Traducción
Original
Capítulo I
Idea de la corte y educación de una mujer a la moda
El marqués de... fue, por mucho tiempo, privado del rey de Inglaterra. Como tal tuvo poderosos enemigos, que se reunieron para acelerar su caída. Víctima, pues, del odio y de los celos, recibió la orden aflictiva de retirarse de la corte.
Su misma altivez le dio auxilios para ocultar su dolor y, comportándose más como cortesano que renunciaba su autoridad, que como palaciego desterrado de la corte, le pareció que con aquello triunfaba suficientemente de sus contrarios y se mostró insensible a los tiros que lanzó contra él la malignidad.
Aumentose de tal modo su interna mortificación con las ocasiones que tuvo de observar la bajeza e ingratitud de los hombres, que determinó renunciar totalmente a su trato y consagrar a la soledad lo restante de su vida.
Eligió para su retiro una quinta que tenía muy distante de la capital, situada a la inmediación de un lugarcillo1.
Las entradas y alamedas de aquel campestre asilo eran notables, por no haberse empleado en ellas el arte más que para darlas una apariencia muy agreste. Pero no así la quinta, que nada tenía de sencillo, pues en todo se veía el sello del gusto más fino. Su arquitectura era bellísima y la magnificencia de las habitaciones correspondía a la clase y a las riquezas del propietario. Mientras todo se preparaba para el recibimiento del marqués, puso los ojos (aunque ya muy entrado en años) sobre una joven, inferior a él ciertamente, pero cuyo talento y hermosura le prometían una compañera muy de su gusto. Efectuose el matrimonio después de cortos preliminares y, sin más diferirlo, llevó el marqués a su nueva esposa a la casa de campo que estaba resuelto a habitar mientras viviese. Para seguir el plan de vida que se había formado, dividió su tiempo entre la compañía de su mujer y su biblioteca (que era numerosa), y su jardín. Cazaba también, pero siempre solo, porque su aborrecimiento a los hombres lo hizo tan inaccesible que ningún caballero de la comarca intentó buscar su trato.
Parió su mujer al segundo año de su matrimonio una niña y murió tres días después. Afligidísimo quedó el marqués de su pérdida y, luego que el tiempo enjugó sus lágrimas, puso todo el amor en su hija llamada Arabela. Esta era su única ocupación y la felicidad de su vida. Ya que tuvo cuatro años la destinó criadas, pero las encargó que no se metiesen de modo alguno en su educación. p. 41
En pocos meses aprendió la niña a leer y escribir y, como manifestase, conforme iba creciendo, singulares disposiciones para las artes y ciencias, resolvió el padre cultivar sus talentos cuidadosamente para hacer (así se explicaba impelido del paternal amor) su alma tan hermosa como su cuerpo.
Y, en efecto, habíala dado naturaleza una graciosísima persona, un talle suelto y delicado, una voz suave y expresiva, un porte noble y decoroso, una concepción pronta, una memoria feliz y un talento admirable. Todas estas prendas lograron aumentos con los auxilios del arte. Trajéronla maestros de la capital y estos desarrollaron a porfía los gérmenes de infinitas habilidades y conocimientos.
Desde su infancia dio a ver Arabela muchísima afición a la lectura; esto agradó en extremo a su padre y la permitió muy luego el uso de su biblioteca, en la que, por desgracia, había gran número de novelas modernas y antiguas y, por mayor desgracia todavía, malditamente traducidas todas.
La marquesa, su madre, compró estos libros para distraerse en sus ratos de fastidio, que eran frecuentísimos... Pasaron a las manos de Arabela y esta hizo primero de ellos su estudio único y, después, los adoptó por pinturas verdaderas de la humanidad. Como separada del mundo, privada de los recursos sociables y sin otra conversación que la de un padre anciano, flemático y melancólico, se fraguó un sistema de heroísmo por los retratos cargados de las novelas de Magdalena Scudery. Habíala dicho el espejo que era hermosa y esta declaración contribuyó a hacerla infeliz, porque la idea de la hermosura estaba unida en su ánimo a la de rapto y persecución. Se modeló sobre las heroínas, adoptó su lenguaje, no vio la virtud sino allá en un sublime inaccesible; buscó lo maravilloso en las acciones más sencillas y, en fin, entregó su vida al temor, a la inquietud y a mil tormentos, cuyas consecuencias se verán en el curso de su historia.
1.‘situada cerca de un lugar pequeño’.
BOOK I
Chapter I
Contains a turn at court, neither new nor surprising. Some useless additions to a
fine lady’s education. The bad effects of a whimsical study, which some will say is
borrowed from Cervantes.
The marquis of …, for a long series of years, was the first and most distinguished favourite at court: he held the most honourable employments under the crown, disposed of all places of profit as he pleased, presided at the Council, and in a manner governed the whole kingdom.
[2] This extensive authority could not fail of making him many enemies: he fell at last a sacrifice to the plots they were continually forming against him; and was not only removed from all his employments, but banished the court forever.
The pain his undeserved disgrace gave him, he was enabled to conceal by the natural haughtiness of his temper; and, behaving rather like a man who had resigned than been dismissed from his posts, he imagined he triumphed sufficiently over the malice of his enemies, while he seemed to be wholly insensible of the effects it produced. His secret discontent, however, was so much augmented by the opportunity he now had of observing the baseness and ingratitude of mankind, which in some degree he experienced every day that he resolved to quit all society whatever, and devote the rest of his life to solitude and privacy. For the place of his retreat he pitched upon a castle he had in a very remote province of the kingdom, in the neighbourhood of a small village, and several miles distant from any town. The vast extent of ground which surrounded this noble building, he had caused to be laid out in a manner peculiar to his taste: the most laborious endeavours of art had been used to make it appear like the beautiful product of wild, uncultivated nature. But if this epitome of Arcadia could boast of only artless and simple beauties, the inside of the castle was adorned with a magnificence suitable to the dignity and immense riches of the owner. p. 42
[3] While things were preparing at the castle for his reception, the marquis, though now advanced in years, cast his eyes on a young lady, greatly inferior to himself in quality, but whose beauty and good sense promised him an agreeable companion. After a very short courtship, he married her, and in a few weeks carried his new bride into the country, from whence he absolutely resolved never to return.
The marquis, following the plan of life he had laid down, divided his time between the company of his lady, his library, which was large and well furnished, and his gardens. Sometimes he took the diversion of hunting, but never admitted any company whatever; his pride and extreme reserve rendered him so wholly inaccessible to the country gentry about him that none ever presumed to solicit his acquaintance.
In the second year of his retirement, the marchioness brought him a daughter, and died in three days after her delivery. The marquis, who had tenderly loved her, was extremely afflicted at her death; but time having produced its usual effects, his great fondness for the little Arabella entirely engrossed his attention, and made up all the happiness of his life. At four years of age he took her from under the direction of the nurses and women appointed to attend her, and permitted her to receive no part of her education from another, which he was capable of giving her himself. He taught her to read and write in a very few months; and, as she [4] grew older, finding in her an uncommon quickness of apprehension, and an understanding capable of great improvements, he resolved to cultivate so promising a genius with the utmost care; and, as he frequently, in the rapture of paternal fondness, expressed himself, render her mind as beautiful as her person was lovely.
Nature had indeed given her a most charming face, a shape easy and delicate, a sweet and insinuating voice, and an air so full of dignity and grace, as drew the admiration of all that saw her. These native charms were improved with all the heightenings* of art; her dress was perfectly magnificent; the best masters of music and dancing were sent for from London to attend her. She soon became a perfect mistress of the French and Italian languages, under the care of her father; and it is not to be doubted, but she would have made a great proficiency in all useful knowledge, had not her whole time been taken up by another study.p. 43
From her earliest youth she had discovered a fondness for reading, which extremely delighted the marquis; he permitted her therefore the use of his library, in which, unfortunately for her, were great store of romances, and what was still more unfortunate, not in the original French, but very bad translations.
The deceased marchioness had purchased these books to soften a solitude which she found very disagreeable; and, after her death, [5] the marquis removed them from her closet into his library, where Arabella found them.
The surprising adventures with which they were filled, proved a most pleasing entertainment to a young lady who was wholly secluded from the world; who had no other diversion, but ranging like a nymph through gardens, or, to say better, the woods and lawns in which she was enclosed; and who had no other conversation but that of a grave and melancholy father, or her own attendants.
Her ideas, from the manner of her life, and the objects around her, had taken a romantic turn, and, supposing romances were real pictures of life, from them she drew all her notions and expectations. By them she was taught to believe that love was the ruling principle of the world; that every other passion was subordinate to this; and that it caused all the happiness and miseries of life. Her glass, which she often consulted, always showed her a form so extremely lovely that, not finding herself engaged in such adventures as were common to the heroines in the romances she read, she often complained of the insensibility of mankind, upon whom her charms seemed to have so little influence.
The perfect retirement she lived in afforded, indeed, no opportunities of making the conquests she desired; but she could not comprehend how any solitude could be obscure enough to conceal a beauty like hers from notice, and thought the reputation of her charms sufficient to bring a crowd of [6] adorers to demand her of her father, her mind being wholly filled with the most extravagant expectations, she was alarmed by every trifling incident; and kept in a continual anxiety by a vicissitude of hopes, fears, wishes and disappointments.
iheightenings] rare and fig. Intensifications.