Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

“EL SABIO CIDE HAMETE VENENGELI”

1956; Liverpool University Press; Volume: 33; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1475382562000333218

1469-3550

Geoffrey Stagg,

Historical Studies in Latin America

Abstract Even to-day—when the vogue of the romances of chivalry has long since faded—the reader of Don Quixote can delight in Cervantes' felicitous invention of the novel's fictitious author, Cide Hamete Benengeli. It is, however, legitimate to ask whether Cervantes' elaborate joke is appreciated to the full. The aim of this short paper is to investigate how Cervantes came to choose his imaginary chronicler's Arabic style and names, and to suggest that these may have a hitherto unsuspected significance. BSS Subject Index: CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, MIGUEL DE (1547–1616) DON QUIJOTEPÉREZ DE HITA, GINÉS (1544?–1619?) Notes 1Quotations are from the Schevill and Bonilla ed., 4 vols. (Madrid 1928–41). 2 Don Quijote, ed. Rodríguez Marín (Madrid 1927–8), I, 293, note. 3 Spanish and Portuguese Romances of Chivalry (Cambridge 1920), p. 13. 4 Orígenes de la novela, Ed. Nacional (Santander 1943), I, 436–37. 5 Ed. cit., I, 293–94, note. 6Ed. Blanchard-Demouge (Madrid 1913); all citations will be referred to this ed. 1 Orígenes, II, 135, n.1 (where the relevant quotation from ch. 17 of the Guerras civiles is given). 2 Ed. cit., following the “Introducción”. 3 Don Quijote, ed. Cortejón (Madrid 1905–13), I, 208–09, note. 4 Ed. cit., I, 293, note. 5V. Cotarelo y Valledor, Cervantes lector (Madrid 1943), p. 48. 6 Don Quijote, ed. Rodriguez Marín, I, 281, note. 7However written; “Alimuzel” and “Cauralí”, for example, consist of two elements, one in each case being the proper name “Alí ”. 1 Ed. cit., I, 292, note. 2“Notas etimológicas a El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha ”, Homenaje a Menéndez y Pelayo (Madrid 1899J, II, 132. 3 Ed. cit., I, 210. 4 Ed. cit., 1,463. 5 Vida ejemplar y heroica de Cervantes, V (Madrid 1953), p- 442, n. 1. 6Menéndez Pidal, ed., Cantar de Mio Cid, I (Madrid 1944), p. 328. 7 Cf. nos. 5 and 119 in Menéndez Pidal's “Romancero judío-español” (Los romances de América y otros estudios—Buenos Aires 1945, pp. 141 and 180), and Bénichou, “Romances judeo-españoles de Marruecos”, RFH, VI (1944), 113, note to first line of “La buena hija”. 8 Cf. Bénichou, ibid., for this process in versions of “La buena hija”, which both he (P. 356) and Menéndez Pidal (p. 126) consider of some antiquity. For other examples of “Sidi” replacing “Cid” or “Cide”, see Bénichou, pp. 257, 260, 261. 9Haedo, Topografía e historia general de Argel, 3 vols. (Madrid 1927–9), I, 112–13. 1 Don Quijote, ed. Cortejón, I, 206, note. 2 Cf. Guevara's letter (dated 1524) about Cidi Abducarim (Libro primero de las Epistolas familiares, ed. Cossío, II, Madrid 1952, pp. 375–82). 3All reís, will be to the ed. quoted in n.9, p. 220. 4 Ed. cit., I, v–x; cf. also Navarrete, Vida de Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Madrid 1819), pp. 350–51. 1Exceptions noted are: Caramani (Caramami) Hoja (III, 194, 247), Ali Medina (III, 232), Alfarami and (III, 268) Rabadán Bajá, discussed in the text. 2Cid Amet Benelcadi, “Rey del Cuco” (I, 281); Cid Butereque, “Xeque y Príncipe de muchos Alarbes” (I, 285). 3“El Cayde Cid Hamida Cajes” (I, 58); the name occurs in a list of 23 rich alcaides; no other name in the list is preceded by “Cid”. “EI alcaide Cid Aut” (III, 218). 4“Del cayde Hamida Caxes” (I, 194); “del mismo alcayde Daut” (III, 219); (the context shows that he is identical with the “Cid Aut” of the previous note). Caxes is described as “un moro muy rico” (I, 191), Aut as “el más rico, poderoso, y valido de cuantos alcaides hay en Argel” (III, 218). 5 “Ese nuestro vecino y moro de España, Cid Ratel” (III, 250). 6 Sosa addresses Amud twice as “Cid Amud” (III, 199); he usually calls him “Amud”. 1 This word is also given the forms “chaciz” (I, 379, 385), “caciz” (I, 103) and “caçiz” (I, 372). Haedo treats it as a synonym of “morabuto” (I, 103); it seemed to mean more precisely a marabout of high rank, perhaps one in charge of a mosque (cf.“Cid Butaybo morabuto, y chaciz de la más principal mezquita” [I, 385]); the term could certainly indicate one of high rank, regardless of his faith: “suelen los judíos todos elegir ciertos judíos más principales, que son como consejeros, y otro que es como cabeza y mayor de todos ellos, a quien el Rey confirma y le llaman ellos Caciz” (I, 112–3). 2I, 188, 366; III, 43, 109, 194, 195, 200 (twice), 204, 206, 217 (twice), 225, 259. 1 Cf. Raymond S. Willis, Jr.'s observation: “More and more, the words of Cide Hamete begin ironically to resemble the Word” {The Phantom Chapters of the Quijote—New York 1943, P. 100). 2Private communication to author. I am greatly indebted to Professor Trend for his help on this point, and on others noted later. 1 Ibid. 2 Ibid. 3 Cf. n.2, p. 222.