Don Quixote_ Translation by Edith Grossman (HarperCollins) - Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra [504]
“Fugite, partes adversae! 4 Leave me in peace, unwelcome thoughts. Señoras, control your desires, for she who is queen of mine, the peerless Dulcinea of Toboso, does not allow any but her own to subdue and defeat me.”
And having said this, he sat down on the floor in the middle of the room, exhausted and wearied by so much dancing. Don Antonio ordered him picked up and carried to his bed, and the first to lay hands on him was Sancho, saying:
“Unlucky for you, Señor Master, when you started dancing! Do you think all brave men are dancers and all knights errant spin around? I say that if you think so, you’re mistaken; there are men who’d dare to kill a giant before they’d prance around. If you’d been stamping your heels and toes, I’d have taken your place, because I’m a wonderful stamper, but as for dancing, I don’t know anything about it.”
With these and other words like them, Sancho gave those at the soirée reason for laughter, and he put his master to bed, wrapping him in blankets so that he would sweat out the chill he felt because of his dancing.
The next day, Don Antonio thought it would be a good idea to try the enchanted head, and with Don Quixote, Sancho, and another two friends, along with the two ladies who had exhausted Don Quixote with their dancing, for they had spent the night with Don Antonio’s wife, he went into the room with the head and closed the door. He told them about its properties, charged them to keep the secret, and said that this was the first day the virtue of the enchanted head would be tested; except for Don Antonio’s two friends, no one else knew the secret of the enchantment, and if Don Antonio had not revealed it to them earlier, they too would have been as astounded as the others: it was so carefully planned and designed.
The first to go up to the ear of the head was Don Antonio himself, and he said in a quiet voice, but not so quiet that the others could not hear him:
“Tell me, head, by the virtue contained within you: what are my thoughts now?”
And the head responded, not moving its lips, in a clear and distinct voice, so that it was heard by everyone:
“I do not consider thoughts.”
When they heard this everyone was stunned, especially since nowhere in the room or near the table was there a human being who could have responded.
“How many people are here?” Don Antonio asked.
And in the same tone came the response:
“There are you and your wife, two friends of yours and two of hers, a famous knight called Don Quixote of La Mancha, and his squire, whose name is Sancho Panza.”
At this everyone certainly was stunned; at this everyone’s hair certainly stood on end from sheer terror! And Don Antonio, moving away from the head, said:
“This is enough for me to know I was not deceived by the one who sold you to me, O wise head, speaking head, responding head, admirable head! Let others come up and ask whatever they wish.”
And since women are ordinarily very hasty and fond of knowing, the first to approach was one of the two friends of Don Antonio’s wife, and the question she asked was:
“Tell me, head, what should I do to be very beautiful?”
And the response to her was:
“Be very virtuous.”
“I won’t ask you anything else,” said the questioner.
Then her friend approached and said:
“I’d like to know, head, if my husband really loves me.”
And the answer was:
“Think about what he does for you, and then you will know.”
The married woman moved away, saying:
“This answer didn’t need a question, because it is a fact that a man’s actions declare his feelings.”
Then one of Don Antonio’s two friends came up and asked:
“Who am I?”
And the response was:
“You know who you are.”
“I’m not asking you that,” responded the gentleman, “I’m asking you to tell me