Mi prima Inés era rubia como una alemana. Fuimos criados juntos, desde muy niños, en casa de la buena abuelita, que nos amaba mucho y nos hacía vernos como hermanos, vigilándonos cuidadosamente, viendo que no riñésemos. ¡Adorable la viejecita, con sus trajes a grandes flores, y sus cabellos crespos y recogidos, como una vieja marquesa de Boucher!
Inés era un poco mayor que yo. No obstante, yo aprendí a leer antes que ella; y comprendía—lo recuerdo muy bien—lo que ella recitaba de memoria, maquinalmente, en una pastorela, donde bailaba y cantaba delante del niño Jesús, la hermosa María y el Señor San José; todo con el gozo de las sencillas personas mayores de la familia, que reían con risa de miel, alabando el talento de la actrizuela.
fluttering the ribbons on straw hats with that special sound! Garcín hasn’t gone to the country.
Here he is; he arrives at our beloved Café Plombier in a new suit, pale, with a sad smile.
“My friends, an embrace! All of you embrace me, like this, hard; say good-bye to me with all your heart, with all your soul.... The blue bird is flying. . . .”
And poor Garcín wept, hugged us, shook hands with us with all his might, and left.
We all said: “Garcín, the prodigal son, is returning to his old father in Normandy. Muses, farewell; farewell, Graces. Our poet has decided to measure out cloth! Hey! A glass for Garcín!”
The next day, our whole flock from the Café Plombier, the same ones who raised such a row in that ramshackle little room, were in Garcín’s apartment, pale, frightened, saddened. He was lying on his bed on top of the blood-stained sheets, his skull split open by a bullet. On the pillow there were bits of brain tissue.... Horrible!
When we got over our first shock and were able to weep over our friend’s body, we found that he had that much-discussed poem with him. On the last page he had written these words: “Today, while springtime is in full force, I am leaving the cage door open for the blue bird.”
Ah, Garcín, how many people there are with the same sickness as yours in their minds!