Dracula's Guest

Donde el protagonista, Jonathan Harker, observa el temor en los que lo rodean y se pregunta qué es Walpurgis nacht. Se encontrará envuelto en una aventura relacionada con el conde Drácula.

Dracula's Guest es un cuento que luego el autor, Bram Stoker, desarrollaría en su novela Drácula.

En vocabulario encontramos turnip.

La tapa del libro de Bram Stoker

Generalidades

Dracula's Guest es un cuento de Bram Stoker, publicado dos años después de su muerte, en 1.914. Se cree que fue el primer capítulo de Drácula, pero que fue borrado antes de la publicación ya que los editores pensaron que era de poca importancia para la historia.

La síntesis

Jonathan Harker es llevado a través del campo en una carroza. El guía se muestra temeroso y espera volver pronto pues la noche se acerca. A pesar de la advertencia de no atrasarse Jonathan quiere caminar y se encuentra en un cementerio. Se desencadena una tormenta y se refugia en un mausoleo. El hombre se desmaya y al recuperar el conocimiento un lobo lame su cuello. Jonathan es rescatado por hombres a caballo que le informan que el conde Drácula había alertado sobre la presencia de nieve y lobos en el lugar.

Párrafos

… When we started for our drive the sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of early summer. Just as we were about to depart, Herr Delbruck (the maître d'hotel of the Quatre Saisons, where I was staying) came down bareheaded to the carriage and, after wishing me a pleasant drive, said to the coachman, still holding his hand on the handle of the carriage door, "Remember you are back by nightfall. The sky looks bright but there is a tremble in the north wind that says there may be a sudden storm. But I am sure you will not be late." Here he smiled and added, "For you know what night it is."

Johann answered with an emphatic, "Ja, mein Herr," and, touching his hat, drove off quickly. When we had cleared the town, I said, after signaling to him to stop:

"Tell me, Johann, what is tonight?"

He crossed himself, as he answered laconically: "Walpurgis nacht." Then he took out his watch, a great, old-fashioned German silver thing as big as a turnip and looked at it, with his eyebrows gathered together and a little impatient shrug of his shoulders. I realized that this was his way of respectfully protesting against the unnecessary delay and sank back in the carriage, merely motioning him to proceed. He started off rapidly, as if to make up for lost time. Every now and then the horses seemed to throw up their heads and sniff the air suspiciously. On such occasions I often looked round in alarm. The road was pretty miserable… (Excerpts from Dracula´s Guest, by Bram Stoker)

Vocabulario

Turnip: The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word turnip is a compound of turn and neep, derived from Latin napus, the word for the plant. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock.

Turnip: Nabo.

Para saber

Walpurgis nacht: In Germany the night from 30 April to 1 May, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration and await the arrival of spring and is held on the same night as Saint Walpurgis Night (Sankt Walpurgisnacht).

Noche de Walpurgis es el nombre que se le da al aquelarre que celebraban las brujas la víspera del 1° de mayo, en franco desafío contra Dios, al colocar la fiesta seis meses después del 1° de noviembre, el Día de Todos los Santos.

Recursos

Dracula´s Guest, para leer en internet.

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