, sir,” pursued she, turning to Glanville, “do not these races, in some degree, resemble the Olympic games? Do the candidates ride in chariots?”
“No, madam,” replied Glanville, “the jockeys are mounted upon the fleetest coursers they can procure, and he who first reaches the goal obtains the prize.”
“And who is the fair lady that is to bestow it?” resumed Arabella. “I dare engage one of her lovers will enter the lists. She will, doubtless, be in no less anxiety than he, and the shame of being overcome will hardly affect him with more concern than herself, that is, provided he be so happy as to have gained her affections. I cannot help thinking the fair Elismonda was extremely happy in this particular. For she had the satisfaction to see her secret admirer victor in all the exercises at the Olympic games, and carry away the prize from many princes and persons of rare quality, who were candidates with him; and he had also the glory to receive [122] three crowns in one day, from the hands of his adored princess, who, questionless, bestowed them upon him with an infinite deal of joy.”p. 101
“What sort of races were these, madam?” said Miss Glanville, whose reading had been very confined.
“The Olympic games, miss,” said Arabella, “so called from Olympia, a city near which they were performed, in the plains of Elis, consisted of foot and chariot-races, combats with the cestus,* wrestling and other sports. They were instituted in honour of the gods and heroes; and were therefore termed sacred, and were considered as a part of religion.
“They were a kind of school, or military apprenticeship, in which the courage of the youth found constant employment. And the reason why victory in those games was attended with such extraordinary applause was that their minds might be quickened with great and noble prospects, when, in this image of war, they arrived to a pitch of glory, approaching, in some respects, to that of the most famous conquerors. They thought this sort of triumph one of the greatest parts of happiness of which human nature was capable; so that when Diagoras had seen his sons crowned in the Olympic games, one of his friends made him this compliment: ‘Now, Diagoras, you may die satisfied, since you can’t be a god.’ It would tire you, perhaps, was I to describe all the exercises performed there. But you may form a general notion of them, from what you have doubtless read of jousts and tournaments.”
[123] “Really,” said Miss Glanville, “I never read about any such things.”
“No!” replied Arabella, surprised. “Well, then, I must tell you that they hold a middle place, between a diversion and a combat; but the Olympic games were attended with a much greater pomp and variety, and not only all Greece, but other neighbouring nations were in a manner drained to furnish out the appearance.”
“Well, for my part,” said Miss Glanville, “I never before heard of this sort* of races. Those I have been at were quite different. I know the prizes and bets are sometimes very considerable.”
“And, doubtless,” interrupted Arabella, “there are a great many heroes who signalise themselves at these races, not for the sake of the prize, which would be unworthy of great souls, but to satisfy that burning desire of glory, which spurs them on to every occasion of gaining it.”
“As for the heroes, or jockeys,” said Miss Glanville, “call them what you please, I believe they have very little share, either of the profit or glory. For their masters have the one, and the horses the other.”
“Their masters!” interrupted Arabella. “What, I suppose a great many foreign princes send their favourites to combat, in their name? I remember to have read that Alcibiades triumphed three times successively at the Olympic games, by means of one of his domestics, who, in his master’s name, entered the lists.”
[124] Mr. Glanville, fearing his sister would make some absurd answer, and thereby disoblige his cousin, took up the discourse; and, turning it upon the Grecian history, engrossed her conversation for two hours, wholly to himself, while Miss Glanville (to whom all they said was quite unintelligible) diverted herself with humming a tune, and tinkling her cousin’s harpsichord,* which proved no interruption to the more rational entertainment of her brother and Arabella.
ithis sort] these sort 1752 (1st), 1752 (2nd). Sort of could be preceded by these or those when used collectively.
iicestus] Leather gloves loaded with lead or iron, used by Roman boxers to make the blows more impactful.
iiithis sort] these sort 1752 (1st), 1752 (2nd).
ivharpsichord] A keyboard instrument resembling a small piano.