La Encuhetada
La Enchuetada (the full title is: La Encuhetada o Los gauchos y la intervención en el Río de la Plata en 1848 or German roughly: La Encuhetada or The Gauchos and the Intervention on the Río de la Plata from 1848 ) is one of Hilario Ascasubi Gauchesque conversation written in 1848 and published on August 18 of the year in 528 (including the introductory verses: 598) verses. In 1872 it was included in the anthology Paulino Lucero o los gauchos del Río de la Plata cantando y combatiendo contra los tiranos de la República Argentina y Oriental del Uruguay (1839 a 1851) .
content
The actual conversation is preceded by a note, a warning and an approval. The historical background of La Encuhetada is the lifting of an embargo imposed by France and Great Britain in 1845 against Juan Manuel de Rosas , which was viewed by the Unitarians, Rosas' opponents, including Ascasubi, as a slap in the face from their allies. In addition, France intended to make peace with Rosas in 1848.
Señor patrón y relator del Comercio de la Plata (To the owner and editor-in-chief of the Comercio de la Plata )
The owner of the newspaper, according to the author of the note, will have to work through the night anyway because of the publication of the verses. At dawn, the author of the verses intends to distribute them in the village, after paying the owner a visit and bringing the manuscript of the verses. First, the author of the verses intends to bring a first part to the owner of the newspaper and promises that the second part will be even more provocative. He will the Count Palmetón, d. H. make Earl Palmerston rise with rage, for there is no Englishman whom he despises more than this. The originator of the verse repeatedly reminds the owner of the newspaper that he will come to the print shop early in the morning. They would share a cimarrón , d. H. drink an unsweetened mate . In the end, he praised the French lithographer Mr. Lebas, who did the illustrations for La Encuheteada . The note to the owner is signed with the name Luciano Callejas.
Advertencia a los uropeos cosquillosos (Warning to the irritable Europeans)
Europeans are warned that in the conversation that followed, three liberal-minded gauchos would complain about the shabby policies of two governments (i.e. the English and French). As gauchos, they wouldn’t mince words without wanting to offend the Europeans.
Dedicatoria (appropriation)
The ironic appropriation is dedicated to Count Palmerston, who is held responsible for lifting the blockade against Rosas. It is ironically said that his behavior has earned him great prestige. Luciano Callejas (the signatory of the note) therefore dedicates the appropriation intended as a mocking poem to him in the name of the gauchos. This is done, among other things, in order to celebrate Rosas' "mocking poem" on the English, i. H. Rosas' refusal to receive representatives of the English government, whom the Unitarians consider to be the best in this way. The author of the appropriation explains to the English, whom he considers a little dubious, what he means by a mocking poem. A mockery poem is a bowl without a core, which stinks of burnt dung, which is a little oily and which you find in tandil . This bowl is said to be suitable as fuel for the lamp of every boastful (Rosas). Count Palmerston should please attach this tinder to Prime Minister Peel .
La Encuhetada
The section in which the actual gauchesque conversation takes place has the subtitle: Sorpresa del gaucho Morales al recibir a su amigo Olivera en su rancho junto a las trincheras de Montevideo, or roughly in German: Gaucho Morales amazed when he saw his friend Olivera in his Ranch near the Montevideos trenches .
Verses 1-69
When he sees the gaucho Severo Olivera riding towards him, Marcelo Morales can hardly believe it. He asks him about his well-being. Olivera replies that he is living his life. He was glad to have met his friend in the area because he was a stranger here and didn't know anyone. Marcelo can sympathize with him, as he suspects that he rode the long way from Maldonado . Olivera's journey has been so arduous that he prefers not to talk about it in order not to be depressed. Since Olivera is crying, Morales offers him a tattered leather so that he can sit on it. The real reason for Olivera's depression seems to be the fact that he had been plagued by hardship for eight years and therefore lost the habit of following the gauchos' usual vices of tobacco, liquor and mate . Marcelo is also in need. His wife recently sold a woolen duvet because she wanted to drink mate again. Marcelo's wife is very skilled when it comes to trading, because she will not only bring mate, but also schnapps and tsabak, without even having pawned the duvet. As a precaution, Marcelo is preparing to make a fire so they can drink mate when his wife is back. To do this, Marcelo has his son, Agapito, fill a kettle with water. Olivera is amazed at how Agapito has grown and praises his good memory, because he recognized him straight away when he rode up. Olivera asks him about a horse with which he had last seen him.
Verses 70-237
Agapito has no good news to report about this horse because it was stolen from him along with another horse. Marcelo ironically comments on this incident by saying that this is a nice reminder of the times of Echagües. What is meant is Pascual Echagüee, an Argentine general who invaded Uruguay in 1839 to support Manuel Oribe there. Since Olivera wants to talk to Agapito, Marcelo withdraws and promises to come back shortly as he does not want to disturb them. Olivero then asks Agapito whether he is now even poorer than before and now has to get by without a horse, which among gauchos is a sign of particular poverty. Agapito replies that despite his poverty he always manages to get a horse. For example, a few days ago he stole a horse from an English messenger. The Englishman was a proud dude who ran after every woman, even though he had a more stupid face than his grandmother. Olivera cannot believe that Agapito stole a horse from an Englishman, whereupon Agapito justifies his act with the fact that the Englishman behaved arrogantly towards him and the other locals. When he told the English z. For example, if I asked for a cigar, the English almost pushed him into a puddle of mud if Agapito hadn't avoided him in time. The robbery of the horse was the revenge for the behavior of the Englishman. The still incredulous Olivera praises Agapito for his courage. The story is beginning to please him, so he should continue. Agapito continues his description with the Englishman. After the English tried to push him into the mud, Agapito swore vengeance and followed the English every step of the way. As the Englishman's horse was very shy, when it reached the village it got nervous and ran away. The horse threw the Englishman off the saddle and grazed him with it because he got stuck in the stirrup. Luckily for the Englishman, when the strap that held the stirrup broke, the horse began to dash down the main street. As a result, Agapito started chasing the horse. In the vicinity of the shops on the main street, the horse finally got tangled in the reins so that Agapito was able to catch it. Since the horse had broken a rib in the meantime, Agapito had straightened its rib and loosely strapped the saddle. Then Agapito brought the horse back to the Englishman. He recovered from the fall and acted like a proud dude accordingly. When the Englishman got on the horse, the latter felt the broken bone and freed itself from the Englishman with a leap. Olivera comments on the story by saying that he was amazed at the lack of riding skills of the English when they appeared so proud in their ships. Agapito continues his description: even when the horse got rid of the Englishman, it made so many leap jumps that it finally shook off the entire harness. When the horse calmed down again, Agapito sat on it and rode away. The Englishman, who must have broken his neck, has not yet come to claim it back. At the end of his speech, Agapito offers the horse to Olivera if he doesn't have one. The conversation between the two is interrupted by Marcelo, who complains that both are still chatting with each other.
Verses 238-365
After the arrival and greeting of Olivera's wife Pilar, a second anecdote is told. This time it's about Olivera, who took part in a campaign in one of the many wars that raged in the La Plata region. He and the other gauchos went to war in droves and in rags. They went to the coast and were taken to the other bank in boats and ships. The description of the ship on which Olivera sailed is in the terms of a gaucho. Accordingly, he compares the ship to a horse cart. The vehicle is actually a steam sailing ship . The bow and stern are referred to as the front and rear of the cart, the length of the ship is given in lasso throws, the masts are compared with the supporting beams of a ranch, the steam engine technology is completely alien to Olivera and therefore eerie. Only the steam wheel of the ship is described as the giant wheel of a horse cart. When the ship has set sail, he perceives it as if the reins of the ship had been loosened. The sounds and movements of the ship are compared to the neighing and bucking of a horse. The passengers - mostly gauchos and gauchas - rolled back and forth like sacks of flour. After all, seasickness struck them and they all vomited to the last bean. On the return journey, Olivera strolled along the coast to avoid the arduous journey by ship.
Verses 366-471
Marcelo laments the innumerable wars into which fate, in his opinion, has plunged them. Olivera, on the other hand, is confident: In his opinion, no suffering lasts forever, even if it seems to people that they are mortal and therefore do not see the end. Marcelo agrees with him. They had already suffered from the war for eight years and had many disappointments. Some would have given themselves up to power ambitions and strived to earn as much money as possible, while others would have devoted themselves to disclosure and deceit. The latter means France and England, which they, that is to say the Argentines, in Marcelo's view would have let them sink up to their shoulders in war. With a number of alliances and promises, both countries would have taken booty in order to finally withdraw cowardly. Marcelo curses the French and English monarchs and wishes that one day the French king would lie on the side of the road, displaying his entrails. Only an Argentine could save the Argentines from war and hardship. Olivera agrees with Marcelo. The wars would have given England and France a legitimation to interfere in the politics of Argentina or the La Plata states. He feels, however, satisfaction that world powers like England and France let a man like Rosas dance around on their faces (see appropriation). The crowned devils (i.e. monarchs) of England and France would, for Rosa's fear, make comrades and lift the blockade. The English and French would shine with words to the Unitarians, and actions to shine with Rosas. At the end of his speech, Olivero is so upset that he asks Marcelo for a schnapps to calm himself down.
Verses 472-528
Finally, there is talk of Luciano Callejas, a mutual friend of Severo and Marcelo, who is the signatory of the note and the author of the appropriation in La Encuhetada . Olivera is on the same wavelength as Callejas. Olivera is surprised that Callejas is in the area and asks about it. Marcelo tells his friend that Luciano has already been there. Since a load of cattle had arrived, he took care of it. Marcelo rewarded him with money and an asado . Callejas had assured him that he would come back at noon and bring wine with him. So they would be eating out soon. When Olivera nods off from exhaustion, Marcelo offers him to go to sleep. In the meantime , he would make preparations for the asado , because when Luciano came back he wanted to celebrate Olivera's visit with a good intoxication. Meanwhile, Agapito is sent to the pier to deal with an undisclosed matter. However, Agapito is afraid to meet the Englishman from whom he stole the horse again. Pilar therefore encourages him to face the Englishman resolutely. For this purpose, Agapito gets his dagger. Marcelo asks him what he intends to do. Agapito replies that he does not want to do anything, but that he will beat the Englishman if this is necessary.
Further information
- The word cosquilloso can next ticklish also irritable or suspicious mean.
- Olivera's astonishment that Agapito had recognized him recalls Lucero's astonishment at the good memory of Martín Paulino Lucero (cf. verses 36–43).
literature
- La Encuhuetada o Los gauchos y la intervención en el Río de la Plata en 1848. In: Poesía gauchesca. Biblioteca Ayacucho, Caracas 1977.