the legend of sleepy hollow

Transcription

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving
1/15
Traducciones y notas de Manuel Sánchez Profesor del IES Julián Marías de Valladolid
THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
Traducciones & notas de Manuel Sánchez,
Profesor del IES Julián Marías de Valladolid
by Washington Irving
In one of the coves on the eastern shore orilla of the Hudson, near
the wide part of the river, called the Tappan Zee, is a small town. Some
people call it Greensburgh, but it is generally known as Tarry Town localidad
con actualmente 11 mil habitantes situada al Norte de New York. The women of the region
gave it this name because their husbands used to tarry detenerse about the
village tavern on market days días de mercado.
About two miles from this town is a small valley surrounded by high
hills. It is one of the quietest places in the whole word en el mundo entero. The
only sounds that disturb the tranquillity are the sound of the stream arroyo,
the whistling of a quail silbido de una codorniz or the tapping of a woodpecker
repicoteo de un pájaro carpintero.
I remember the first time that I went squirrel hunting cazar ardillas when
I was just a young boy. I was in a grove bosquecillo of tall walnut trees nogales
in the valley. It was midday and everything was quiet. Only the sound of
my shotgun escopeta broke the silence and it reverberated retumbaba loudly
around the valley.
If I wanted to escape from all of life’s problems and pressures, this
would be the perfect place 2nd conditional .
Because of debido a the tranquillity of this spot lugar and the peculiar
character of its inhabitants, who are the descendants of the original
Dutch settlers colonos holandeses, this secluded valley is called Sleepy Hollow
Valle Adormecido. A drowsy soñolienta and dreamy soñadora atmosphere
impregnates the air. Some say that a German doctor bewitched hechizó
the place during the early days of the settlement colonización . Others say
that and old Indian chief, prophet and wizard hechicero of his tribe, held his
ceremonies there before the region was discovered by Hendrick Hudson.
However sin embargo, it is true that the place is still under the influence
of some witching power poder de brujería than holds a spell mantiene un hechizo
over the minds of the inhabitants. They are subject to all kinds of fantastic
beliefs ecreencias fantásticas, trances and visions. They frequently see strange
apparitions and hear music and v oices. T he whole neighbourhood vecindad
fugaces abounds with stories, haunted spots and superstitions. You can see
2/15
more shooting stars estrellas fugaces and meteorites over the valley than in
any other part of the country and it is the favourite place of evil spirits los
malos espíritus.
However, the dominant spirit that haunts persigue this enchanted
region is the Headless Horseman Jinete sin Cabeza. Some say that he is the
ghost fantasma of a soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball bala de
cañón during the War of Independence Gerra de la Independencia de los EE.UU contra el
Imperio Británico (1775-1783). . The country folk gente often see him galloping at
night. He does not always stay in the valley, but also frequents the
adjacent roads and he is often seen near a church. In fact, some of the
historians of the region, who have been collecting and collating facts
clasificando hechos about the phantom, allege that the soldier is buried in the
churchyard cementerio de la iglesia. They say that every night the ghost rides
out sale a cabalgar to look for buscar his head and before daybreak el
alba/amanecer he has to hurry back tiene que dares prisa en volver to the churchyard.
It is a notable fact that the visionary propensity that I have
mentioned is not only limited to the native inhabitants of the valley, but it
is unconsciously incoscientemente absorbed by every person who lives there
for a time. Even incluso if they were not superstitious before entering antes de
entrar that sleepy region, in a short time they begin to breathe the witching
influence, to dream, and to see apparitions.
Many years have passed since my last visit to Sleepy Hollow, but I
can imagine that nothing has changed. This hidden place, in New York
State Estado de Nueva York, cuya capital no es Nueva York sino Albany, probably still
maintains the way of life forma/estilo de vida of the original Dutch settlers.
The Schoolmaster
A long time before my last visit a
man named Ichabod Crane lived there.
He came from Connecticut and went to
Sleepy Hollow to work as a schoolmaster.
The surname of Crane grulla was very
appropriate to describe him: he was tall,
very thin, with narrow shoulders, long
arms and legs and hands that hung
colgaban a mile out of the sleeves mangas of
his jacket. His feet were like shovels grulla.
His head was small and flat on top,
with huge ears, large green, glassy
vidriosos eyes and long nose. In fact de
hecho, his nose looked like a bird’s beak
pico. To see him walking along on a
windy day, with his clothes fluttering aleteando about him, he could have
been mistaken equivocado for a scarecrow espantapájaros.
3/15
The schoolhouse was a low building made of logs troncos with one
large room. It was in a rather isolated aislado but pleasant spot lugar : at the
foot of a woody hill, with a stream nearby cercano. On a summer’s day you
could hear the murmuring of the pupil’s voices voces de los alumnos as they
recited their lessons. Now and then de vez en cuando they were interrupted by
the strict voice of the schoolmaster. Sometimes you could hear the
horrible sound of the birch vara/abedul/azotar . The schoolmaster was a
conscientious concienzudo man and followed the general rule of ‘spare the
rod and spoil the child ahorra la vara y echa a perder al niño/la letra con sangre entra’.
Ichabod Crane’s pupils were certainly not spoiled.
However, Ichabod was not cruel and he administered justice fairly.
He didn’t severely punish the weak pupils who were afraid of the birch,
but the tougher urchins más duros erizos/más duros golfillos received a double
douse. He called this ‘doing his duty deber/obligación for their parents.’ He
never inflicted any punishment without telling the sulking
enfurruñado/malhumorado urchin that ‘in later life en la vejez/en el futuro he would
remember it and thank his schoolmaster for it.’
When school was over, he became the companion and playmate
of the older boys. On holiday afternoons he would accompany used to
accompany some of the younger children home, especially if they had
pretty sisters or mothers who were good cooks cocineras.
It was to his advantage le era ventajoso to maintain a good relationship
with his pupils. The wages el sueldo he received from the school were small,
not enough to pay for his daily needs. Even though he was thin, he had
an enormous appetite. To make ends meet para arreglárselas, according to
the custom of that region, he lodged se hospedaba at the houses of the
farmers whose children he taught. He stayed with each family for a week
and so he passed from house to house with all his possessions in a cotton
handkerchief pañuelo/hatillo.
A man of Many Facets
Farmers often consider that school costs
are a burden carga and that school masters are
parasites. However, Ichabod made himself useful
and agreeable. He helped the farmers with light
farm work: he helped to cut hay heno , mended the
fences reparaba las cercas, watered the horses,
brought the cows from the pasture and cut wood
for the winter. When he was not in the
schoolroom, his character changed and he
become very gentle and ingratiated congraciaba
himself in the community. He would often sit used to
sit by the fire with one child on his knee, and rock
4/15
the baby’s cradle mecía la cuna del bebé with his foot for hours and hours.
In addiction además to his other vocations, he was the singing master
of the neighbourhood and earned a few extra shillings by instructing the
young people in psalmody salmodia/arte de cantar salmos. On Sundays he was
very proud orgulloso to stand at the front of the church choir with a group of
chosen singers. His voice resounded above the rest of the congregation
and it is said that even incluso now on Sunday mornings you can
sometimes hear his voice coming from the church. All things considered
considerando todo esto, Ichabod Crane lived an agreeable life and quite easily
managed to make ends meet .
In rural communities the schoolmaster is considered a man of
some importance by the women. They think he is a gentleman and that
he is superior to the rough country lads rudos muchachos del campo. In fact, the
only person of a higher rank rango to the schoolmaster is the parson párroco.
Therefore por consiguiente, Ichabod’s appearance at someone’s farmhouse
usually caused excitement. The mistress señora of the house would serve a
large plate of cakes or sweets and his visit was an excuse to bring out
sacar the silver teapot. Our schoolmaster was very happy surrounded by
the smile of the women; he used to converse with them in the
churchyard on Sundays after the service and read the epitaphs on the
tombstones lápidas for them. On other occasions he would go for a walk
with a group of them along the banks of the pond laguna. The lads would
observe him timidly, envying his superior elegance and manners modales.
Because of his half-itinerant medio itinerante life, he was a type of
travelling newspaper, carrying the local gossip chismorreo from house to
house. This was another reason why he was always welcome. In
addiction, the women though that he was a very educated man
because he had read several books. He could recite from recitar de memoria
Cotton Mather’s ‘History of New England Witchcraft brujería’, in which, he
firmly believe.
Superstition and Imagination
In spite of a pesar de his
education Ichabod Crane believed
in the supernatural sobrenatural . He
believed all the fantastic histories
that he heard in that enchanted
region.
No
story
was
too
exaggerated for him to believe.
After school, he took great pleasure
in lying by the stream tendense al lado del
arroyo near the schoolhouse and thinking about Mather’s terrible tales. He
would stay there until the evening and then go to the farmhouse where
5/15
he was lodged at that time. Every sound of nature; the stream, the croak
of a toad sapo, the cry of an owl búho, the rustling susurro of the birds in the
bushes arbustos fed alimentaba his imagination. Even the fireflies luciernagas that
shone brillaban in the darkness oscuridad would frighten him. If a beetle
escarabajo flew against him, he imagined that he had been hit by a witch.
On these occasions his only resource was to sing psalms salmos to drive
away alejar the evil spirits. On many occasions, in the evenings, the
inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow could hear him singing as he walked along
the path.
Another source of fearful terrible pleasure was to spend the wint er
evenings with the old women as they sat spinning hilando by the fire. He
would listen to their marvellous tales of ghosts and goblins duendes,
haunted houses casas encantadas, fields, streams and bridges, and particularly
of the Headless Horseman Jinete sin Cabeza. He would entertain them with
stories of witchcraft brujería and would explain to them the terrible
significance of comets and shooting stars.
He found pleasure in all this while he was sitting beside the fire,
where no ghost would dare to show its face se atrevía a asomar . However, his
journey home was another matter. Every shadow and ray of light
stimulated his imagination. He often saw a white phantom in his path,
only to discover that it was a bush covered by the snow. He trembled at
the sound of his own footsteps pasos and did not dare no se atrevía to look
behind him. Very often he thought that the noise of the wind was the
Headless Horseman galloping through the night.
But all these were terrors of the night, phantoms of the mind that
disappeared at daylight de día. One day, however, his path was crossed
by a being ser that causes more perplexity perplejidad to mortals than ghosts,
goblins and witches; and that was… a woman.
A Woman’s Spell
One of Ichabod’s singing pupils alumnas de canto was Katrina Van
Tassel, the only daughter hija única of a well-off acomodado farmer. She was a
radiant girl of eighteen; plump rechoncha as a partridge perdiz with rosy rosadoas
cheeks like her father’s peaches melocootones. She was considered a good
catch un buen partido, not only because she was attractive but also because
of her father’s fortune. Katrina was a little bit coquettish coqueta and her
dresses were a mixture of traditional and modern fashion. She used to
wear an appealing atractivo old-fashioned bodice corpiño and a short
petticoat enaguas that showed her charming feet and ankles, and jewellery
of pure gold, which her great-great-grandmother tatarabuela had brought
with her from Holland.
Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart with regards con respecto
to the opposite sex. He was bewitched embrujado by Katrina, and even
6/15
more so after he had visited her father’s farm. Old Baltus Van Tassel was
the perfect happy farmer with a generous heard. It was true, however,
that he was not very concerned with the world beyond más allá his farm.
He was satisfied with his wealth but not proud of it.
The farm was on the banks of the Hudson. At the side of the house
were a large elm tree olmo and a stream arroyo. Near the farmhouse was a
large barn granero in which most of the daily activities took place. Baltus
had a lot of animals: fat pigs, pigeons palomas , geese gansos, ducks, turkeys,
guinea fowls gallinas de Guinea and chickens.
On his first visit to the house, the schoolmaster’s mouth watered
when he saw this sumptuous promise of winter food. He imagined himself
eating pigeon pie pastel de paloma , roast goose ganso asado, stuffed turkey pavo
relleno and duck with onion sauce. When he looked at the pigs he
imagined them roasted with an apple in their mouths or he saw them as
large pieces of bacon, succulent hams or strings of sausages tiras de
salchichas.
As Ichabod contemplated this scene and the rich fields of wheat
trigo, rye centeno, and Indian corn maiz, and the orchards huertos full of ripe fruit
fruta madura, his heart yearned anelaba for the young woman who would
inherit heredar all this.
He imagined himself already married to Katrina. He had sold the
farm and bought a lot of land in the south. He was riding montando a
beautiful mare yegua and his wife and children –they had had lots of
children- were riding on a wagon loaded with furniture and household del
hogar things. They were going to Kentucky Tennessee, -or Lord knows
where! ¡O Dios sabe dónde!
He stopped dreaming and entered the house. Now the conquest
of his heart was complete. It was a spacious farmhouse with a high
sloping roof tejado inclinado, built in the style of the Dutch settlers colonos
holandeses . Its low eaves aleros projected over a type of porch that was used
to store all types of farm tools, harnesses and fishing nets. At one end
there was a spinning wheel rueda de hilado/rueca and at the other a churn
mantequera for making butter there was
also long bench banco so you could sit
outside in summer.
He entered the main room of
the house. He saw an enormous
dresser vestidor with rows of shinning
pewter jugs jarras de peltré brillantes. El peltré es
una aleación compuesta de Sn, Cu, Sb y Pb, maleable y
blanda que funde a 320ºC y muy utilizada para adornos
and plates. In one corner was a huge
bag of wool lana, ready to be spun
girada/hilada. In another corner was a
sack of Indian corn, and strings ristras of
dried apples, peaches melocotones and
red peppers hanging from the beams
vigas.
7/15
There was an open door that led conducia into a large parlor sitting
room/cuarto de estar . Ichabod could see expensive chairs and dark
mahogany caoba tables. There were various ornaments above the
mantelpiece repisa de la chimenea and a corner cupboard -deliberately left
open- full of all old silver and expensive china porcelana china. La porcelana es un
material cerámico blanco, duro y translúcido, desarrollado en China durante los siglos VII y VIII. Fue muy
apreciado en Europa dónde se reinventó. Se obtiene a partir de caolín, feldespato y cuarzo.
From that moment on, Ichabod Crane had no peace. His only
concern was how to win the affections of Van Tassel’s and unparalleled
incomparable daughter.
The Rival
This enterprise empresa, however, was not that easy. In the ancient
legends, it was relatively easy for a knight to win the heart of his lady. All
he had to do was conquer a few giants, enchanters or dragons, and
them climb a castle wall and rescue the lady. The knight achieved all this
quite easily. Of course he asked the lady to marry him and she always
accepted.
But Ichabod’s case was different. He had to win the way to the
heart of a coquettish country girl who had a labyrinth laberinto of caprices
caprichos and whims antojos. Each step presented new difficulties and
impediments and he also had to face fearful adversaries of flesh and
blood carne y sangre/carne y hueso: these were Katrina’s numerous rustic
admirers, who watched each other closely and jealousy. In spite of this,
her admirers were always prepared to join together against any new
competitor.
The most formidable of all his rivals was a strong and robust lad
muchacho called Abraham, or, according to the antojos Dutch abbreviation,
Brom Van Brunt. He was the hero of the surrounding region and wellknown for his strength and hardiness
resistencia and had earned the nickname
Borm Bones. He had broad shoulders and
black curly hair. He had and air of
arrogance and joviality. He was famous
for his skill destreza/habilidad in horsemanship
equitación; he was a dexterous diestro/hábil on
horseback a caballo as a Tartar. He would
always win all the local horse races. In
rural communities people usually respect
strength and therefore Born Bones was
often the judge in local disputes. His decision was final definitiva and not
many dared atrevía to challenge desafiar /cuestionar it .
8/15
He was always ready for a fight or some prank broma . However, he
was more mischievous travieso/pícaro than malicious. Despite his roughness
rudeza he had a good sense of humour. He had three or four close friends,
who considered him their model and together they attended every
festivity in the region. Sometimes you could hear Brom and his
companions galloping galopando past the farms at midnight, shouting and
laughing like a troop of Cossacks. The old women, woken suddenly
despertadas de repente from their sleep would exclaim: “Ay, there goes Brom
Bones and his gang banda!”
The neighbours regarded him with a mixture of respect, admiration
and benevolence. Whenever a prank or brawl pelea took place in the
surrounding area, people always shook their heads and affirmed that
Borm Bones was at the bottom of it en el fondo de ello/detrás de ello .
This wild rustic hero had chosen Katrina as the object of his
gallantries. It was said that despite his rough manners, she did not
completely discourage desanimaba his hopes. Rival candidates began to
retire. Very often suitors pretendientes would come to Katrina’s house on a
Sunday evening, see Brom Bones’ horse outside and go home sadly
because they did not want to meet him.
This was Ichabod’s formidable rival. Many men would have
withdrawn retirado from the competition but Ichabod had an adaptable
and persevering character.
To have openly challenged tener que desafiar his rival would have been
madness locura. Therefore en consecuencia Ichabod made his advances hizo sus
avances/requirio de amores in a quiet and gentle noble way. The fact that he was
Katrina’s singing master gave him a pretext to visit the house. He did not
have to worry about the interference of meddlesome entrometidos parents,
which is often a problem for young lovers. Baltus Van Tassel was a
reasonable man who adored his daughter and let her do what she
wanted. His wife was too busy with the housework and her poultry aves de
corral to bother herself molestarse a ella misma/preocuparse with her daughter.
“Ducks and geese are foolish things and must be looked after
cuidados , but girls can take care cuidar of themselves,” she wisely sabiamente
said.
So while Katrina’s mother did the housework and her indulgent
father sat on the porch smoking his pipe, Ichabod would court Katrina by
the stream near the elm tree olmo .
I admit that I do not know how to win a woman’s heart. Some
women have one door of access while others may be won in a
thousand different ways.
The man who wins a thousand normal hearts is clever but the man
who wins the heart of a coquette is a hero.
From the moment that Ichabod made his advances, Brom Bones’
horse was not seen outside the farmhouse on Sunday afternoons. A feud
enemistad developed between Brom and the schoolmaster of Sleepy
Hollow.
9/15
The Dance
Things continued in this way for some time. One pleasant autumn
afternoon, Ichabod was in the schoolroom. The pupils were quiet and
studying intently intensamente. This calm was interrupted by a messenger. He
had come with an invitation to a dance baile at Van Tassel’s that evening.
Ichabod was very excited and he made his pupils hurry with their
lessons. In fact, to the delight deleite of the students, he finished classes an
hour earlier than usual.
The gallant Ichabod spent gastó/dedicó at least an extra half hour
getting ready preparándose. He brushed his best suit and carefully arranged
his hair. He wanted to look elegant for Katrina. To impress her, he
borrowed pidió prestado a horse from the farmer who he was lodged with at
that time con quién estaba alojado en ese momento. His landlord casero at that time was
a bad-tempered man called Hans Van Ripper, The horse was an old
plough horse caballo de tiro/arado; he was a bag of bones and his mane crin
and tail were tangled enredado. Despite a pesar de his appearance he still had
a vicious feroz character and a devilish eye mirada diabólica. In his day, he
must have been a fine buen horse. His name reflected his former anterior
glory: Gunpowder Pólvora. He had been Van Ripper’s favourite horse.
Ichabod was a suitable rider jinete for a horse like Gunpowder. He
rode montaba with short stirrups enredado, with made his knees touch the
pommel perilla of the saddle silla de montar . His elbows stuck out enredado and he
carried his whip fusta/látigo perpendicularly in his hand, like a sceptre cetro. As
the horse trotted Ichabod looked like a bird flapping it s wings. He was
wearing a small hat and the tails of his coat fluttered behind him. The
schoolmaster mounted on the old horse was a strange sight extraña visión .
The sky was clear and calm and the leaves were chaining into
their brilliant autumn colours, and the birds were preparing to fly south.
Ichabod rode along happily observing this scene. As he passed the fields
of Indian corn, he began to think of all the delicious treats that were
waiting for him; food that would be served by Katrina’s delicate hands.
It was getting dark anocheciendo when Ichabod arrived at llegó a/es erroneo
“arrive to” Van Tassel’s farmhouse. The house was full of people. All the
farmers from the surrounding region were there, accompanied by their
wives, sons and daughters. They were all dressed in their best clothes.
Brom Bones, as usual, was the centre of attention. He had arrived
on his fiery ardiente/fogoso horse, Daredevil Temerario/Intrépido. It was a vicious feroz
animal that only he could ride. In fact, Brom did not like docile horses. He
considered a well-broken bien domado horse to be unworthy indigno of a lad
with spirit.
When Ichabod entered the main parlor salon principal , he saw a
wonderful sight. It was not the pretty country girls dressed in their finest
clothes but the delicious food on the large table. It was traditional Dutch
10/15
cooking: doughnuts rosquillas, ginger cakes tartas de jengibre and honey cakes.
There were apple, peach and pumpkin pies pasteles de calabaza, and dishes
of preserved fruit fruta en conserva. In addition, there were slices of ham and
smoked beef buey ahumado , roast chicken and trout trucha. On the table were
large bowls of milk and cream and in the middle of it was a large teapot.
I would like to describe the banquet in further más detail, but I am in a
hurry to continue with my story. However, as you can imagine, Ichabod
Crane tried every dish.
Some men become cheerful alegre/de buen humor when they drink;
Ichabod became more and more cheerful as he ate. He observed the
scene with contentment satisfacción , thinking that one day all this might podría
be his. He would be able podría to leave his job at the school –the
possibilities were endless interminables/innumerables/infinitas.
Old Baltus Van Tassel
attended his guest with good
humour. His attentions were
brief but warm and he invited
everyone to ‘help themselves’.
Ichabod was proud of
his dancing abilities as much
as tanto como his singing. In spite
of
his
thin,
scarecrow
espantapájaros
appearance, he
danced very well. In fact, San
Vitus San Vito, patron de la danza would
have been proud of him.
Ichabod was very happy
because his partner was
Katrina, who smiled graciously
whenever he paid a compliment. Brom Bones, who was very jealous, sat
in a corner with an expression of bad temper genio on his face.
When the dance finished, Ichabod began talking to the older
members of the community. They talked about former times tiempos
pasados/anteriores tiempos and told stories about the war. At the time of my
story, this region was famous for his great men and places connected to
the war. The British and American troops had passed near it and just
enough time had passed so that para que each storyteller could
exaggerate his tale of heroism –himself being the hero siendo él mismo el heroe.
For example there was the story of Doffue Martling, a Dutchman,
who had nearly captured a British warship barco de guerra single-handed
solo/sin la ayuda de nadie, or the about and old gentleman -whose name I will
not mention- who stopped a bullet with the blade of his sword la hoja de su
espada during the battle of White Plains. There were many other stories like
these and all the protagonists affirmed that they had had a decisive part
to play the war.
However, the war stories could not compare with the ghost stories
that followed. As I have mentioned before, this region is rich in legends.
11/15
Local legends survive best in traditional communities with little
emigration. In most villages, ghosts have hardly apenas time to have their
first sleep and turn in their graves tumbas before their surviving friends have
travelled away from the neighbourhood vecindad. When they appear at
night, they do not know anybody who they can visit. This is why the longestablished Dutch communities have so many ghosts.
Some of the stories told that night were about the strange cries lloros
and moans gemidos that were heard near the great tree where Major
comandante del ejército/no confundir con ‘mayor`alcalde Andre was captured during the
war. Some people told tales of the woman in white who haunted
rondaba/aparecía Raven Rock. She had died there in the snow, so on winter
nights, before a storm tormenta, you could hear her scream grito/chillido.
However, most of the stories were centred on the Headless Horseman of
Sleepy Hollow. It was said that only recently he had been heard
galloping across the countryside. It was also
said that every night he tied up ataba his horse
among the tombstones in the churchyard.
The isolated aislada situation of this
church made it a favourite place for ghosts.
It is on a small hill, surrounded by large elm
trees. At the foot of the hill there is a stream.
Over the deepest part of the stream is a
wooden bridge, and both the bridge and
the road that that leads conduce to it are
enclosed rodeado=sorrounded by trees. This makes
them dark and lugubrious even during the
day. This was one of the Headless
Horsemen’s favourite places, and where he
was most frequently encountered.
Someone told the story of old Brower,
who did not believe in ghost. He had met
the Horseman one night when he was
returning to Sleepy Hollow. The Horseman
had forced him to get up behind montrar detrás
him and they had galloped over the countryside until they reached the
bridge. Suddenly the Horseman turned into se convirtió a skeleton and threw
old Brower into the stream. The Horseman then galloped away as fast as
a bolt of lightening relámpago/rayo.
Then Brom Bones told his fantastic story about the Horseman. One
night he was returning from a revelry juerga and he was overtaken
pasado/adelantado/revasado by the Headless Horseman, who challenged
retó/desafió him to a race carrera. Bones affirmed that he had won the race
but when they approached the bridge, the ghost disappeared in a flash
of fire destello de luz.
All these stories made a deep impression on impresionaron profundamente a
Ichabod. As usual, he told stories by his favourite author, Cotton Mather,
and also many marvellous stories from his native state of Connecticut .
12/15
Finally he told of the terrifying terroríficas/no confundir con ·terrific” que significa excelente o
extraordinario además de aterrador things he had seen during his nightly walks
around Sleepy Hollow.
It was late and little by little poco a poco the farmers got into their
wagons carros tirados por caballos and went home. Some of the lads
accompanied their sweethearts’ cariños/novias/enamoradas home; the girls
mounted behind them on their horses. The sound of wagon wheels,
horse’s hooves cascos/pezuñas/el singular es “hoof” and laughter risas/carcajadas
echoed resonaban through the silent woods.
Ichabod had not gone home. He wanted to talk to Katrina. He
was totally convinced that she would agree to marry him. I do not know
what happened during their talk but something went wrong salió mal/fue
confundido. After a short time, Ichabod left the house in a sad and desolate
manner. Did that girl play a coquettish trick trampa/engaño on him? Did she
encourage animaba/alentaba poor Ichabod’s attentions to make Brom Bones
jealous? I don not know. The schoolmaster went straight fue derecho to the
stable and mounted his horse.
The Unwanted Companion
It was the midnight when Ichabod rode sadly home. The night was
so quiet that he could hear a dog barking on the other side of the
Hudson. There was no noise except for the occasional melancholy croak
of a frog.
The school master began to think of all the legends and ghost
stories that he had heard at dance. The night become darker and the
stars did not shine so brightly. He felt very lonely and sad. In addition, he
was approaching the place where many of these stories had occurred.
He could see the frightening espantoso/aterrador tree where Major had been
captured. The tree was enormous and its branches ramas almost touched
the ground.
As Ichabod approached the tree he began to whistle silbar . He
though that somebody answered his whistle silbido, but it was only the
wind. As he came nearer, he saw something white hanging colgaba in the
tree. To his relief para su alivio, it was only the moonlight resplandor de la luna
shining between the branches. Suddenly he heard a groan gemido!quejido,
but it was only the noise of the branches moving in the breeze brisa. He
passed the tree safely sin incidentes/de manera segura but new dangers aw aited
him.
A small stream crossed the road about two hundred yards from the
tree and ran into entraba en/se internaba a dense and swampy wood bosque
pantanoso, called Wiley’s Swamp. Where the stream entered the wood
there was a group of oak robles and chestnut castaños trees. A few old logs
13/15
troncos ,
placed side by side, served as a bridge over the stream. This was
another of Sleepy Hollow’s famous haunted places lugares encantados.
Ichabod’s heart began to beat fast as he approached the stream.
He breathed deeply respiró hondo , gave his horse a few kicks espoleço varias veces
a su caballo and attempted intentó to cross the bridge quickly. Instead of en vez
de moving forward hacia adelante the old horse made a lateral movement.
Ichabod pulled the reins tiró de las riendas and kicked the horse again, but this
time the animal moved off se salió the path and went into the wood. The
schoolmaster whipped the horse and he jumped forward. However,
when Gunpowder reached the bridge he stopped suddenly and
Ichabod nearly fell off cayó. Just at this moment the schoolmaster saw
something huge muy grande/inmenso between the trees.
Ichabod was frightened. It was too late to turn round dar la vuelta, and
besides además what chance oportunidad did he have of escaping from a
ghost or evil spirit espíritu maligno?
‘Who are you?’ he asked again.
Again there was no reply.
Once more, he kicked Gunpowder, shut his eyes and began to
sing a psalm salmo . Just then the huge shadow moved and placed itself
on the side of the road. Even though aunque=although the night was dark the
schoolmaster could see an enormous horseman on a formidable black
horse. The horseman jinete did no speak but kept pace mantuvo el paso with
Gunpowder from the other side of the road.
Ichabod did not relish no disfrutó this strange companion. He though
of Brom Bones’ story and he made Gunpowder trot faster, but the
stranger also began to trot faster. Ichabod stopped his horse, hoping
that the stranger would pass him, but the stranger did the same thing.
The schoolmaster was terrified now and he tried to sing again but he
could not because his mouth was too dry demasiado seca.
There was something sinister about his companion that he could
not explain, but when they reached a small clearing in the road he
realized what it was. To his horror he saw that the rider was headless and
was carrying his head on the pommel of his saddle! (¡Vamos! que para hacérselo
uno encima en ese momento. Si estás leyendo en tu cuarto por la noche mejor que lo dejes en este punto, te
vayas a la cama y te tapes hasta las orejas)
Ichabod whipped his horse into a gallop but the phantom
followed him a full speed. They reached the part of the road that turns
off se desvía to Sleepy Hollow but Gunpowder galloped straight along the
road that leads to the wooden bridge.
Gunpowder’s panic had given Ichabod a slight advantage but
suddenly the saddle girth la cincha de la silla de montar broke. Ichabod
unsuccessfully tried to hold the pommel to prevent it from slipping. He just
managed to save himself falling by clasping sujetándose/agarrándose his horse
around the neck. He heard the saddle trampled pisoteada by his pursuer
perseguidor . For a moment he was frightened when he thought about Hans
Van Ripper’s anger ira/enfado. It was his best saddle. However, this was no
time for small fears; it was difficult enough to prevent himself from falling.
14/15
Eventually finalmente, Ichabod made out distinguió/divisó/entendi ó the
wooden bridge and the church. He remembered that this was the place
where Brom Bones’ equestrian competitor had disappeared.
‘If I can reach the bridge, I am safe,’ he thought.
He gave Gunpowder another kick in the ribs costillas and the horse
galloped across the bridge. Ichabod looked behind him to see if his
pursuer had disappeared. To his horror he saw the phantom stand up in
his stirrups estribos and throw his head at him. The schoolmaster tried to
avoid the terrible missile but it hit him on the head with a horrible crash.
He fell off his horse and the Headless Horseman passed over pasó por encima
him like a tornado.
Ichabod’s Mysterious Disappearance
The next morning Van Ripper found his old horse –without his best
saddle- grazing pastando in front of his house. Ichabod did not appear at
breakfast time nor did he appear at the schoolhouse. Hans Van Ripper
began to feel worried and organized a search party partida o equipo de
búsqueda.
The villagers found the broken saddle on the road to the church.
They followed the horses’ hoof prints huellas de los cascos de los caballos to the
bridge and found Ichabod’s had and a shattered pumpkin calabaza hecha
añicos . Then they searched investigaron/buscaron the stream but they did not find
the body of the schoolmaster.
15/15
The mysterious event caused a lot of speculation at church on the
following Sunday. Most people thought that Ichabod had been carried
off llevado/raptado by the Headless Horseman. But as the schoolmaster was a
bachelor soltero and did not owe debía anyone any money, people soon
stopped worrying about him.
Shortly after his rival’s disappearance, Brom Bones married Katrina,
and whenever the story of Ichabod Crane was told, he would start to
laugh when the pumpkin was mentioned. This led some people to
suspect that he knew more about the matter than he let on
reconocía/fingía/admitía/divulgaba.
Several years after, and old farmer who had just returned from a
visit to New York said that he had heard that Ichabod Crane was still
alive. Apparently the school master had left Sleepy Hollow partly through
fear of the Headless Horseman, partly through fear of Hans Van Ripper
and partly because of Katrina’s rejection rechazo.
The old country women, however, are the best judges jueces of
these matters. To this day they maintain that Ichabod was carried away
by supernatural forces. The story of the schoolmaster is a favourite tale
often told around the fire on a winter night. It is said that sometimes on a
summer evening Ichabod’s voice can still be heard; he is singing a
melancholy psalm that mixes with the tranquil sounds of Sleepy Hollow.
This is my little joke
Welcome to
Tarrytown!
I’m waiting for
Julián Marías
high school’s
students who
don’t do their
English
homework.
Look at me!. I
lost my head
for speaking
Spanish in my
English class
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The original story and illustrations are in the public domain in the United States and in most, if not all, other
countries as well. Short Story: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Author: Washington Irving, 1783–1859 First published: 1819Illustrations first
published: 1863
The End

the legend of sleepy hollow

Transcription

Similar documents

Protagonist: Ichabod Crane - The Society for American Music

9 MIND-MELTING THRILLS

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow State Park slideshow

The Ish Tak Ha Ba Times

Retail Leasing Opportunity

Bioprocess Modeling of Fouling Phenomena in

Roar Fall 2007

Winter 2009 Recall Issue - St. Mary`s Catholic School

Travel Guide - Ginger Brook Hollow

Signage concept for Clay County2

Roar September 2005

Cached