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Voltaire's Candide or Optimism, Chapter 17

Chapter 17

XVII ARRIVAL OF CANDIDE AND HIS VALET AT EL DORADO, AND WHAT THEY SAW THERE.

"You see," said Cacambo to Candide, as soon as they had reached the frontiers of the Oreillons, "that this hemisphere is not better than the others, take my word for it; let us go back to Europe by the shortest way." "How go back?" said Candide, "and where shall we go? to my own country? The Bulgarians and the Abares are slaying all; to Portugal? there I shall be burnt; and if we abide here we are every moment in danger of being spitted. But how can I resolve to quit a part of the world where my dear Cunegonde resides?" "Let us turn towards Cayenne," said Cacambo, "there we shall find Frenchmen, who wander all over the world; they may assist us; God will perhaps have pity on us." It was not easy to get to Cayenne; they knew vaguely in which direction to go, but rivers, precipices, robbers, savages, obstructed them all the way. Their horses died of fatigue. Their provisions were consumed; they fed a whole[Pg 75] month upon wild fruits, and found themselves at last near a little river bordered with cocoa trees, which sustained their lives and their hopes.

Cacambo, who was as good a counsellor as the old woman, said to Candide:

"We are able to hold out no longer; we have walked enough. I see an empty canoe near the river-side; let us fill it with cocoanuts, throw ourselves into it, and go with the current; a river always leads to some inhabited spot. If we do not find pleasant things we shall at least find new things." "With all my heart," said Candide, "let us recommend ourselves to Providence." They rowed a few leagues, between banks, in some places flowery, in others barren; in some parts smooth, in others rugged. The stream ever widened, and at length lost itself under an arch of frightful rocks which reached to the sky. The two travellers had the courage to commit themselves to the current. The river, suddenly contracting at this place, whirled them along with a dreadful noise and rapidity. At the end of four-and-twenty hours they saw daylight again, but their canoe was dashed to pieces against the rocks. For a league they had to creep from rock to rock, until at length they discovered an extensive plain, bounded by inaccessible mountains. The country was cultivated[Pg 76] as much for pleasure as for necessity. On all sides the useful was also the beautiful. The roads were covered, or rather adorned, with carriages of a glittering form and substance, in which were men and women of surprising beauty, drawn by large red sheep which surpassed in fleetness the finest coursers of Andalusia, Tetuan, and Mequinez. [18]

"Here, however, is a country," said Candide, "which is better than Westphalia." He stepped out with Cacambo towards the first village which he saw. Some children dressed in tattered brocades played at quoits on the outskirts. Our travellers from the other world amused themselves by looking on. The quoits were large round pieces, yellow, red, and green, which cast a singular lustre! The travellers picked a few of them off the ground; this was of gold, that of emeralds, the other of rubies—the least of them would have been the greatest ornament on the Mogul's throne.

"Without doubt," said Cacambo, "these children must be the king's sons that are playing at quoits!" The village schoolmaster appeared at this moment and called them to school.

"There," said Candide, "is the preceptor of the royal family." The little truants immediately quitted their[Pg 77] game, leaving the quoits on the ground with all their other playthings. Candide gathered them up, ran to the master, and presented them to him in a most humble manner, giving him to understand by signs that their royal highnesses had forgotten their gold and jewels. The schoolmaster, smiling, flung them upon the ground; then, looking at Candide with a good deal of surprise, went about his business.

The travellers, however, took care to gather up the gold, the rubies, and the emeralds.

"Where are we?" cried Candide. "The king's children in this country must be well brought up, since they are taught to despise gold and precious stones." Cacambo was as much surprised as Candide. At length they drew near the first house in the village. It was built like an European palace. A crowd of people pressed about the door, and there were still more in the house. They heard most agreeable music, and were aware of a delicious odour of cooking. Cacambo went up to the door and heard they were talking Peruvian; it was his mother tongue, for it is well known that Cacambo was born in Tucuman, in a village where no other language was spoken.

"I will be your interpreter here," said he to Candide; "let us go in, it is a public-house." Immediately two waiters and two girls,[Pg 78] dressed in cloth of gold, and their hair tied up with ribbons, invited them to sit down to table with the landlord. They served four dishes of soup, each garnished with two young parrots; a boiled condor[19] which weighed two hundred pounds; two roasted monkeys, of excellent flavour; three hundred humming-birds in one dish, and six hundred fly-birds in another; exquisite ragouts; delicious pastries; the whole served up in dishes of a kind of rock-crystal. The waiters and girls poured out several liqueurs drawn from the sugar-cane.

Most of the company were chapmen and waggoners, all extremely polite; they asked Cacambo a few questions with the greatest circumspection, and answered his in the most obliging manner.

As soon as dinner was over, Cacambo believed as well as Candide that they might well pay their reckoning by laying down two of those large gold pieces which they had picked up. The landlord and landlady shouted with laughter and held their sides. When the fit was over:

"Gentlemen," said the landlord, "it is plain you are strangers, and such guests we are not accustomed to see; pardon us therefore for laughing when you offered us the pebbles from our highroads in payment of your reckoning. You doubtless have not the money of the country;[Pg 79] but it is not necessary to have any money at all to dine in this house. All hostelries established for the convenience of commerce are paid by the government. You have fared but very indifferently because this is a poor village; but everywhere else, you will be received as you deserve." Cacambo explained this whole discourse with great astonishment to Candide, who was as greatly astonished to hear it.

"What sort of a country then is this," said they to one another; "a country unknown to all the rest of the world, and where nature is of a kind so different from ours? It is probably the country where all is well; for there absolutely must be one such place. And, whatever Master Pangloss might say, I often found that things went very ill in Westphalia. "[Pg 80]

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Chapter 17

XVII ARRIVAL OF CANDIDE AND HIS VALET AT EL DORADO, AND WHAT THEY SAW THERE. ||||||||the|GOLDEN||||| XVII ARRIVÉE DE CANDIDE ET DE SON VALET À EL DORADO, ET CE QU'ILS Y ONT VU.

"You see," said Cacambo to Candide, as soon as they had reached the frontiers of the Oreillons, "that this hemisphere is not better than the others, take my word for it; let us go back to Europe by the shortest way." "How go back?" said Candide, "and where shall we go? to my own country? The Bulgarians and the Abares are slaying all; to Portugal? there I shall be burnt; and if we abide here we are every moment in danger of being spitted. ||||||||||||||||||pierced là je serai brûlé; et si nous restons ici, nous risquons à chaque instant d'être crachés. But how can I resolve to quit a part of the world where my dear Cunegonde resides?" "Let us turn towards Cayenne," said Cacambo, "there we shall find Frenchmen, who wander all over the world; they may assist us; God will perhaps have pity on us." «Tournons-nous vers Cayenne, dit Cacambo, nous y trouverons des Français qui errent partout dans le monde; ils peuvent nous aider; Dieu aura peut-être pitié de nous. It was not easy to get to Cayenne; they knew vaguely in which direction to go, but rivers, precipices, robbers, savages, obstructed them all the way. Ce n'était pas facile de se rendre à Cayenne; ils savaient vaguement dans quelle direction aller, mais les rivières, les précipices, les voleurs, les sauvages, les obstruaient complètement. Their horses died of fatigue. Their provisions were consumed; they fed a whole[Pg 75] month upon wild fruits, and found themselves at last near a little river bordered with cocoa trees, which sustained their lives and their hopes. Leurs provisions ont été consommées; ils se nourrissaient tout un mois de fruits sauvages, et se trouvèrent enfin près d'une petite rivière bordée de cacaoyers, qui soutenait leur vie et leurs espérances.

Cacambo, who was as good a counsellor as the old woman, said to Candide:

"We are able to hold out no longer; we have walked enough. «Nous ne pouvons plus tenir, nous avons suffisamment marché. I see an empty canoe near the river-side; let us fill it with cocoanuts, throw ourselves into it, and go with the current; a river always leads to some inhabited spot. ||||||||||||||coconuts||||||||||||||||| Je vois un canot vide près du bord de la rivière; remplissons-le de noix de coco, jetons-nous dedans et suivons le courant; une rivière mène toujours à un endroit habité. If we do not find pleasant things we shall at least find new things." "With all my heart," said Candide, "let us recommend ourselves to Providence." |||||||||||divine guidance They rowed a few leagues, between banks, in some places flowery, in others barren; in some parts smooth, in others rugged. Ils ramaient à quelques lieues, entre les rives, dans certains endroits fleuris, dans d'autres stériles; dans certaines parties lisses, dans d'autres robustes. The stream ever widened, and at length lost itself under an arch of frightful rocks which reached to the sky. Le ruisseau s'élargissait sans cesse et se perdit enfin sous une arche de rochers effrayants qui atteignait le ciel. The two travellers had the courage to commit themselves to the current. Les deux voyageurs ont eu le courage de s'engager dans le courant. The river, suddenly contracting at this place, whirled them along with a dreadful noise and rapidity. La rivière, se contractant soudain à cet endroit, les fit tourbillonner avec un bruit et une rapidité épouvantables. At the end of four-and-twenty hours they saw daylight again, but their canoe was dashed to pieces against the rocks. ||||||||||||||||dashed||||| Au bout de vingt-quatre heures, ils revirent le jour, mais leur pirogue fut mise en pièces contre les rochers. For a league they had to creep from rock to rock, until at length they discovered an extensive plain, bounded by inaccessible mountains. Pendant une lieue, ils ont dû ramper de rocher en rocher, jusqu'à ce qu'ils découvrent enfin une vaste plaine, bordée de montagnes inaccessibles. The country was cultivated[Pg 76] as much for pleasure as for necessity. On all sides the useful was also the beautiful. The roads were covered, or rather adorned, with carriages of a glittering form and substance, in which were men and women of surprising beauty, drawn by large red sheep which surpassed in fleetness the finest coursers of Andalusia, Tetuan, and Mequinez. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||large red sheep||||speed|||swift horses||||| Les routes étaient couvertes, ou plutôt ornées, de voitures d'une forme et d'une substance étincelantes, dans lesquelles se trouvaient des hommes et des femmes d'une beauté surprenante, tirés par de gros moutons rouges qui surpassaient en flotte les meilleurs coursiers d'Andalousie, de Tétouan et de Mequinez. [18]

"Here, however, is a country," said Candide, "which is better than Westphalia." He stepped out with Cacambo towards the first village which he saw. Some children dressed in tattered brocades played at quoits on the outskirts. |||||rich fabrics|||||| Des enfants vêtus de brocarts en lambeaux jouaient aux quoits à la périphérie. Our travellers from the other world amused themselves by looking on. Nos voyageurs de l'autre monde se sont amusés à regarder. The quoits were large round pieces, yellow, red, and green, which cast a singular lustre! Les quoits étaient de grandes pièces rondes, jaunes, rouges et vertes, qui jetaient un éclat singulier! The travellers picked a few of them off the ground; this was of gold, that of emeralds, the other of rubies—the least of them would have been the greatest ornament on the Mogul’s throne. Les voyageurs en ont cueilli quelques-uns sur le sol; celui-ci était d'or, celui d'émeraudes, l'autre de rubis - le moindre d'entre eux eût été le plus grand ornement sur le trône du Mogol.

"Without doubt," said Cacambo, "these children must be the king’s sons that are playing at quoits!" The village schoolmaster appeared at this moment and called them to school.

"There," said Candide, "is the preceptor of the royal family." |||||teacher|||| The little truants immediately quitted their[Pg 77] game, leaving the quoits on the ground with all their other playthings. ||absent children|||||||||||||||| Candide gathered them up, ran to the master, and presented them to him in a most humble manner, giving him to understand by signs that their royal highnesses had forgotten their gold and jewels. Candide les rassembla, courut vers le maître et les lui présenta de la manière la plus humble, lui faisant comprendre par signes que leurs altesses royales avaient oublié leur or et leurs bijoux. The schoolmaster, smiling, flung them upon the ground; then, looking at Candide with a good deal of surprise, went about his business. Le maître d'école, souriant, les jeta par terre; puis, regardant Candide avec beaucoup de surprise, vaqua à ses affaires.

The travellers, however, took care to gather up the gold, the rubies, and the emeralds. Les voyageurs, cependant, prirent soin de ramasser l'or, les rubis et les émeraudes.

"Where are we?" cried Candide. "The king’s children in this country must be well brought up, since they are taught to despise gold and precious stones." ||||||||||||||||hate or scorn|||| "Les enfants du roi dans ce pays doivent être bien élevés, car on leur apprend à mépriser l'or et les pierres précieuses." Cacambo was as much surprised as Candide. At length they drew near the first house in the village. It was built like an European palace. A crowd of people pressed about the door, and there were still more in the house. They heard most agreeable music, and were aware of a delicious odour of cooking. Cacambo went up to the door and heard they were talking Peruvian; it was his mother tongue, for it is well known that Cacambo was born in Tucuman, in a village where no other language was spoken.

"I will be your interpreter here," said he to Candide; "let us go in, it is a public-house." «Je serai ici votre interprète», dit-il à Candide; "entrons, c'est une maison publique." Immediately two waiters and two girls,[Pg 78] dressed in cloth of gold, and their hair tied up with ribbons, invited them to sit down to table with the landlord. Aussitôt deux serveurs et deux filles, [Pg 78] vêtus de drap d'or et les cheveux attachés avec des rubans, les invitèrent à s'asseoir à table avec le propriétaire. They served four dishes of soup, each garnished with two young parrots; a boiled condor[19] which weighed two hundred pounds; two roasted monkeys, of excellent flavour; three hundred humming-birds in one dish, and six hundred fly-birds in another; exquisite ragouts; delicious pastries; the whole served up in dishes of a kind of rock-crystal. |||||||decorated||||young parrots|||boiled condor|||||||||||||||||||||||||||ragouts||delicious baked goods|||||||||||| Ils ont servi quatre plats de soupe, chacun garni de deux jeunes perroquets; un condor bouilli [19] qui pesait deux cents livres; deux singes rôtis, d'excellente saveur; trois cents colibris dans un plat, et six cents mouches dans un autre; ragouts exquis; délicieuses pâtisseries; le tout servi dans des plats d'une sorte de cristal de roche. The waiters and girls poured out several liqueurs drawn from the sugar-cane. Les serveurs et les filles versaient plusieurs liqueurs tirées de la canne à sucre.

Most of the company were chapmen and waggoners, all extremely polite; they asked Cacambo a few questions with the greatest circumspection, and answered his in the most obliging manner. |||||traders||wagon drivers|||||||||||||caution and care|||||||helpful and accommodating| La plupart de la compagnie étaient des chapmen et des waggoners, tous extrêmement polis; ils posèrent à Cacambo quelques questions avec la plus grande circonspection, et répondirent aux siennes de la manière la plus obligeante.

As soon as dinner was over, Cacambo believed as well as Candide that they might well pay their reckoning by laying down two of those large gold pieces which they had picked up. ||||||||||||||||||bill|||||||||||||| Aussitôt le dîner terminé, Cacambo crut aussi bien que Candide qu'ils pourraient bien payer leur compte en déposant deux de ces grosses pièces d'or qu'ils avaient ramassées. The landlord and landlady shouted with laughter and held their sides. Le propriétaire et la propriétaire ont crié de rire et se sont tenus à leurs côtés. When the fit was over: Quand l'ajustement était terminé:

"Gentlemen," said the landlord, "it is plain you are strangers, and such guests we are not accustomed to see; pardon us therefore for laughing when you offered us the pebbles from our highroads in payment of your reckoning. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||main roads||||| «Messieurs,» a dit le propriétaire, «il est clair que vous êtes des étrangers, et de tels hôtes que nous n'avons pas l'habitude de voir, pardonnez-nous donc de rire quand vous nous avez offert les cailloux de nos routes en paiement de votre compte. You doubtless have not the money of the country;[Pg 79] but it is not necessary to have any money at all to dine in this house. Vous n'avez sans doute pas l'argent du pays; [Pg 79] mais il n'est pas nécessaire d'avoir de l'argent du tout pour dîner dans cette maison. All hostelries established for the convenience of commerce are paid by the government. |lodgings||||||||||| Toutes les auberges établies pour la commodité du commerce sont payées par le gouvernement. You have fared but very indifferently because this is a poor village; but everywhere else, you will be received as you deserve." |||||without enthusiasm|||||||||||||||| Vous avez réussi mais très indifféremment parce que c'est un village pauvre; mais partout ailleurs, vous serez reçu comme vous le méritez. " Cacambo explained this whole discourse with great astonishment to Candide, who was as greatly astonished to hear it. Cacambo expliqua tout ce discours avec un grand étonnement à Candide, qui fut tout aussi étonné de l'entendre.

"What sort of a country then is this," said they to one another; "a country unknown to all the rest of the world, and where nature is of a kind so different from ours? It is probably the country where all is well; for there absolutely must be one such place. C'est probablement le pays où tout va bien; car il doit absolument y avoir un tel endroit. And, whatever Master Pangloss might say, I often found that things went very ill in Westphalia. Et, quoi qu'en dise Maître Pangloss, j'ai souvent constaté que les choses allaient très mal en Westphalie. "[Pg 80]