- 1. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika151015202530354045505560657075AtonementbyIan McEwanVintage,
London, 2002To AnnalenaDear Miss Morland, considerthe dreadful
nature of the suspicionsyou have entertained. What haveyou been
judging from? Rememberthe country and the age in which welive.
Remember that we are English:that we are Christians. Consult
yourown understanding, your own senseof the probable, your own
observa-tionof what is passing around you.Does our education
prepare us forsuch atrocities? Do our laws con-niveat them? Could
they be perpe-tratedwithout being known in acountry like this,
where social andliterary intercourse is on such afooting, where
every man is sur-roundedby a neighbourhood of vol-untaryspies, and
where roads andnewspapers lay everything open?Dearest Miss Morland,
what ideashave you been admitting?They had reached the end of
thegallery; and with tears of shame sheran off to her own room.Jane
Austen, Northanger AbbeyPart OneOneThe play - for which Briony
haddesigned the posters, programmesand tickets, constructed the
salesbooth out of a folding screen tippedon its side, and lined the
collection boxin red crepe paper - was written byher in a two-day
tempest ofcomposition, causing her to miss abreak fast and a lunch.
When thepreparations were complete, she hadnothing to do but
contemplate her fin-isheddraft and wait for the appearanceof her
cousins from the distant north.There would be time for only one
dayof rehearsal before her brother arrived.At some moments
chilling, at othersdesperately sad, the play told a tale ofthe
heart whose message, conveyed ina rhyming prologue, was that
lovewhich did not build a foundation ongood sense was doomed. The
recklesspassion of the heroine, Arabella, for awicked foreign count
is punished byill fortune when she contracts choleraduring an
impetuous dash towards aseaside town with her intended.Deserted by
him and nearly everybodyelse, bed-bound in a garret, shediscovers
in herself a sense of humour.Fortune presents her a second
chanceExpiacindeIan McWeantrad. de Jaime ZulaikaAnagrama, Barcelona
2002A AnnalenaQuerida seorita Morland, con-siderela terrible
naturaleza de las sos-pechasque ha albergado. En qu sebasa para
emitir sus juicios? Recuer-deel pas y la poca en que
vivimos.Recuerde que somos ingleses: que so-moscristianos. Utilice
su propio en-tendimiento,su propio sentido de lasprobabilidades, su
propia observacinde lo que ocurre a su alrededor. Acasonuestra
educacin nos prepara paraatrocidades semejantes? Acaso
lasconsienten nuestras leyes? Podranperpetrarse sin que se supiese
en unpas como ste, donde las relacionessociales y literarias estn
reglamenta-das,donde todo el mundo vive rodea-dode un vecindario de
espas volun-tarios,y donde las carreteras y los pe-ridicoslo ponen
todo al descubierto?Queridsima seorita Morland, quideas ha estado
concibiendo?Haban llegado al final del pasillo ycon lgrimas de
vergenza, Catherinehuy corriendo a su habitacin.Jane Austen, La
abada de NorthangerPrimera Parte1Briony escribi la obra para la
queella misma haba diseado los carteles,los programas y las
entradas, construi-dola taquilla con una cartulina dobladapor un
lado, y forrado la caja de recau-dacincon papel crep rojo en
unatormenta compositiva que dur dos dasy que le hizo saltarse un
desayuno y unalmuerzo. Cuando los preparativos hu-bieronterminado,
no le qued nada mspor hacer que contemplar el borradoracabado y
aguardar la aparicin de susprimos del lejano norte. Slo habra unda
para ensayar antes de que llegara suhermano. Por momentos glida, a
ratostristsima, la obra refera la historia deun alma cuyo mensaje,
transmitido enun prlogo en verso, era que el amor queno asentaba
sus cimientos en la sensa-tezestaba condenado. La temeraria
pa-sinde la herona, Arabella, por un mal-vadoconde extranjero es
castigada conel infortunio cuando ella contrae el c-leradurante un
avance impetuoso haciauna ciudad costera con su
prometido.Abandonada por l y por casi todo elmundo, postrada en
cama en una buhar-dilla,descubre que posee sentido delhumor. La
fortuna le ofrece una segun-daoportunidad en forma de mdico
em-booth1 (de votacin, telfono, etc) cabina photobooth, fotomatn 2
(en una verbena) caseta 3(feria) stand 4 ticket booth, taquilla 5
US (en elrestaurante) mesa que tiene bancos corridos,compartimento,
6 cuarto, sitio,crepe paper papel crepIt is popular for streamers
and other partydecorations, but it has other uses as well. Propsand
costume accessories can be made of crepepaper. It can be soaked in
a small amount ofwater to create a dye for Easter eggs,
whitecardstock, and other materials. Crepe paper canalso be used to
make paper flowers, appliqu,and paper sculpture.
2. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika251015202530354045505560657075in the form of an impoverished
doctor- in fact, a prince in disguise who haselected to work among
the needy.Healed by him, Arabella chooses ju-diciouslythis time,
and is rewarded byreconciliation with her family and awedding with
the medical prince ona windy sunlit day in spring.Mrs Tallis read
the seven pages ofThe Trials of Arabella in her bedroom,at her
dressing table, with the authorsarm around her shoulder the
wholewhile. Briony studied her mothersface for every trace of
shifting emo-tion,and Emily Tallis obliged withlooks of alarm,
snickers of glee and,at the end, grateful smiles and wise,affirming
nods. She took her daughterin her arms, onto her lap - ah, that
hotsmooth little body she rememberedfrom its infancy, and still not
gonefrom her, not quite yet - and said thatthe play was stupendous,
and agreedinstantly, murmuring into the tightwhorl of the girls
ear, that this wordcould be quoted on the poster whichwas to be on
an easel in the entrancehall by the ticket booth.Briony was hardly
to know it then,but this was the projects highest pointof
fulfilment. Nothing came near it forsatisfaction, all else was
dreams andfrustration. There were moments in thesummer dusk after
her light was out,burrowing in the delicious gloom ofher canopy
bed, when she made herheart thud with luminous, yearningfantasies,
little playlets in themselves,every one of which featured Leon.
Inone, his big, good-natured face buck-ledin grief as Arabella sank
in loneli-nessand despair. In another, there hewas, cocktail in
hand at some fashion-ablecity watering hole, overheardboasting to a
group of friends: Yes, myyounger sister, Briony Tallis the
writer,you must surely have heard of her. Ina third he punched the
air in exulta-tionas the final curtain fell, althoughthere was no
curtain, there was no pos-sibilityof a curtain. Her play was notfor
her cousins, it was for her brother,to celebrate his return,
provoke his ad-mirationand guide him away from hiscareless
succession of girlfriends, to-wardsthe right form of wife, the
onewho would persuade him to return tothe countryside, the one who
wouldsweetly request Brionys services as abridesmaid.She was one of
those childrenpossessed by a desire to have theworld just so.
Whereas her bigsisters room was a stew of unclosedbooks, unfolded
clothes, unmadebed, unemptied ashtrays, Brionyswas a shrine to her
controlling de-mon:the model farm spread acrossa deep window ledge
consisted of theusual animals, but all facing one way- towards
their owner - as if about tobreak into song, and even the
farm-yardhens were neatly corralled. Infact, Brionys was the only
tidy up-stairsroom in the house. Herpobrecido: en verdad, se trata
de un prn-cipedisfrazado que ha elegido ocuparsede los necesitados.
Curada por l, estavez [13] Arabella elige sensatamente yobtiene la
recompensa de la reconcilia-cincon su familia y una boda con
elprncipe mdico, un da ventoso y so-leadode primavera.La seora
Tallis ley las siete pginasde Las tribulaciones de Arabella en
sudormitorio, ante su tocador, mientras losbrazos de la autora le
rodeaban el cuello.Briony examin la cara de su madre enbusca de
cada rastro de emocin cambian-te,y Emily Tallis correspondi con
ex-presionesde alarma, risas de alegra y, alfinal, sonrisas de
gratitud y gestos de jui-ciosoasentimiento. Cogi a su hija
enbrazos, la sent en su regazo ah,aquel cuerpecito terso y clido
que ellarecordaba de la infancia y que todavano haba perdido, no
del todo y dijoque la obra era magnfica, y acce-dial instante,
cuchicheando en la ten-savoluta de la oreja de la nia, a queesta
palabra suya se citase en el cartel quehabra en el vestbulo,
colocado sobre uncaballete, junto a la taquilla.Briony difcilmente
poda saberloentonces, pero aqul era el punto culminan-tedel
proyecto. Nada igualaba aquella satis-faccin,todo lo dems eran
sueos y frus-tracin.Haba momentos en los anochece-resde verano,
despus de haber apagado laluz, en que, acurrucndose en la
penumbradeliciosa de su cama doselada, haca que elcorazn le
palpitase con luminosas y an-helantesfantasas, obras breves en
smismas, en cada una de las cualesapareca Leon. En una, su carota
bon-dadosase contraa de pena cuandoArabella estaba desesperada y
sola.En otra la sorprendan, cctel en manoen algn abrevadero de
moda,alardeando ante un grupo de amigos:S, mi hermana pequea,
BrionyTallis, la escritora, sin duda habisodo hablar de ella. En
una terceradaba un puetazo exultante en el airecuando caa el teln,
aunque no ha-bateln ni posibilidad de que lo hu-biera.Su obra no
era para sus primos,era para su hermano, para celebrar suregreso,
provocar su admiracin yapartarle de su alegre [14] sucesinde novias
para orientarle hacia la cla-seidnea de esposa, la que le
conven-cerade que volviese al campo, la quedulcemente pedira que
Briony oficia-secomo dama de honor.Era una de esas nias posedas por
el de-seode que el mundo fuera exactamente comoera. Mientras que el
cuarto de su hermanamayor era un desbarajuste de libros sin
ce-rrar,ropas sin doblar, cama sin hacer, cenice-rossin vaciar, el
de Briony era un santuarioerigido a su demonio dominante: la granja
enminiatura que se extenda a lo largo de unancho alfizar contena
los animales habitua-les,pero todos miraban hacia un mismo
ladohacia su ama, como si estuvieran a puntode cantar, y hasta las
gallinas del corral estabanmeticulosamente guardadas en el
corral.De hecho, el cuarto de Briony era la nicahabitacin ordenada
de todas las del pisowhorl n. 1 a ring of leaves or other organs
rounda stem of a plant. 2 one turn of a spiral, esp.on a shell. 3 a
complete circle in a fingerprint.4 archaic a small wheel on a
spindlesteadying its motion.corolla a whorl [verticilo, spiral,
espira] ofleaves. Aureola,espira Cada una de las vueltas de una
espiral.voluta adorno en figura de espiral o caracolthud : a low
dull sound as of a blow on a non-resonantsurface.Ruido, golpe o
chasquido sordo, 3. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika351015202530354045505560657075straight-backed dolls in
theirmany-roomed mansion appeared tobe under strict instructions
not totouch the walls; the variousthumb-sized figures to be
foundstanding about her dressing table -cowboys, deep-sea divers,
humanoidmice - suggested by their even ranksand spacing a citizens
army await-ingorders.A taste for the miniature was oneaspect of an
orderly spirit. Anotherwas a passion for secrets: in a
prizedvarnished cabinet, a secret drawerwas opened by pushing
against thegrain of a cleverly turned dovetailjoint, and here she
kept a diarylocked by a clasp, and a notebookwritten in a code of
her own inven-tion.In a toy safe opened by six se-cretnumbers she
stored letters andpostcards. An old tin petty cash boxwas hidden
under a removablefloorboard beneath her bed. In thebox were
treasures that dated backfour years, to her ninth birthdaywhen she
began collecting: a mu-tantdouble acorn, fools gold, arain-making
spell bought at afunfair, a squirrels skull as light asa leaf.But
hidden drawers, lockable dia-riesand cryptographic systems couldnot
conceal from Briony the simpletruth: she had no secrets. Her
wishfor a harmonious, organised worlddenied her the reckless
possibilitiesof wrongdoing. Mayhem and de-structionwere too chaotic
for hertastes, and she did not have it in herto be cruel. Her
effective status asan only child, as well as the relativeisolation
of the Tallis house, kepther, at least during the long
summerholidays, from girlish intrigues withfriends. Nothing in her
life was suf-ficientlyinteresting or shameful tomerit hiding; no
one knew about thesquirrels skull beneath her bed, butno one wanted
to know. None of thiswas particularly an affliction; orrather, it
appeared so only in retro-spect,once a solution had beenfound.At
the age of eleven she wrote herfirst story - a foolish affair,
imitativeof half a dozen folk tales and lack-ing,she realised
later, that vitalknowingness about the ways of theworld which
compels a readers re-spect.But this first clumsy attemptshowed her
that the imagination it-selfwas a source of secrets: once shehad
begun a story, no one could betold. Pretending in words was
tootentative, too vulnerable, too embar-rassingto let anyone know.
Evenwriting out the she saids, the andthens, made her wince, and
she feltfoolish, appearing to know about theemotions of an
imaginary being.Self-exposure was inevitable themoment she
described a charactersweakness; the reader was bound tospeculate
that she was describingsuperior de la casa. Las muecas, con
laespalda rgida en su casa de muchas habi-taciones,parecan haber
recibido instruc-cionesseveras de no tocar las paredes; lasdiversas
figuras, del tamao de un pulgar,colocadas de pie en el tocador
vaqueros,submarinistas, ratones humanoides recor-dabanpor el orden
y la distancia que reina-baen sus filas a un ejrcito de ciudadanos
ala espera de rdenes.El gusto por las miniaturas era un ras-gode un
espritu ordenado. Otro era lapasin por los secretos: en un
preciosobur barnizado, en un cajn secreto quese abra presionando el
extremo de uningenioso ensamblaje a cola de milano,guardaba un
diario cerrado con un bro-chey un cuaderno escrito en un
cdigoinventado por ella. En una caja de cauda-lesde juguete, con
una combinacin deseis nmeros secretos, guardaba cartas ypostales.
Tena una vieja cajita de hoja-lataescondida debajo de una tabla
sueltadebajo de la cama. En la cajita haba te-sorosque databan de
haca cuatro aos,desde su noveno cumpleaos, cuandoempez a
coleccionar: una mutante be-llotadoble, pirita de hierro, un
hechizo[15] para provocar la lluvia comprado enuna feria, una
calavera de ardilla livianacomo una hoja.Pero cajones secretos,
diarios bajollave y sistemas criptogrficos no leocultaban a Briony
la sencilla verdad:que no tena secretos. Su anhelo de unmundo
organizado y armonioso le de-negabalas posibilidades temerarias
deuna mala conducta. El tumulto y la des-truccineran, para su
gusto, demasiadocaticos, y en su talante no haba cruel-dad.Su
estatuto, en la prctica, de hijanica, y el relativo aislamiento de
la casaTallis, la apartaban, al menos durante laslargas vacaciones
del verano, de las in-trigasfemeniles con amigas. Nada en suvida
era lo bastante interesante o ver-gonzosopara merecer un
escondrijo;nadie saba lo de la calavera de ardilladebajo de su
cama, pero nadie querasaberlo. Nada de esto representaba paraella
una congoja especial; o, mejor di-cho,pareca representarlo slo
retros-pectivamente,cuando se hubo encontra-douna solucin.A la edad
de once aos haba escritosu primer relato; una tontera, una
imi-tacinde media docena de cuentos po-pularesy desprovisto, como
compren-dims tarde, de ese conocimiento vi-talde las cosas del
mundo que inspirarespeto a un lector. Pero esta torpe
pri-meratentativa le ense que la imagi-nacinera en s misma una
fuente desecretos: una vez empezada una histo-ria,no se la poda
contar a nadie. Fingircon palabras era algo demasiado
inse-guro,demasiado vulnerable, demasiadoembarazoso para que
alguien lo supie-ra.Hasta escribir los eya dijo y los yentonses le
daba escalofros, y se sentauna tonta al simular que conoca
lasemociones de una criatura imaginaria.Al describir la debilidad
de un persona-jeera inevitable exponer la suya propia;el lector no
poda no conjeturar que es-mansion:casa enorme, casa solariega,
residenciaelegante, palacete 4. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de
Jaime Zulaika451015202530354045505560657075herself. What other
authority couldshe have? Only when a story was fin-ished,all fates
resolved and thewhole matter sealed off at both endsso it
resembled, at least in this onerespect, every other finished story
inthe world, could she feel immune,and ready to punch holes in the
mar-gins,bind the chapters with piecesof string, paint or draw the
cover, andtake the finished work to show to hermother, or her
father, when he washome.Her efforts received encourage-ment.In
fact, they were welcomed asthe Tallises began to understand thatthe
baby of the family possessed astrange mind and a facility
withwords. The long afternoons she spentbrowsing through dictionary
and the-saurusmade for constructions thatwere inept, but hauntingly
so: thecoins a villain concealed in his pocketwere esoteric, a
hoodlum caughtstealing a car wept in shamelessauto-exculpation, the
heroine on herthoroughbred stallion made a cur-soryjourney through
the night, thekings furrowed brow was thehieroglyph of his
displeasure.Briony was encouraged to read herstories aloud in the
library and it sur-prisedher parents and older sister tohear their
quiet girl perform so boldly,making big gestures with her freearm,
arching her eyebrows as she didthe voices, and looking up from
thepage for seconds at a time as she readin order to gaze into one
face afterthe other, unapologetically demand-ingher familys total
attention as shecast her narrative spell.Even without their
atterition andpraise and obvious pleasure, Brionycould not have
been held back fromher writing. In any case, she was
dis-covering,as had many writers beforeher, that not all
recognition is help-ful.Cecilias enthusiasm, for ex-ample,seemed a
little overstated,tainted with condescension perhaps,and intrusive
too; her big sisterwanted each bound story cataloguedand placed on
the library shelves, be-tweenRabindranath Tagore andQuintus
Tertullian. If this was sup-posedto be a joke, Briony ignoredit.
She was on course now, and hadfound satisfaction on other
levels;writing stories not only involved se-crecy,it also gave her
all the plea-suresof miniaturisation. A worldcould be made in five
pages, and onethat was more pleasing than a modelfarm. The
childhood of a spoiledprince could be framed within half apage, a
moonlit dash through sleepyvillages was one rhythmically
em-phaticsentence, falling in love couldbe achieved in a single
word - aglance. The pages of a recently fin-ishedstory seemed to
vibrate in herhand with all the life they contained.Her passion for
tidiness was also sat-isfied,for an unruly world could bemade just
so. A crisis in a heroinestaba describindose a s misma. Qu
otraautoridad poda tener ella? Slo cuandoun relato estaba
terminado, todos losdestinos resueltos y toda la trama cerra-dade
cabo a rabo, de suerte que se ase-mejaba,[16] al menos en este
aspecto, atodos los dems relatos acabados quehaba en el mundo, poda
sentirse inmu-ney en condiciones de agujerear los mr-genes,atar los
captulos con un braman-te,pintar o dibujar la cubierta e ir a
en-searla obra concluida a su madre o asu padre, cuando estaba en
casa.Sus esfuerzos recibieron aliento. Dehecho, fueron bien
acogidos porque losTallis empezaban a entender que la ben-jaminade
la familia posea una menteextraa y facilidad para las palabras.
Laslargas tardes que pasaba consultandodiccionarios y tesauros
explicaban cons-truccionesque eran incongruentes, perode un modo
inquietante: las monedas queun maleante esconda en sus
bolsilloseran esotricas, un matn sorprendi-doen el acto de robar un
automvil llo-rabacon indecorosa autoexculpacin;la herona a lomos de
un semental purasangre haca un viaje somero en plenanoche, la
frente arrugada del rey era unjeroglfico de su desagrado. Briony
eraexhortada a leer sus narraciones en vozalta en la biblioteca, y
a sus padres y a suhermana mayor les asombraba or a lania apacible
leyendo con tanto aplomo,haciendo grandes gestos con el brazo
li-bre,arqueando las cejas al hacer las vo-ces,y levantando la
vista de la pgina du-rantevarios segundos a medida que lea,con el
fin de mirar una tras otra las carasde todos y exigir sin el menor
empachola atencin total de su familia mientrasverta su sortilegio
narrativo.Aunque no hubiese contado con laatencin, el aplauso y el
placer evidentede sus familiares, habra sido imposibleimpedir que
Briony escribiera. En cual-quiercaso, estaba descubriendo,
comomuchos escritores antes que ella, que notodo reconocimiento es
til. El entusias-mode Cecilia, por ejemplo, pareca unpoco
exagerado, quizs teido de con-descendencia,y adems entrometido;
suhermana mayor quera que todas sus obrasencuadernadas fueran
catalogadas [17] ycolocadas en los anaqueles de la
biblio-teca,entre Rabindranath Tagore y Quin-toTertuliano. Si
aquello pretenda ser unabroma, Briony hizo caso omiso. Ya
esta-baencauzada, y haba encontrado satis-faccinen otros planos;
escribir relatosno slo entraaba secreto, sino que tam-binle
brindaba todos los placeres deminiaturizar. Se poda construir un
mun-doen cinco pginas, y hasta ms placen-teroque una granja en
miniatura. La in-fanciade un prncipe mimado poda com-primirseen
media pgina; un rayo de luzde luna sobre un pueblo dormido era
unafrase rtmicamente enftica; era posibledescribir el hecho de
enamorarse con unasola palabra: una mirada. Toda la vidaque
contenan las pginas de un cuento re-cinterminado pareca vibrar en
su mano.Su pasin por el orden tambin se vea sa-tisfecha,pues se
poda ordenar un mundocatico. Se poda hacer que una crisis en la 5.
Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika551015202530354045505560657075life could be made to coincide
withhailstones, gales and thunder,whereas nuptials were
generallyblessed with good light and softbreezes. A love of order
also shapedthe principles of justice, with deathand marriage the
main engines ofhousekeeping, the former being setaside exclusively
for the morallydubious, the latter a reward withhelduntil the final
page.The play she had written forLeons homecoming was her first
ex-cursioninto drama, and she hadfound the transition quite
effortless.It was a relief not to be writing outthe she saids, or
describing theweather or the onset of spring or herheroines face -
beauty, she had dis-covered,occupied a narrow band.Ugliness, on the
other hand, had in-finitevariation. A universe reducedto what was
said in it was tidinessindeed, almost to the point of nul-lity,and
to compensate, every utter-ancewas delivered at the extremityof
some feeling or other, in the ser-viceof which the exclamation
markwas indispensable. The Trials ofArabella may have been a
melo-drama,but its author had yet to hearthe term. The piece was
intended toinspire not laughter, but terror, re-liefand
instruction, in that order, andthe innocent intensity with
whichBriony set about the project - theposters, tickets, sales
booth - madeher particularly vulnerable to failure.She could easily
have welcomedLeon with another of her stories, butit was the news
that her cousins fromthe north were coming to stay thathad prompted
this leap into a newform.That Lola, who was fifteen, andthe
nine-year-old twins, Jackson andPierrot, were refugees from a
bitterdomestic civil war should have mat-teredmore to Briony. She
had heardher mother criticise the impulsivebehaviour of her younger
sisterHermione, and lament the situationof the three children, and
denounceher meek, evasive brother-in-lawCecil who had fled to the
safety ofAll Souls College, Oxford. Brionyhad heard her mother and
sisteranalyse the latest twists and out-rages,charges and counter
charges,and she knew her cousins visit wasan open-ended one, and
might evenextend into term time. She had heardit said that the
house could easilyabsorb three children, and that theQuinceys could
stay as long as theyliked, provided the parents, if theyever
visited simultaneously, kepttheir quarrels away from the
Tallishousehold. Two rooms near Brionyshad been dusted down, new
curtainshad been hung and furniture carriedin from other rooms.
Normally, shewould have been involved in thesepreparations, but
they happened tocoincide with her two-day writingbout and the
beginnings of thevida de una herona coincidiera con
grani-zo,vendavales y truenos, mientras que lasceremonias
nupciales, por lo general, go-zabande buena luz y brisas suaves. El
amoral orden configuraba asimismo los princi-piosde la justicia, en
los que la muerte y elmatrimonio eran los motores para el
gobier-node un hogar, el primero reservado enexclusiva para lo
moralmente dudoso, y elsegundo como premio postergado hasta laltima
pgina.La obra que haba escrito para elregreso de Leon a casa era su
primeraincursin en el teatro, y el cambio degnero le haba parecido
muy fcil.Era un alivio no tener que escribir eyadijo, ni tener que
describir el clima,el comienzo de la primavera o la carade la
herona; haba descubierto quela belleza ocupaba una franja
estre-cha.La fealdad, por el contrario, po-seauna variacin
infinita. Un univer-soreducido a lo que se deca en l
re-presentabael orden, en efecto, casihasta el extremo de la
inanidad, y,para compensar, cada frase se enun-ciabaenfatizando al
mximo un sen-timientou otro, al servicio de lo cualera
indispensable el signo de admira-cin.[18] Puede que Las
tribulacio-nesde Arabella fuera un melodrama,pero su autora no
conoca an esevocablo. La obra no se propona ins-pirarrisa, sino
terror, alivio e instruc-cin,por este orden, y la inocente
in-tensidadcon que Briony emprendi elproyecto los carteles, las
entradas,la taquilla la haca especialmentevulnerable al fracaso. Le
habra sidofcil recibir a Leon con otro de susrelatos, pero fue la
noticia de la lle-gadade sus primos del norte lo que lahaba
empujado a dar el salto haciaun gnero nuevo.A Briony debera haberle
importadoms que Lola, que tena quince aos, ylos dos gemelos de
nueve, Jackson yPierrot, fuesen refugiados de una acer-baguerra
civil domstica. Haba odo asu madre criticar la conducta impulsivade
su hermana pequea, Hermione, ylamentar la situacin de los tres
nios,y denunciar a su cuado, Cecil, pusil-nimey evasivo, que haba
huido a laseguridad de All Souls College, enOxford. Briony haba odo
a su madrey a su hermana Cecilia analizar las l-timasnovedades y
agravios, las acusa-cionesy las rplicas a stas, y saba quela visita
de sus primos tendra una du-racinindefinida y que quizs
seprolongase hasta el comienzo de las cla-ses.Haba odo decir que la
casa podaabsorber con facilidad a tres nios, y quelos Quincey
podran quedarse tanto tiem-pocomo quisieran, siempre que los
pa-dres,si les visitaban los dos al mismotiempo, se abstuvieran de
dirimir susquerellas en el hogar de los Tallis. Ha-banlimpiado el
polvo de dos habitacio-nescercanas a la de Briony, haban
col-gadocortinas nuevas y trasladado mue-blesde otros cuartos.
Normalmente, ellahabra participado en estos preparativos,pero
casualmente coincidieron con unaracha de escritura de dos das y
conprompt 1 a acting with alacrity; ready. b made, done,etc.
readily or at once (a prompt reply). a (of apayment) made
forthwith. b (of goods) forimmediate delivery and
payment.punctually (at six oclock prompt).1 (usu. foll. by to, or
to + infin.) incite; urge (promptedthem to action).2 a (also
absol.) supply a forgotten word, sentence,etc., to (an actor,
reciter, etc.). b assist (ahesitating speaker) with a suggestion.3
give rise to; inspire (a feeling, thought, action, etc.).1?a an act
of prompting. b a thing said to help thememory of an actor etc. c =
prompter 2. dComputing an indication or sign on a VDU screento show
that the system is waiting for input. 2?thetime limit for the
payment of an account, statedon a prompt note.bout 1 [of illness]
ataque m [of work] tanda f 2 (=boxing match) combate m; encuentro:
a spell of activity: as a : an athletic match (as ofboxing) b :
OUTBREAK, ATTACK c : SESSION 6. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de
Jaime Zulaika651015202530354045505560657075front-of-house
construction. Shevaguely knew that divorce was an af-fliction,but
she did not regard it asa proper subject, and gave it nothought. It
was a mundaneunravelling that could not be re-versed,and therefore
offered no op-portunitiesto the storyteller: it be-longedin the
realm of disorder.Marriage was the thing, or rather, awedding was,
with its formal neat-nessof virtue rewarded, the thrill ofits
pageantry and banqueting, anddizzy promise of lifelong union. Agood
wedding was an unacknowl-edgedrepresentation of the as yet
un-thinkable-sexual bliss. In the aislesof country churches and
grand citycathedrals, witnessed by a whole so-cietyof approving
family andfriends, her heroines and heroesreached their innocent
climaxes andneeded to go no further.If divorce had presented itself
as thedastardly antithesis of all this, it couldeasily have been
cast onto the otherpan of the scales, along with betrayal,illness,
thieving, assault and men-dacity.Instead it showed anunglamorous
face of dull complex-ityand incessant wrangling. Likere-armament
and the AbyssiniaQuestion and gardening, it was sim-plynot a
subject, and when, after along Saturday morning wait, Brionyheard
at last the sound of wheels onthe gravel below her bedroom
win-dow,and snatched up her pages andran down the stairs, across
the hall-wayand out into the blinding lightof midday, it was not
insensitivity somuch as a highly focused artisticambition that
caused her to shout tothe dazed young visitors huddled to-getherby
the trap with their luggage,Ive got your parts, all written
out.First performance tomorrow! Re-hearsalsstart in five
minutes!Immediately, her mother and sis-terwere there to interpose
a blandertimetable. The visitors - all threewere ginger-haired and
freckled -were shown their rooms, their caseswere carried up by
Hardmans sonDanny, there was cordial in thekitchen, a tour of the
house, a swimin the pool and lunch in the southgarden, under the
shade of the vines.All the while, Emily and CeciliaTallis
maintained a patter that surelyrobbed the guests of the ease it
wassupposed to confer. Briony knewthat if she had travelled two
hundredmiles to a strange house, bright ques-tionsand jokey asides,
and being toldin a hundred different ways that shewas free to
choose, would have op-pressedher. It was not generallyrealised that
what children mostlywanted was to be left alone. How-ever,the
Quinceys worked hard atpretending to be amused or liberated,and
this boded well for The Trials ofArabella: this trio clearly had
theknack of being what they were not,even though they barely
resembledla reconstruccin de la fachada. Va-gamentesaba que el
divorcio erauna afliccin, pero no lo conside-rabaun tema apropiado,
[19] y nopensaba en ello. Era un desenlacemundano irreversible, y
por lo tan-tono ofreca oportunidades a unnarrador: perteneca al
reino deldesorden. Lo bueno era el matrimonioo, mejor dicho, una
boda, acompaadade la pureza formal de la virtud recom-pensada,de la
emocin de la pompa ydel banquete, y de la promesa de vrtigode una
unin de por vida. Una buenaboda era la representacin inconfesadade
lo que todava era impensable: el.gozosexual. En las naves de
iglesias ruralesy de grandiosas catedrales urbanas, enpresencia de
una sociedad completa defamilia y amigos que aprobaban el acto,las
heronas y los hroes de Briony al-canzabansus clmax inocentes sin
ne-cesidadde ir ms lejos.Si el divorcio se hubiera presentadocomo
la anttesis ruin de todo esto, ha-brasido fcil arrojarlo al otro
platillode la balanza, junto con la perfidia, laenfermedad, el
robo, las agresiones y lasmentiras. Pero ofreca una faz
nadaatractiva de complejidad inspida y dis-cusinincesante. Al igual
que el rear-me,la cuestin de Abisinia y la jardine-ra,lisa y
llanamente no era un tema, ycuando, despus de una larga espera
lamaana del sbado, Briony oy por finel sonido de ruedas sobre la
grava quehaba debajo de la ventana de su cuarto,y agarr al vuelo
sus pginas y bajcorriendo las escaleras, cruz el vest-buloy sali a
la luz cegadora del me-dioda,no fue tanto la insensibilidadcomo la
reconcentrada ambicin arts-ticala que la impuls a gritar a
susaturdidos y jvenes visitantes,apretujados con su equipaje junto
al ca-rruaje:Ya he escrito vuestros papeles.Primera funcin, maana!
Los ensayosempiezan dentro de cinco minutos!Inmediatamente
aparecieron su madrey su hermana para decretar un horario
msflexible. Los recin llegados los tres,pelirrojos y pecosos fueron
conducidosa sus habitaciones, sus cajas fueron aca-rreadaspor
Danny, el hijo de [20]Hardman, hubo un refresco en la cocina,un
recorrido por la casa, un bao en la pis-cinay el almuerzo en el
jardn del sur, a lasombra de las parras. Durante todo esetiempo,
Emily y Cecilia Tallis mantuvie-ronun ajetreo que sin duda priv a
loshuspedes de la comodidad que supuesta-mentedeba conferirles.
Briony saba quesi hubiese viajado trescientos kilmetrospara llegar
a una casa extraa, las pregun-tasinteligentes y los comentarios
jocosos,y el que le dijeran de cien maneras distin-tasque era libre
de elegir, la habran enva-rado.Nadie comprenda, en general, quelo
que ms queran los nios era que lesdejasen en paz. Sin embargo, los
Quinceyse esforzaron mucho en fingir que el reci-bimientoles
diverta y les liberaba, lo cualera un buen presagio para Las
tribu-lacionesde Arabella: estaba claro que eltro posea el don de
ser lo que no era, aun-quese parecan bien poco a los
personajesfalta de orden, confusin, trastorno*patter 1 (informal)(=
talk) labia f [of salesman] rollo (informal) m;discursito
(informal) mpatter 2 A) [of feet] golpeteo; [of rain] tamborileo m
B)intransitive verb [feet] golpetear (rain) golpetear; tamborilear
C)repeat (prayers etc.) in a rapid mechanical way; talk glibly
ormechanically= 1. parlotear 2. tamborilear, golpetear1 patter: to
say or speak in a rapid or mechanical manner1 : to recite prayers
(as paternosters) rapidly or mechanically2 : to talk glibly
(garrulamente) and volubly3 : to speak or sing rapid-fire words in
a theatrical performance2 patter Function: noun1 : a specialized
lingo : cant ; especially : the jargon of criminals (as thieves)2 :
the spiel of a street hawker or of a circus barker3 : empty
chattering talk4 a (1) : the rapid-fire talk of a comedian (2) :
the talk with which anentertainer accompanies a routine b : the
words of a comic song or of arapidly spoken usually humorous
monologue introduced into such a song3 patter1 : to strike or pat
rapidly and repeatedly2 : to run with quick light-sounding stepsto
cause to patter4 patter : a quick succession of light sounds or
patsconfer 1 tr. (often foll. by on, upon) grant orbestow (a title,
degree, favour, etc.). 2 intr.(often foll. by with) converse,
consult.Conceder, conferir, otorgar / conferenciar conajetrear. (De
ahetrar). 1. tr. Molestar, mover mucho, cansar conrdenes diversas o
imponiendo trabajo excesivo. 2. prnl.Fatigarse corporalmente con
algn trabajo u ocupacin, oyendo y viniendo de una parte a
otra.perfidia 1. f. Deslealtad, traicin o quebran-tamientode la fe
debida.perfidy n. breach of faith; treachery.Faithlessness.daze
stupefy, bewilder. a state of confusion orbewilderment (in a
daze).spiel n. & v. sl. n. a glib speech or story,esp. a
salesmans patter. Rollo, charla,arenga, perorata, cuento, v. 1
intr. speak glibly; hold forth. 2 tr.reel off (patter etc.).
arengar, perorar 7. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika751015202530354045505560657075the characters they were to
play.Before lunch Briony slipped away tothe empty rehearsal room -
the nurs-ery- and walked up and down on thepainted floorboards,
considering hercasting options.On the face of it, Arabella,
whosehair was as dark as Brionys, was un-likelyto be descended from
freck-ledparents, or elope with a foreignfreckled count, rent a
garret roomfrom a freckled innkeeper, lose herheart to a freckled
prince and be mar-riedby a freckled vicar before afreckled
congregation. But all thiswas to be so. Her cousins colouringwas
too vivid - virtually fluorescent!- to be concealed. The best that
couldbe said was that Arabellas lack offreckles was the sign -
thehieroglyph, Briony might have writ-ten- of her distinction. Her
purityof spirit would never be in doubt,though she moved through a
blem-ishedworld. There was a furtherproblem with the twins, who
couldnot be told apart by a stranger. Wasit right that the wicked
countshould so completely resemble thehandsome prince, or that
bothshould resemble Arabellas fatherand the vicar? What if Lola
were castas the prince? Jackson and Pierrotseemed typical eager
little boys whowould probably do as they were told.But would their
sister play a man?She had green eyes and sharp bonesin her face,
and hollow cheeks, andthere was something brittle in herreticence
that suggested strongwill and a temper easily lost.Merely floating
the possibility ofthe role to Lola might provoke acrisis, and could
Briony reallyhold hands with her before the al-tar,while Jackson
intoned fromthe Book of Common Prayer?It was not until five oclock
that after-noonthat she was able to assemble her castin the
nursery. She had arranged three stoolsin a row, while she herself
jammed her rumpinto an ancient babys high-chair - abohemian touch
that gave her a tennisumpires advantage of height. The twinshad
come with reluctance from thepool where they had been for
threehours without a break. They werebarefoot and wore singlets
overtrunks that dripped onto the floor-boards.Water also ran down
theirnecks from their matted hair, andboth boys were shivering
andjiggled their knees to keep warm.The long immersion had
puckeredand bleached their skin, so that inthe relatively low light
of the nurs-erytheir freckles appeared black.Their sister, who sat
between them,with left leg balanced on right knee,was, by contrast,
perfectlycomposed, having liberally appliedperfume and changed into
a greengingham frock to offset hercolouring. Her sandals revealed
anankle bracelet and toenails paintedvermilion. The sight of these
nailsque iban a representar. Antes del almuer-zo,Briony se escabull
a la sala de ensa-yosvaca el cuarto de juegosy deambulde un lado a
otro de los tablones pintados,considerando las opciones referentes
al re-parto.A la vista de aquello, era improba-bleque Arabella, que
tena el pelo tanmoreno como Briony, descendiese depadres pecosos o
se fugase con un pe-cosoconde extranjero, alquilase unabuhardilla a
un posadero con pecas,se enamorase de un prncipe pecosoy se casara
ante un prroco con pecasante una feligresa igualmente peco-sa.Pero
la cosa iba a ser as. La tezde sus primos era demasiado ntida casi
fluorescente! para poder ocul-tarla.Lo mejor que se poda decir
esque la cara sin pecas de Arabella erael signo el jeroglfico,
quizsBriony hubiese escrito de su distin-cin.Su pureza de espritu
jams sepondra en duda, aunque ella se mo-vieseen un mundo
mancillado. Ha-baun problema adicional con losgemelos: nadie que no
los conociesepoda distinguirlos. Estaba bien queel malvado conde se
pareciese tantoal guapo prncipe, o que los dos separeciesen al
padre [21] de Arabellay al prroco? Y si Lola haca de
prn-cipe?Jackson y Pierrot tenan aspec-tode ser los tpicos nios
afanososque seguramente haran lo que lesdijeran. Pero su hermana
interpre-taraa un hombre? Tena los ojosverdes, huesos prominentes
en lacara y las mejillas hundidas, y en sureticencia haba algo
frgil que suge-rauna voluntad fuerte y un genio muyvivo. El mero
ofrecimiento a Lola deaquel papel tal vez provocase un
con-flicto,y, a decir verdad, podra Brionycogerle de la mano
delante del altarmientras Jackson recitaba la frmulasolemne del
rito anglicano?Hasta las cinco de aquella tarde nopudo congregar a
su elenco en el cuar-tode juegos. Haba colocado tres tabu-retesen
fila, y ella acomod el traseroen una antigua trona: un toque
bohe-mioque le dio la ventaja de altura deun rbitro de tenis. Los
gemelos acu-dierona regaadientes desde la pisci-na,donde haban
estado tres horas se-guidas.Estaban descalzos y llevabancamisetas
encima de los baadores quegoteaban sobre el suelo de madera.Tambin
les caa por el cuello agua pro-cedentede su pelo enmaraado, y
losdos tiritaban y sacudan las rodillas paraentrar en calor. La
larga inmersin leshaba arrugado y blanqueado la piel,por lo que sus
pecas reaparecieron a laluz relativamente tenue del cuarto.
Suhermana, que se sent entre ellos dos,con la pierna izquierda en
equilibrio,sobre la rodilla derecha, guardaba, porcontraste, una
compostura perfecta trashaberse asperjado profusamente deperfume y
puesto un vestido de cuadrosverdes para compensar sus otros
colo-res.Sus sandalias mostraban una pul-seraen el tobillo y las
uas de los piespintadas de bermelln. Ver aquellashandsome adj.
(handsomer, handsomest)1 (of a person) good-looking. Hermoso,
bello, bienparecido2 (of a building etc.) imposing, attractive.3 a
generous, liberal (a handsome present; handsometreatment). b (of a
price, fortune, etc., as assetsgained) considerable. (victory)
fcilgentil1. adj. Idlatra o pagano.Gentile (En)2. Brioso, galn,
gracioso. GENTIL mozo; GENTILdonaire.3. notable. GENTIL
desvergenza; GENTIL disparate.4. Amable, corts. kind, pleasant,
charming,obliging, comelygentle dulce tierno, dcil, suave, corts,
ligero,cudadoso, pausado moderadogracious : amable corts, gentil,
benevolente, indul-gente[lenient]gracioso : funny,witty, amusing,
charminggraceful : lleno de gracia, con mucho garbo,elengante,
dignoreticence 1 reserve, reticence, taciturnity the trait ofbeing
uncommunicative; not volunteering anythingmore than
necessaryreticence 1 : the quality or state of being reticent
:RESERVE, RESTRAINT 2 : an instance of being reticent3 :
RELUCTANCEreserva, discrecin,, silencio discreto,
tacitur-nidadreticencia1. f. Efecto de no decir sino en parte, o
dedar a entender claramente, y de ordinario conmalicia, que se
oculta o se calla algo que debierao pudiera decirse.2. Reserva,
desconfianza.3. Ret. Figura que consiste en dejar incom-pletauna
frase o no acabar de aclarar una espe-cie,dando, sin embargo, a
entender el sentidode lo que no se dice, y a veces ms de lo que
secalla.--insinuation, innuendo, ironyreticent [gloomy] reservado,
discreto, poco comuni-cativo,callado, de pocas palabras,
taciturnoreticente lleva connotaciones negativas deinsinuating,
ironic, sarcastic, misleading/deceptive, engaososinglet
camisetasinglet n. 1 Brit. a garment worn under or insteadof a
shirtpucker v.tr. & intr. (often foll. by up) gather or
cau-seto gather into wrinkles, folds, or bulges(puckered her
eyebrows; this seam is puckeredup). Hacer visajes,puckered
.wrinkled, fiolded, ceuda, funcida, surca-dade arrugas, en
pucheron. such a wrinkle, bulge, fold, etc. Fruncimiento,liberal 1
a). Generosio, desprendido, desinteresado. Tole-rante.1 b) Que
ejerce una profesin liberal tradicional-mentede las artes o
profesiones que ante todo requieren elejercicio del
entendimiento.2. Favorable a las libertades intelectuales y
profesionablesdel individuo y a las polticas del Estado.(Nota:
parece estarse perdiendo el primer significado enfavor del
segundo.) 8. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika851015202530354045505560657075gave Briony a constricting
sensa-tionaround her sternum, and sheknew at once that she could
not askLola to play the prince.Everyone was settled and
theplaywright was about to begin herlittle speech summarising the
plotand evoking the excitement of per-formingbefore an adult
audiencetomorrow evening in the library. Butit was Pierrot who
spoke first.I hate plays and all that sort ofthing.I hate them too,
and dressing up,Jackson said.It had been explained at lunch thatthe
twins were to be distinguishedby the fact that Pierrot was missinga
triangle of flesh from his left earlobe on account of a dog he had
tor-mentedwhen he was three.Lola looked away. Briony
saidreasonably, How can you hateplays?Its just showing off.
Pierrotshrugged as he delivered thisself-evident truth.Briony knew
he had a point. Thiswas precisely why she loved plays,or hers at
least; everyone wouldadore her. Looking at the boys, un-derwhose
chairs water was poolingbefore spilling between the
floor-boardcracks, she knew they couldnever understand her
ambition. For-givenesssoftened her tone.Do you think Shakespeare
wasjust showing off?Pierrot glanced across his sisterslap towards
Jackson. This warlikename was faintly familiar, with itswhiff of
school and adult certainty,but the twins found their courage ineach
other.Everyone knows he was.Definitely.When Lola spoke, she turned
firstto Pierrot and halfway through hersentence swung round to
finish onJackson. In Brionys family, MrsTallis never had anything
to impartthat needed saying simultaneously toboth daughters. Now
Briony sawhow it was done.Youll be in this play, or youllget a
clout, and then Ill speak to TheParents.If you clout us, well speak
toThe Parents.Youll be in this play or Ill speakto The Parents.That
the threat had been negoti-uasprodujo en el esternn de Brionyuna
sensacin opresiva, y supo al ins-tanteque no poda pedirle a Lola
queinterpretara al prncipe.Todo el mundo ocupaba su sitio y
ladramaturga estaba a punto de empezarsu pequea alocucin,
resumiendo la[22] trama y evocando la emocin deactuar ante un
auditorio adulto la nochesiguiente en la biblioteca. Pero fue
Pie-rrotquien habl primero.Odio las obras de teatro y todasesas
cosas.Yo tambin, y disfrazarme dijoJackson.Durante el almuerzo
haban explica-doque a los gemelos se les distinguaporque a Pierrot
le faltaba un tringulode carne en el lbulo de la oreja
izquier-da,por culpa de un perro al que habaatormentado cuando tena
tres aos.Lola apart la vista. Briony dijo, juiciosamente:Cmo puedes
odiar el tea-tro?Slo sirve para lucirse dijo Pie-rrot,y se encogi
de hombros mientrasenunciaba esta evidencia.Briony supo que tena
razn. Por esoprecisamente ella adoraba las obras deteatro, o por lo
menos la suya; todo elmundo la adorara a ella. Al mirar a
susprimos, debajo de cuyas sillas se estabaencharcando agua que
luego se filtrabapor las grietas entre las tablas, supo quenunca
comprenderan su ambicin. Laindulgencia suaviz su tono.T crees que
Shakespeare sloquera lucirse?Pierrot mir hacia Jackson por
enci-made las rodillas de su hermana. Aquelnombre blico le era
vagamente fami-liar,con su tufillo a escuela y a certezaadulta,
pero los gemelos se infundanvalor mutuamente.Todo el mundo sabe que
s.Segursimo.Cuando Lola hablaba, primero se di-rigaa Pierrot y a
mitad de la frase sevolva en redondo para terminarla diri-gindosea
Jackson. En la familia deBriony, la seora Tallis nunca tena nadaque
comunicar que requiriese decrselosimultneamente a las dos
hermanas.Ahora Briony vio cmo se haca.O actuis en la obra u os
llevis untortazo y despus hablo con los pa-dres. [23]Si nos das un
tortazo, nosotros ha-blaremoscon tilos padres.O actuis en esta obra
o hablarcon los padres.Que la amenaza hubiese sido cla-clout1
dialect chiefly British : a piece of cloth orleather : RAG 2 : a
blow especially with the hand(tortazo); also : a hard hit in
baseball 3 : a whitecloth on a stake or frame used as a target
inarchery 4 : PULL, INFLUENCE 9. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de
Jaime Zulaika951015202530354045505560657075ated neatly downwards
did not ap-pearto diminish its power. Pierrotsucked on his lower
lip.Why do we have to? Everythingwas conceded in the question,
andLola tried to ruffle his sticky hair.Remember what The
Parentssaid? Were guests in this house andwe make ourselves - what
do wemake ourselves? Come on. What dowe make ourselves?A-menable,
the twins chorusedin misery, barely stumbling over theunusual
word.Lola turned to Briony and smiled.Please tell us about your
play.The Parents. Whateverinstitutionalised strength was lockedin
this plural was about to fly apart,or had already done so, but for
now itcould not be acknowledged, and brav-erywas demanded of even
the young-est.Briony felt suddenly ashamed atwhat she had selfishly
begun, for ithad never occurred to her that hercousins would not
want to play theirparts in The Trials of Arabella. Butthey had
trials, a catastrophe of theirown, and now, as guests in her
house,they believed themselves under anobligation. What was worse,
Lola hadmade it clear that she too would beacting on sufferance.
The vulnerableQuinceys were being coerced. Andyet, Briony struggled
to grasp the dif-ficultthought, wasnt there manipu-lationhere,
wasnt Lola using thetwins to express something on herbehalf,
something hostile or destruc-tive?Briony felt the disadvantage
ofbeing two years younger than theother girl, of having a full two
yearsrefinement weigh against her, andnow her play seemed a
miserable, em-barrassingthing.Avoiding Lolas gaze the wholewhile,
she proceeded to outline theplot, even as its stupidity began
tooverwhelm her. She no longer hadthe heart to invent for her
cousins thethrill of the first night.As soon as she was
finishedPierrot said, I want to be the count.I want to be a bad
person.Jackson said simply, Im aprince. Im always a prince.She
could have drawn them to herand kissed their little faces, but
shesaid, Thats all right then.Lola uncrossed her legs, smoothedher
dress and stood, as though aboutto leave. She spoke through a sigh
ofsadness or resignation. I suppose thatbecause youre the one who
wrote it,youll be Arabella . . .Oh no, Briony said. No. Not
atall.ramente rebajada no pareci dismi-nuirsu poder. Pierrot se
chup el la-bioinferior.Por qu tenemos que hacerlo?La pregunta lo
conceda todo, y Lolatrat de revolverle el pelo pringoso.Te acuerdas
de lo que han di-cholos padres? Somos invitadosen esta casa y
debemos portarnos...,cmo debemos portarnos? Venga.Dime
cmo.Dcilmente dijeron los geme-losa coro, compungidos,
tropezndoseapenas con la palabra rara.Lola se volvi hacia Briony y
sonri.Por favor, cuntanos tu obra.Los padres. Cualquier
poderinstitucional que encerrase este plu-ral,fuera la que fuese,
estaba a puntode desmoronarse o ya lo haba hecho,pero por ahora no
podan saberlo, yexiga valor hasta de los ms jvenes.Briony se
avergonz sbitamente delegosmo de su conducta, pues no sele haba
ocurrido pensar que sus pri-mosno quisieran representar sus
per-sonajesen Las tribulaciones deArabella. Pero tenan sus
tribulacio-nes,una catstrofe propia, y ahora, ensu calidad de
huspedes en su casa,se crean obligados. Lo que an erapeor, Lola
haba dejado claro que ellatambin actuara a disgusto.
Estabacoaccionando a los vulnerablesQuincey. Y, sin embargo Briony
seesforzaba en captar el difcilpensamiento, no haba una
mani-pulacinall, no estaba Lola utili-zandoa los gemelos para
expresaralgo en su nombre, algo hostil y des-tructivo?Briony sinti
la desventajade ser dos aos ms joven que la otrachica, de tener dos
aos menos de re-finamiento,y ahora su obra le pare-caalgo
deprimente y bochornoso.Evitando todo el rato la mirada deLola,
empez a resumir [24] la trama,pese a que la estulticia de la misma
co-menzabaa abrumarla. Ya no le quedabannimos para inventar para
sus primos laemocin de la primera noche.En cuanto hubo terminado,
Pierrot dijo:Quiero ser el conde. Quieroser un malvado.Jackson se
limit a decir:Yo soy el prncipe. Siempre soy un prncipe.Briony
habra podido atraerles haciaella y besarles la carita, pero dijo:De
acuerdo, entonces.Lola descruz las piernas, se ali-sel vestido y se
levant, como sifuera a irse. Habl con un suspirode tristeza o
resignacin.Supongo que como t has es-critola obra, sers
Arabella...Oh, no dijo Briony. No. Nadade eso.ruffle v. arrugar,
agitar, rizar, despeinar encres-par,erizar, descomponer,
perturbar,ofender, alisar1tr. disturb the smoothness or
tranquillity of.2tr. upset the calmness of (a person).3tr. gather
(lace etc.) into a ruffle.4tr. (often foll. by up) (of a bird)
erect (itsfeathers) in anger, display, etc.5intr. undergo
ruffling.6intr. lose smoothness or calmness. n. arruga, volante
fruncido, rizo1 an ornamental gathered or goffered (plisado)frill
(volante) of lace etc. worn at the openingof a garment esp. round
the wrist, breast,or neck.2 perturbation, bustle.3 a rippling
effect on water.4 the ruff of a bird etc. (see ruff 1 2).5Mil. a
vibrating drum-beat. 10. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika1051015202530354045505560657075She said no, but she meant
yes.Of course she was taking the part ofArabella. What she was
objecting towas Lolas because. She was notplaying Arabella because
she wrotethe play, she was taking the part be-causeno other
possibility hadcrossed her mind, because that washow Leon was to
see her, becauseshe was Arabella.But she had said no, andnow Lola
was saying sweetly,I n that case, do you mind if I playher? I think
I could do it very well.In fact, of the two of us . . .She let that
hang, and Briony staredat her, unable to keep the horror fromher
expression, and unable to speak.It was slipping away from her,
sheknew, but there was nothing that shecould think of to say that
would bringit back. Into Brionys silence, Lolapressed her
advantage. I h a d a l o n g i l l n e s s l a s tyear, so I could
do that part ofit well too.Too? Briony could not keepup with the
older girl. The mis-eryof the inevitable was cloud-ingher
thoughts.One of the twins said proudly,tend you were in the school
play.How could she tell them thatArabella was not a freckled
person?Her skin was pale and her hair wasblack and her thoughts
were Brionysthoughts. But how could she refuse acousin so far from
home whose fam-ilylife was in ruins? Lola was readingher mind
because she now played herfinal card, the unrefusable ace.Do say
yes. It would be the only goodthing thats happened to me in
months.Yes. Unable to push her tongueagainst the word, Briony could
onlynod, and felt as she did so a sulky thrillof self-annihilating
compliancespreading across her skin and balloon-ingoutwards from
it, darkening theroom in throbs. She wanted to leave,she wanted to
lie alone, face-down onher bed and savour the vile piquancyof the
moment, and go back down thelines of branching consequences to
thepoint before the destruction began. Sheneeded to contemplate
with eyesclosed the full richness of what she hadlost, what she had
given away, and toanticipate the new regime. Not onlyLeon to
consider, but what of the an-tiquepeach and cream satin dress
thather mother was looking out for her,for Arabellas wedding? That
wouldnow be given to Lola. How could hermother reject the daughter
who hadloved her all these years? As she sawthe dress make its
perfect, clinging fitaround her cousin and witnessed hermothers
heartless smile, Briony knewDeca que no, pero quera decirs. Por
supuesto que ella interpre-tabael papel de Arabella. A lo
queobjetaba era al como t de Lola.No haca de Arabella porque
habaescrito la obra, sino porque ningunaotra posibilidad se le haba
pasadopor la cabeza, porque as era comoLeon iba a verla, porque
ella eraArabella.Pero haba dicho que no, y ahora Loladeca
dulcemente:En ese caso, no te importa que lohaga yo? Creo que lo
hara muy bien.En realidad, de nosotras dos...Dej la frase en
suspenso, y Brionyla mir fijamente, incapaz de evitaruna expresin
de horror, incapaz dehablar. Saba que le estaba arrebatan-doel
papel, pero no se le ocurra nadaque decir para recuperarlo. Lola
apro-vechel silencio de Briony para apun-talarsu ventaja.Tuve una
larga enfermedad el aopasado, as que tambin puedo hacermuy bien esa
parte.Tambin? Briony no acertaba a po-nersea la altura de la [25]
chica ms ma-yor.La desdicha de lo inevitable le en-turbiabael
pensamiento.Uno de los gemelos dijo, con orgullo:Y actuaste en la
obra del colegio.Cmo decirles que Arabella notena pecas? Tenla la
piel clara y elpelo negro, y sus pensamientos eranlos de Briony.
Pero cmo iba anegrselo a una prima tan alejadade su hogar y cuya
vida familiarhaba naufragado? Lola le lea lamente, pues entonces
jug su bazadefinitiva, el as irrecusable.Di que s. Es lo nico bueno
queme ha sucedido en meses.S. Incapaz de apretar la lengua
con-traesta palabra, Briony se limit a asen-tircon la cabeza, y
sinti al hacerlo unmalhumorado escalofro de
aquiescen-ciaautodestructiva que se le extenda porla piel y se
expanda hacia fuera de ella,oscureciendo la habitacin con sus
pul-saciones.Tuvo ganas de marcharse, detumbarse a solas, de bruces
en su cama,para saborear el gusto repugnante delmomento, y remontar
las consecuenciasramificadas hasta el punto a partir delcual la
destruccin haba empezado. Ne-cesitabacontemplar con los ojos
cerra-dostoda la riqueza que haba perdido, ala que haba renunciado,
y prever el nue-vorgimen. No slo haba que tener encuenta a. Leon,
sino qu iba a pasar conel vestido antiguo de satn crema y
me-locotnque su madre tena preparadopara ella, para la boda de
Arabella? Noiban a drselo a Lola. Cmo iba sumadre a negrselo a la
hija que la habaamado durante todos aquellos aos? Alver que el
vestido se ajustaba perfecta-mentea los contornos de su prima y ob-
11. Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika1151015202530354045505560657075her only reasonable choice
then wouldbe to run away, to live under hedges,eat berries and
speak to no one, andbe found by a bearded woodsman onewinters dawn,
curled up at the baseof a giant oak, beautiful and dead,
andbarefoot, or perhaps wearing the bal-letpumps with the pink
ribbon straps. . .Self-pity needed her full attention,and only in
solitude could shebreathe life into the lacerating de-tails,but at
the instant of her assent- how the tilt of a skull could changea
life! - Lola had picked up thebundle of Brionys manuscript fromthe
floor, and the twins had slippedfrom their chairs to follow their
sis-terinto the space in the centre of thenursery that Briony had
cleared theday before. Did she dare leave now?Lola was pacing the
floorboards, onehand to her brow as she skimmedthrough the first
pages of the play,muttering the lines from the pro-logue.She
announced that nothingwas to be lost by beginning at thebeginning,
and now she was castingher brothers as Arabellas parentsand
describing the opening to them,seeming to know all there was toknow
about the scene. The advanceof Lolas dominion was mercilessand made
self-pity irrelevant. Orwould it be all the moreannihilatingly
delicious? - forBriony had not even been cast asArabellas mother,
and now wassurely the time to sidle from theroom and tumble into
face-downdarkness on the bed. But it wasLolas briskness, her
obliviousnessto anything beyond her own busi-ness,and Brionys
certainty that herown feelings would not even regis-ter,still less
provoke guilt, whichgave her the strength to resist.In a generally
pleasant andwell-protected life, she had never re-allyconfronted
anyone before. Nowshe saw: it was like diving into theswimming pool
in early June; yousimply had to make yourself do it. Asshe squeezed
out of the high-chairand walked over to where her cousinstood her
heart thudded inconve-nientlyand her breath was short.She took the
play from Lola andsaid in a voice that was constrictedand more
high-pitched than usual,If youre Arabella, then Ill be thedirector,
thank you very much, andIll read the prologue.Lola put her speckled
hand to hermouth. Sor-reeee! she hooted. Iwas just trying to get
things started.Briony was unsure how to re-spond,so she turned to
Pierrot andsaid, You dont look much likeArabellas mother.The
countermanding of Lolascasting decision, and the laughter inservar
la sonrisa cruel de su madre,Briony supo que su nica alternativa
ra-zonablesera en ese caso huir, vivir de-bajode setos, comer bayas
y no hablarcon nadie hasta que un silvicultor la en-contraseun
amanecer de invierno, al piede un roble gigantesco, hermosa y
muer-ta[26] y descalza, o tal vez con las za-patillasde ballet de
cintas rosas...Compadecerse a s misma reclama-batoda su atencin, y
nicamente a so-laspodra infundir vida a los detalleslacerantes,
pero en el instante en queasinti cmo una simple inclinacinde cabeza
poda cambiar una vida!,Lola ya haba recogido del suelo el bul-todel
manuscrito de Briony y los geme-losse haban deslizado de sus sillas
paraseguir a su hermana al espacio centraldel cuarto que Briony
haba despejadola vspera. Se atrevera a marcharseahora? Lola
deambulaba por las tablascon una mano en la frente mientras
ho-jeabalas primeras pginas de la obra,murmurando las lneas del
prlogo.Anunci que nada se perda empezandopor el principio, y ahora
estaba desig-nandoa sus hermanos para que encar-nasena los padres
de Arabella y les es-tabadescribiendo la escena inauguralcomo si lo
supiese todo sobre ella. Elprogreso de la dominacin de Lola
eraimplacable y tornaba extempornea lapiedad de Briony por s misma.
O seratanto ms aniquiladoramente deliciosa?Briony, en efecto, ni
siquiera haba sidoelegida para el papel de madre deArabella, y sin
duda era el momento deescabullirse del cuarto para derrumbar-sede
bruces en la oscuridad de la cama.Pero fue el dinamismo de Lola, su
indi-ferenciapor todo lo que no fuese su pro-piointers, y la
certeza de Briony de quesus propios sentimientos no seran
si-quieraadvertidos, y de que tampoco pro-vocaranuno de culpa, lo
que le dio lafuerza para resistir.Tras una vida protegida y, en
gene-ral,placentera, hasta entonces nuncahaba tenido que
enfrentarse con nadie.Ahora lo vea: era como bucear en la pis-cinaa
principios de julio; simplementetenas que incitarte a hacerlo.
Cuandose baj de la silla alta y estrecha y cami-nhasta donde estaba
su prima, el cora-znle aporreaba engorrosamente el pe-choy le
robaba el aliento. [27]Le quit de las manos la obra a Lolay, con un
tono ms cohibido y agudo queel habitual, dijo:Si t eres Arabella,
entonces yo soyla directora, muchsimas gracias, y lee-rel
prlogo.Lola se tap la boca con su mano pecosa.Perdddn! grit. Slo
que-raempezar.Como Briony no saba muy bien qu res-ponder,se volvi
hacia Pierrot y le dijo:No te pareces mucho a la madrede
Arabella.La contraorden al reparto deci-didopor Lola y la risa que
suscitsidle : (along, up) walk in a timid, furtive, stealthy,or
cringing manner. Walked down cautiously.Avanzar cautelosa o
sigilosamente.To go or move with one side foremost especiallyin a
furtive advance, avanzar furtivamentethud : a low dull sound as of
a blow on a non-resonantsurface.Ruido, golpe o chasquido sordo, 12.
Notes McEwans Atonement tr. de Jaime
Zulaika1251015202530354045505560657075the boys it provoked, made
for a shiftin the balance of power. Lola madean exaggerated shrug
of her bonyshoulders and went to stare out ofthe window. Perhaps
she herself wasstruggling with the temptation toflounce from the
room.Though the twins began a wres-tlingmatch, and their sister
sus-pectedthe onset of a headache,somehow the rehearsal began.
Thesilence into which Briony read theprologue was tense.This is the
tale of spontaneous ArabellaWho ran off with an extrinsic fellow.It
grieved her parents to see their first bornEvanesce from her home
to go to EastbourneWithout permission . . .His wife at his side,
Arabellas fa-therstood at the wrought-iron gatesof his estate,
first pleading with hisdaughter to reconsider her decision,then in
desperation ordering her notto go. Facing him was the sad
butstubborn heroine with the count be-sideher, and their horses,
tetheredto a nearby oak, were neighing andpawing the ground,
impatient to beoff. The fathers tenderest feelingswere supposed to
make his voicequaver as he said,My darling one, you are young
andlovely, / But inexperienced, and thoughyou think / The world is
at your feet, /It can rise up and tread on you.Briony positioned
her cast; sheherself clutched Jacksons arm,Lola and Pierrot stood
several feetaway, hand in hand. When the boysmet each others eye
they had a gig-glingfit which the girls shushedat. There had been
trouble enoughalready, but Briony began to under-standthe chasm
that lay between anidea and its execution only whenJackson began to
read from hissheet in a stricken monotone, asthough each word was a
name on alist of dead people, and was unableto pronounce
inexperienced eventhough it was said for him manytimes, and left
out the last twowords of his lines -it can rise upand tread. As for
Lola, she spokeher lines correctly but casually, andsometimes
smiled inappropriately atsome private thought, determined
todemonstrate that her nearly adultmind was elsewhere.And so they
went on, the cousinsfrom the north, for a full half an
hour,steadily wrecking Brionys creation,and it was a mercy,
therefore, whenher big sister came to fetch the twinsfor their
bath.en los chicos establecieron uncambio en el equilibrio de
poder.Lola alz de un modo exageradosus hombros huesudos y se fue
amirar por la ventana. Quizs ellatambin luchaba contra la
tenta-cinde huir del cuarto.A pesar del combate de lucha libreque
entablaron los gemelos, y de que suhermana presinti la aparicin de
una ja-queca,el ensayo dio comienzo. Fue unsilencio tenso el que se
hizo mientrasBriony lea el prlogo.He aqu la historia de la
espontnea Arabellaque se fug con un tipo extrnseco.Afligi a los
padres que su primognitadesapareciera del hogar para irse rumbo a
Eastbournesin su consentimiento ... .El padre de Arabella,
flanqueadopor su esposa, de pie ante las puertasde hierro forjado
de su heredad, pri-merosuplica a su hija que reconsideresu decisin
y luego, desesperado, leordena que no se vaya. Frente a l tie-nea
la triste pero terca herona, conel conde a su lado, y los
caballos,amarrados a un roble, relinchaban ypiafaban de
impaciencia. Era de su-ponerque los ms tiernos sentimien-tosdel
padre haran temblar su vozcuando deca: [28]Querida ma, eres joven y
adorable / peroeres inexperta, y aunque pienses / que elmundo est a
tus pies, / puede levantar-sey pisotearte.Briony coloc a los
actores en sus si-tiosrespectivos; ella se aferraba al bra-zode
Jackson, y Lola y Pierrot, cogidosde la mano, estaban a varios
palmos dedistancia. Cuando los chicos cruzaron lasmiradas les
invadi un acceso de risa quelas chicas silenciaron. Ya haba
habidobastantes problemas, pero Briony sloempez a entender la sima
que mediaentre una idea y su ejecucin cuandoJackson comenz a leer
su hoja con unafligido tono monocorde, como si cadapalabra fuese un
nombre en una lista depersonas fallecidas, y era incapaz de
pro-nunciarinexperta por muchas vecesque le dijeran cmo se
pronunciaba, yse dej las dos ltimas palabras de suparlamento: puede
levantarse y piso-tearte. En cuanto a Lola, recit sus
l-neascorrecta pero negligentemente, y enocasiones sonrea de un
modo inoportu-nocomo si pensara en algo suyo, resueltaa demostrar
que su mente casi adultaestaba en todas partes.Y as continuaron los
primos del nortedurante media hora, estropeando gra-dualmentela
creacin de Briony, y fueuna bendicin, por consiguiente, que
suhermana mayor entrara para llevarse alos gemelos al bao.
[29]flounce 1 (often foll. by away, about, off, out) go ormove with
an agitated, violent, or impatientmotion (flounced out in a huff
(bufido).a flouncing movement.flounce 2 a wide ornamental strip of
materialgathered and sewn to a skirt, dress, etc.; a frill.trim
with a flounce or flounces (volantes).wrought1 : worked into shape
by artistry or effort SHAPED, MOLDED2 : elaborately embellished :
ORNAMENTED3 : processed for use : MANUFACTURED 4 : beaten into
shape by tools : HAMMERED used of metals FORGED5 : deeply stirred :
EXCITED often used with up
