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PRIJEVOD: Washington Irving: The veteran

30. ožujka 2020.

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The veteran WASHINGTON IRVING	Veteran WASHINGTON IRVING
AMONG the curious acquaintances I have made in my rambles about the fortress, is a brave and battered1 old colonel of Invalids, who is nestled like a hawk in one of the Moorish towers- His history, which he is fond of telling, is a tissue of those adventures, mishaps, and vicissitudes that render the 1 life of almost every Spaniard of note as varied and whimsical as the pages of Gil Bias.	Među neobičnim poznanicima koje sam stekao za vrijeme šetnji oko tvrđave, bijaše hrabri, istrošeni, stari pukovnik invalida koji je poput sokola bio smješten u jednom od maurskih tornjeva. Njegova priča, koju rado pripovijeda predstavlja srž svih avantura, neuspjeha i preokreta koji život skoro svakog Španjolca čine raznolikim i ćudljivim poput stranica Bil Glasa.
He was in America at twelve years of age, and reckons among the most signal and fortunate events of his life his having seen General Washington. Since then he has taken a part in all the wars of his country; he could speak experimentally of most of the prisons and dungeons of the Peninsula; has been lamed of one leg, crippled in his hands, and so cut up and carbonadoed, that he is a kind of walking monument of the troubles of Spain, on which there is a scar for every battle and broil, as every year was notched upon the tree of Robinson Crusoe.	U dobi od dvanaest godina našao se u Americi i smatra kako je jedan od najvažnijih i najsretnijih događaja njegova života bio taj što je vidio generala Washingtona. Od tada je sudjelovao u svim ratovima vođenim u njegovoj zemlji; iz iskustva može govoriti o svim zatvorima i tamnicama poluotoka. Ukočena mu je jedna noga, ima ozlijeđene ruke, te nosi ožiljke i podljeve koji predstavljaju neku vrstu hodajućeg spomenika o svim nevoljama Španjolske, jednako kao što si svaku godinu označavaše na drvetu Robinson Crusoe.
The greatest misfortune of the brave old cavalier, however, appears to have been his having commanded at Malaga during a time of peril and confusion, and been made a general by the inhabitants, to protect them from the invasion of the French. This has entailed upon him a number of just claims upon the government that I fear will employ him until his dying-day in writing and printing petitions and memorials, to the great disquiet of his mind, exhaustion of his purse, and penance of his friends; not one of whom can visit him without having to listen to a mortal document of half an hour in length, and to carry away half a dozen pamphlets in his pocket. This, however, is the case throughout Spain; everywhere you meet with some worthy wight brooding in a corner and nursing up some pet grievance and cherished wrong. Beside, a Spaniard who has a lawsuit, or a claim upon government, may be considered as furnished with employment for the remainder of his life.	Najveća nesreća hrabrog, starog konjanika bijaše njegovo zapovjedništvo u Malagi za vrijeme pogibelji i kaosa. Stanovnici su ga prozvali generalom kako bi ih zaštitio od invazije Francuza. To je za sobom podrazumijevalo nekoliko opravdanih očekivanja od vlade zbog kojih će, bojim se, imati okapanja sve do svojeg zadnjeg daha zbog stalnog pisanja i tiskanja peticija i memoranduma, što iziskuje veliki napor njegova uma, iscrpljenost od nošenja torbi i ispaštanja njegovih prijatelja. Ni jedan od njih ne može ga posjetiti bez da ne odsluša životni dokument dužine pola sata i bez da ponese barem šest brošura u džepu. Ovakvo je, međutim, stanje u cijeloj Španjolskoj; svugdje se susretneš s nekim jadnikom koji prebire o nekoj malenoj tužbalici i prevrće sitnu nanesenu mu nepravdu. Dakako, Španjolac s tužbom ili zahtjevom prema vladi, može se smatrati zaposlenim do kraja života.
I visited the veteran in his quarters in the upper part of the Torre del Vino, or Wine Tower. His room was small but snug, and commanded a beautiful view of the Vega. It was arranged with a soldier’s precision. Three muskets and a brace of pistols, all bright and shining, were suspended against the wall with a sabre and a cane, hanging side by side, and above them, two cocked hats, one for parade and one for ordinary use.	Posjetio sam veterana u njegovom konačištu u gornjem dijelu tornja Torre del Vino, iliti Vinskog tornja. Soba mu bijaše mala ali fino namještena s pogledom na Vegu. Bila je uređena vojničkom preciznošću. Tri muškete i futrole za pištolje, sve blistavo i sjajno, bili su ovješeni o zid sa sabljom i štapom viseći jedan pored drugog. Iznad njih bila su dva šešira; jedan za svečane prilike i jedan za svakodnevnu upotrebu.
A small shelf containing some half dozen books that formed his library, one of which, a little old mouldy volume of philosophical maxims, was his favourite reading. This he thumbed and pondered over day by day, applying every maxim to his own particular case, provided it had a little tinge of wholesome bitterness, and treated of the injustice of the world.	Mala polica, na kojoj je bilo otprilike desetak knjiga, činila je njegovu osobnu knjižnicu, od kojih je jedna – pomalo stari memljivi svezak filozofskih izreka, bila njegovo omiljeno štivo. Tu je knjigu listao i po njoj prebirao iz dana u dan, primjenjujući svaku maksimu na svoj vlastiti slučaj, pod uvjetom da u njoj ima mala nijansa zdrave gorčine i spomen sa nepravdom u svijetu.
Yet he is social and kind-hearted, and provided he can be diverted from his wrongs and his philosophy, an entertaining companion. I like these old weather-beaten sons of fortune, and enjoy their rough campaigning anecdotes. In the course of my visit to the one in question, I learnt some curious facts about an old military commander of the fortress, who seems to have resembled him in some respects, and to have had similar fortunes in the wars. These particulars have been augmented by inquiries among some of the older inhabitants of the place, particularly the father of Mateo Ximenes, whose traditional stories the worthy I am about introduce to the reader, is a favourite hero.	Ipak je društven i srdačan, pod uvjetom da ga se odmakne od nepravdi mu nanesenih i njegovog filozofiranja o tomu, te zabavan sugovornik. Volim ove stare iskustvom sazdane lovce na sreću i uživam slušati o njihovim ratnim anegdotama. Tijekom moje posjete dotičnome, saznao sam neke zanimljivosti o jednom starom zapovjedniku tvrđave, za kojeg se čini da je u mnogo čemu nalikovao na njega i da je u ratnim stradavanjima prošao slično kao i on. Ove dogodovštine potkrijepljene su dodatnim ispitivanjima nekih starijih stanovnika tog mjesta, osobito oca Mathea Ximenesa, čije ću osobite starinske priče, u kojima sam sudjeluje,imati čast predstaviti čitatelju.

Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra, Reclam, Stuttgart 1897, pages 83-85.

Preveo: Lovro Počepan, 1. e

Washington Irving facts for kids

Doslovno preuzeto iz izvora: Kids Kiddle: Washington Irving. Dostupno 30.3.2020. na https://kids.kiddle.co/Washington_Irving

Washington Irving
Daguerreotype of Washington Irving
Born	April 3, 1783 New York City
Died	November 28, 1859 (aged 76) Tarrytown, New York
Literary movement	Romanticism

Washington Irving was an American writer. He was born in New York City on April 3, 1783. He began his literary career writing humorous newspaper sketches. He edited magazines. He went to Europe on family matters as a young man. He remained there for 17 years. He served as the United States ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He wrote biographies. He regarded his 5-volume life of George Washington as his masterpiece. He died in his home, Sunnyside, at Tarrytown, New York on November 28, 1859.

Irving and his contemporary James Fenimore Cooper were America’s first internationally acclaimed authors. Irving encouraged American authors and supported stronger copyright laws. He is best known today for two short stories: “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. They have been adapted to the stage, to television, and to animated and live-action movies.