百年孤独(英文版)-第64部分
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his shoes。 He put the bath off for later； not because of the cold and the dampness； but because of the oppressive October mist。 On his way back to the workshop he noticed the odor of the wick that Santa Sofía de la Piedad was using to light the stoves； and he waited in the kitchen for the coffee to boil so that he could take along his mug without sugar。 Santa Sofía de la Piedad asked him； as on every morning； what day of the week it was； and he answered that it was Tuesday； October eleventh。 Watching the glow of the fire as it gilded the persistent woman who neither then nor in any instant of her life seemed to exist pletely； he suddenly remembered that on one October eleventh in the middle of the war he had awakened with the brutal certainty that the woman with whom he had slept was dead。 She really was and he could not fet the date because she had asked him an hour before what day it was。 In spite of the memory he did not have an awareness this time either of to what degree his omens had abandoned him and while the coffee was boiling he kept on thinking out of pure curiosity but without the slightest risk of nostalgia about the woman whose name he had never known and whose face he had not seen because she had stumbled to his hammock in the dark。 Nevertheless； in the emptiness of so many women who came into his life in the same way； he did not remember that she was the one who in the delirium of that first meeting was on the point of foundering in her own tears and scarcely an hour before her death had sworn to love him until she died。 He did not think about her again or about any of the others after he went into the workshop with the steaming cup； and he lighted the lamp in order to count the little gold fishes； which he kept in a tin pail。 There were seventeen of them。 Since he had decided not to sell any； he kept on making two fishes a day and when he finished twentyfive he would melt them down and start all over again。 He worked all morning； absorbed； without thinking about anything； without realizing that at ten o’clock the rain had grown stronger and someone ran past the workshop shouting to close the doors before the house was flooded； and without thinking even about himself until ？rsula came in with his lunch and turned out the light。
“What a rain！？？rsula said。
“October；？he said。
When he said it he did not raise his eyes from the first little fish of the day because he was putting in the rubies for the eyes。 Only when he finished it and put it with the others in the pail did he begin to drink the soup。 Then； very slowly； he ate the piece of meat roasted with onions； the white rice； and the slices of fried bananas all on the same plate together。 His appetite did not change under either the best or the harshest of circumstances。 After lunch he felt the drowsiness of inactivity。 Because of a kind of scientific superstition he never worked； or read； or bathed； or made love until two hours of digestion had gone by； and it was such a deeprooted belief that several times he held up military operations so as not to submit the troops to the risks of indigestion。 So he lay down in the hammock； removing the wax from his ears with a penknife； and in a few minutes he was asleep。 He dreamed that he was going into an empty house with white walls and that he was upset by the burden of being the first human being to enter it。 In the dream he remembered that he had dreamed the same thing the night before and on many nights over the past years and he knew that the image would be erased from his memory when he awakened because that recurrent dream had the quality of not being remembered except within the dream itself。 A moment later； indeed； when the barber knocked at the workshop door； Colonel Aureliano Buendía awoke with the impression that he had fallen asleep involuntarily for a few seconds and that he had not had time to dream anything。
“Not today。？he told the barber。 “We’ll make it on Friday。？
He had a threeday beard speckled with white hairs； but he did not think it necessary to shave because on Friday he was going to have his hair cut and it could all be done at the same time。 The sticky sweat of the unwanted siesta aroused the scars of the sores in his armpits。 The sky had cleared but the sun had not e out。 Colonel Aureliano Buendía released a sonorous belch which brought back the acidity of the soup to his palate and which was like a mand from his anism to throw his blanket over his shoulders and go to the toilet。 He stayed there longer than was necessary； crouched over the dense fermentation that was ing out of the wooden box until habit told him that it was time to start work again。 During the time he lingered he remembered again that it was Tuesday； and that Jos？Arcadio Segundo had not e to the workshop because it was payday on the banana pany farms。 That recollection； as all of those of the past few years； led him to think about the war without his realizing it。 He remembered that Colonel Gerineldo Márquez had once promised to get him a horse with a white star on its face and that he had never spoken about it again。 Then he went on toward scattered episodes but he brought them back without any judgment because since he could not think about anything else； he had learned to think coldly so that inescapable memories would not touch any feeling。 On his way back to the workshop； seeing that the air was beginning to dry out； he decided that it was a good time to take a bath； but Amaranta had got there ahead of him。 So he started on the second little fish of the day。 He was putting a hook on the tail when the sun came out with such strength that the light creaked like a fishing boat。 The air； which had been washed by the threeday drizzle； was filled with flying ants。 Then he came to the realization that he felt like urinating and he had been putting it off until he had finished fixing the little fish。 He went out into the courtyard at ten minutes after four； when he heard the distant brass instruments； the beating of the bass drum and the shouting of the children； and for the first time since his youth he knowingly fell into a trap of nostalgia and relived that prodigious afternoon Of the gypsies when his father took him to see ice。 Santa Sofía de la Piedad dropped what she was doing in the kitchen and ran to the door。
“It’s the circus；？she shouted。
Instead of going to the chestnut tree； Colonel Aureliano Buendía also went to the street door and mingled with the bystanders who； were watching the parade。 He saw a woman dressed in gold sitting on the head of an elephant。 He saw a sad dromedary。 He saw a bear dressed like a Dutch girl keeping time to the music with a soup spoon and a pan。 He saw the clowns doing cartwheels at the end of the parade and once more he saw the face of his miserable solitude when everything had passed by and there was nothing but the bright expanse of the street and the air full of flying ants with a few onlookers peering into the precipice of uncertainty。 Then he went to the chestnut tree； thinking about the circus； and while he urinated he tried to keep on thinking about the circus； but he could no longer find the memory。 He pulled his head in between his shoulders like a baby chick and remained motionless with his forehead against the trunk of the chestnut tree。 The family did not find him until the following day at eleven o’clock in the morning when Santa Sofía de la Piedad went to throw out the garbage in back and her attention was attracted by the descending vultures。
Chapter 14
MEME’S LAST VACATIONS coincided with the period of mourning for Colonel Aureliano Buendía。 The shuttered house was no place for parties。 They spoke in whispers； ate in silence； recited the rosary three times a day； and even clavichord practice during the heat of siesta time had a funereal echo。 In spite of her secret hostility toward the colonel； it was Fernanda who imposed the rigor of that mourning； impressed by the solemnity with which the government exalted the memory of its dead enemy。 Aureliano Segundo； as was his custom came back to sleep in the house during his daughter’s vacation and Fernanda must have done some。 thing to regain her privileges as his legitimate wife beca
