FRANCISCO DE LEYVA
by Unknown · from Fábulas y cuentos en verso: Selección
Adapted Version
Once, there was a kind boy. His name was Tomás. He loved his Papa very much. But Papa was not well. His eyes were red and sore. They were very itchy too. Tomás wanted to help his Papa.
One day, Tomás found a book. It was a big, big book. It was about helping people. Tomás was very happy. He looked for a page about eyes.
He found a page! It said, "Prickly seeds for eyes." Tomás was so happy. He ran outside very fast. But he did not read more. He only read a little bit.
Tomás went to the garden. He picked up many prickly seeds. They made his hands scratchy. But he did not stop.
He went back to Papa. He put seeds on Papa's eyes. He was very gentle and slow.
He put a soft cloth on top.
"Ouch!" said Papa. "That hurts!" "The seeds are too prickly!" Papa's eyes got very red. They were so sore now. Papa could not open his eyes. He was very sad.
Tomás felt very bad. He was so sorry. He went back to the book. This time, he read slowly. He read very, very slowly.
The book said more words. "Prickly seeds near eyes? No, no, no! Keep seeds FAR AWAY!" Tomás read it wrong. The book said keep seeds away!
Now here is a second story. In a town, there was a silly man. He had a big, heavy rock.
The silly man liked to scare dogs. He dropped his rock near sleeping dogs. BOOM! The dogs woke up very scared. They ran away fast. The silly man laughed.
One day, he scared a special dog. The dog was named Poco. Poco was the Hat Maker's best friend. Poco ran away and hid. The Hat Maker could not find him.
The Hat Maker was very angry. "That was MY dog!" he said. "You scared my best friend!" "That is NOT funny!" The silly man felt very bad.
After that day, he stopped. He saw a sleeping dog one day. He put his rock down softly. "No, no," he said. "I will not scare you." "You might be a best friend."
Tomás learned a big lesson. Always read the WHOLE page. The silly man learned a lesson too. Always be kind to dogs. Can you do that too?
Papa's eyes got better after rest. And Poco came home for dinner. And after that, Tomás always read the whole page.
Original Story
FRANCISCO DE LEYVA
Málaga, mediados del siglo XVII.
LA PRECIPITACIÓN
Un mozo, enfermo tenía
de los ojos a su padre,
y curarlo pretendía,
que en efecto lo quería
como si fuera su madre.
El remedio procurando,
en un libro que se halló
de medicina, hojeando,
un capítulo encontró
de lo que andaba buscando.
“Abrojos para los ojos”
el primer renglón decía,
y, sin leer más sus arrojos,
como estrella que Dios guía,
fué al campo a buscar abrojos.
Dos almorzadas muy buenas
trajo, y que quiso o no quiso,
al padre que ve en sus penas,
en los ojos al proviso
le puso un par de docenas.
Un lienzo muy apretado
encima le puso luego,
con que al padre desdichado
le saltaron de contado
los ojos, y quedó ciego.
A leer volvió con enojos
los renglones, y al mirarlos
despacio, vieron sus ojos:
“Para los ojos, abrojos
son buenos para sacarlos.”
(La dama presidente, jornada 1.ª)
EL LOCO POR LA PENA ES CUERDO[15]
En Sevilla un loco había
de tema tan desigual
que una piedra de un quintal
al hombro siempre traía,
y al perro de cualquier casta
que dormido podía ver,
dejábasela caer,
con que quedaba hecho plasta.
Con un podenco afamado
de un sombrerero encontró,
a cuestas la ley le echó
y dejólo ajusticiado.
Indignado el sombrerero,
con un garrote salió
y dos mil palos le dió
y tras cada golpe fiero
muchas veces repetía:
—¿Que era podenco no viste,
loco infame? Fuese el triste
y luego, aunque un gozque vía,
mastín, o perro mostrenco,
al irle la piedra a echar,
volviéndola a retirar,
decía: —Guarda, es podenco.
(No hay contra un padre razón, jornada 2.ª)
Story DNA
Moral
Haste makes waste, and incomplete understanding can lead to disastrous consequences.
Plot Summary
A devoted son, attempting to cure his father's eye ailment, misreads a medical text, applying burrs directly to his father's eyes and blinding him. He then discovers the text actually advised using burrs to remove eyes. A second, separate anecdote illustrates a similar theme: a madman who habitually kills dogs with a heavy stone is severely beaten after killing a hatter's prized dog, subsequently learning to avoid harming 'podencos' (or any dog he perceives as such) due to his painful experience.
Themes
Emotional Arc
hope to despair | ignorance to painful wisdom
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects a pre-scientific era where medical knowledge was often based on folk remedies or incomplete texts, and literacy might have been less widespread, leading to misinterpretations.
Plot Beats (14)
- A son, deeply caring for his ailing father's eyes, seeks a cure.
- He finds a medical book and, while leafing through it, discovers a relevant chapter.
- He reads only the first line, "Abrojos para los ojos" (Burrs for the eyes), and rushes off to gather burrs.
- He collects two good handfuls of burrs.
- He forcefully places dozens of burrs directly into his father's eyes.
- He tightly bandages his father's eyes.
- The father's eyes immediately pop out, rendering him blind.
- The son, enraged by the outcome, rereads the instructions carefully.
- He discovers the full instruction: "Para los ojos, abrojos son buenos para sacarlos" (For the eyes, burrs are good for taking them out).
- The second anecdote introduces a madman in Seville who carries a heavy stone.
- The madman drops the stone on any sleeping dog he finds, killing them.
- He kills a hatter's prized podenco (hunting dog) in this manner.
- The enraged hatter beats the madman severely, repeatedly asking, "Didn't you see it was a podenco?"
- After this beating, the madman, upon seeing any dog, would start to drop the stone but then retract it, saying, "Beware, it's a podenco."
Characters
The Son
Of average height and build, likely lean from the physical demands of rural life in 17th-century Málaga. His movements are quick and impulsive, reflecting his personality.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing suitable for a peasant or commoner in 17th-century Málaga. This would include a coarse linen or wool tunic, perhaps a jerkin, and breeches, likely in muted earth tones such as brown, grey, or undyed cream. Sturdy leather shoes or sandals would complete his attire.
Wants: To cure his father's eye ailment and alleviate his suffering.
Flaw: Impulsiveness and a lack of thoroughness; he acts without fully understanding the consequences.
He begins as a hopeful and loving son, eager to help. His arc is tragic, as his good intentions lead to his father's blindness, leaving him filled with regret and a bitter lesson about carefulness.
Impulsive, caring, well-intentioned, regretful, unobservant.
The Father
An older man, likely frail due to his eye ailment, with a build that suggests a life of labor. His posture would be stooped from age and suffering.
Attire: Simple, worn clothing typical of an elderly commoner in 17th-century Málaga. This would include a loose-fitting linen shirt, perhaps a waistcoat, and trousers, all in muted, faded colors. He might wear a simple cap indoors.
Wants: To find relief from his eye ailment.
Flaw: His vulnerability due to illness and his trust in his son's judgment.
He begins in pain and ends up completely blind due to his son's misguided attempt to help. His arc is one of tragic deterioration.
Suffering, trusting, passive.
The Madman of Seville
A robust and strong adult man, capable of carrying a heavy stone. His movements are erratic and forceful, reflecting his mental state.
Attire: Ragged and dirty clothing, likely a coarse, patched tunic and breeches in dark, muted colors, reflecting his status as a 'loco' (madman) in 17th-century Seville. His clothes would be ill-fitting and worn.
Wants: Driven by a singular, violent compulsion to crush sleeping dogs with his stone. Later, motivated by fear of further punishment.
Flaw: His madness and violent compulsion, which leads him to harm others' property and himself.
He begins as a dangerous, unthinking individual driven by a bizarre compulsion. After a severe beating, he learns a specific, albeit narrow, lesson about caution, transforming from purely impulsive to cautiously selective in his violence.
Obsessive, violent (towards dogs), single-minded, learns through pain, cautious (after the beating).
The Hatter
An adult man of average build, likely showing the signs of his trade, perhaps a bit portly or with strong hands from working. His movements would be quick and angry when provoked.
Attire: Respectable but practical clothing for a craftsman in 17th-century Seville. This would include a dark doublet, a white linen shirt, breeches, and sturdy leather shoes. He might wear a simple cap, though he is likely to have removed it in his rage.
Wants: To avenge his podenco and punish the madman for his destructive act.
Flaw: His temper, which leads him to extreme violence.
He appears as a normal citizen, then transforms into a furious avenger after his dog is killed, delivering a brutal punishment that changes the madman's behavior.
Protective, indignant, vengeful, forceful.
Locations
Málaga Countryside
An open, natural area outside the city of Málaga, likely dry and somewhat wild, where thorny plants like 'abrojos' (caltrops or burrs) would grow.
Mood: Neutral, functional, a place for gathering natural remedies.
The son goes to gather 'abrojos' for his father's eyes, misinterpreting the medical text.
Father's Home in Málaga
A modest room within a 17th-century home in Málaga, where the father is confined due to his eye ailment. It would contain basic furnishings and a bed.
Mood: Initially hopeful, then quickly turns to despair and pain.
The son applies the 'abrojos' to his father's eyes, causing blindness, and then re-reads the text.
Streets of Seville
The public thoroughfares and open spaces of 17th-century Seville, where people and animals (like dogs) would be found. These streets would be cobbled or unpaved, lined with buildings typical of the era.
Mood: Initially chaotic and dangerous due to the 'madman', later tense and cautious.
The madman roams, dropping a stone on sleeping dogs, leading to a confrontation with a hatmaker.