The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of SpainBorrow, George
History
The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain
Borrow, George
Romanies -- Languages; Romanies -- Spain
Two or three days after my arrival, I was again visited by the Gypsy of
the withered arm, who I found was generally termed Paco, which is the
diminutive of Francisco; he was accompanied by his wife, a rather
good-looking young woman with sharp intelligent features, and who
appeared in every respect to be what her husband had represented her on
the former visit. She was very poorly clad, and notwithstanding the
extreme sharpness of the weather, carried no mantle to protect herself
from its inclemency,—her raven black hair depended behind as far down as
her hips. Another Gypsy came with them, but not the old fellow whom I
had before seen. This was a man about forty-five, dressed in a zamarra
of sheep-skin, with a high-crowned Andalusian hat; his complexion was
dark as pepper, and his eyes were full of sullen fire. In his appearance
he exhibited a goodly compound of Gypsy and bandit.
_Paco_.—‘Laches chibeses te diñele Undebel (May God grant you good days,
brother). This is my wife, and this is my wife’s father.’
_Myself_.—‘I am glad to see them. What are their names?’
_Paco_.—‘Maria and Antonio; their other name is Lopez.’
_Myself_.—‘Have they no Gypsy names?’
_Paco_.—‘They have no other names than these.’
_Myself_.—‘Then in this respect the Gitános of Spain are unlike those of
my country. Every family there has two names; one by which they are
known to the Busné, and another which they use amongst themselves.’
_Antonio_.—‘Give me your hand, brother! I should have come to see you
before, but I have been to Olivenzas in search of a horse. What I have
heard of you has filled me with much desire to know you, and I now see
that you can tell me many things which I am ignorant of. I am Zíncalo by
the four sides—I love our blood, and I hate that of the Busné. Had I my
will I would wash my face every day in the blood of the Busné, for the
Busné are made only to be robbed and to be slaughtered; but I love the
Caloré, and I love to hear of things of the Caloré, especially from those
of foreign lands; for the Caloré of foreign lands know more than we of
Spain, and more resemble our fathers of old.’
_Myself_.—‘Have you ever met before with Caloré who were not Spaniards?’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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