The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old FavoritesTappan, Eva March
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The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old Favorites
Tappan, Eva March
Children's stories; Literature -- Adaptations
And now, his armor being scoured, his headpiece improved to a helmet,
his horse and himself new named, he perceived he wanted nothing but a
lady, on whom he might bestow the empire of his heart; for he was
sensible that a knight-errant without a mistress was a tree without
either fruit or leaves, and a body without a soul. Should I, said he
to himself, by good or ill fortune, chance to encounter some giant, as
is common in knight-errantry, and happen to lay him prostrate on the
ground, transfixed with my lance, or cleft in two, or, in short,
overcome him and have him at my mercy, would it not be proper to have
some lady to whom I may send him as a trophy of my valor? Then when he
comes into her presence, throwing himself at her feet, he may thus
make his humble submission: "Lady, I am the giant Caraculiambro, lord
of the island of Malindrania, vanquished in single combat by that
never-deservedly-enough-extolled knight-errant Don Quixote de la
Mancha, who has commanded me to cast myself most humbly at your feet,
that it may please your honor to dispose of me according to your
will." Oh! how elevated was the knight with the conceit of this
imaginary submission of the giant; especially having withal bethought
himself of a person on whom he might confer the title of his mistress!
which, it is believed happened thus: Near the place where he lived
dwelt a good likely country lass, for whom he had formerly had a sort
of an inclination, though, it is believed, she never heard of it, nor
regarded it in the least. Her name was Aldonza Lorenzo, and this was
she whom he thought he might entitle to the sovereingty of his heart;
upon which he studied to find her out a new name, that might have some
affinity with her old one, and yet at the same time sound somewhat
like that of a princess or lady of quality; so at last he resolved to
call her Dulcinea, with the addition of del Toboso, from the place
where she was born; a name, in his opinion, sweet, harmonious,
extraordinary, and no less significative than the others which he had
devised.
THE FIGHT WITH THE WINDMILLS
_By Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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