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143 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
When famas go on a trip, when they pass the night in a city, their procedure is the following: one fama goes to the hotel and prudently checks the prices, the quality of the sheets, and the color of the carpets. The second repairs to the commissariat of police and there fills out a record of the real and transferable property of all three of them, as well as an inventory of the contents of their valises. The third fama goes to the hospital and copies the lists of the doctors on emergency and their specialties.
After attending to these affairs diligently, the travelers join each other in the central plaza of the city, exchange observations, and go to a caf茅 to take an ap茅ritif. But before they drink, they join hands and do a dance in a circle. This dance is known as 鈥淭he Gayety of the Famas.鈥�
When cronopios go on a trip, they find that all the hotels are filled up, the trains have already left, it is raining buckets and taxis don鈥檛 want to pick them up, either that or they charge them exorbitant prices. The cronopios are not disheartened because they believe firmly that these things happen to everyone. When they manage, finally, to find a bed and are ready to go to sleep, they say to one another, 鈥淲hat a beautiful city, what a very beautiful city!鈥� And all night long they dream that huge parties are being given in the city and that they are invited. The next day they arise very contented, and that鈥檚 how cronopios travel.
Esperanzas are sedentary. They let things and people slide by them. They鈥檙e like statues one has to go visit. They never take the trouble.
芦Y los gestos del amor, ese dulce museo, esa galer铆a de figuras de humo. Consu茅lese tu vanidad: la mano de Antonio busc贸 lo que busca tu mano, y ni aqu茅lla ni la tuya buscaban nada que ya no hubiera sido encontrado desde la eternidad. Pero las cosas invisibles necesitan encarnarse, las ideas caen a la tierra como palomas muertas.
Lo verdaderamente nuevo da miedo o maravilla. Estas dos sensaciones igualmente cerca del est贸mago acompa帽an siempre la presencia de Prometeo; el resto es la comodidad, lo que siempre sale m谩s o menos bien; los verbos activos contienen el repertorio completo禄.
(鈥�) El fama considera al cronopio. Nunca hablar谩 hasta no saber que sus palabras son las que convienen, temeroso de que las esperanzas siempre alertas no se deslicen en el aire, esos microbios relucientes, y por una palabra equivocada invadan el coraz贸n bondadoso del cronopio.
鈥擜fuera llueve 鈥攄ice el cronopio鈥�. Todo el cielo.
鈥擭o te preocupes 鈥攄ice fama鈥�. Iremos en mi autom贸vil. Para proteger los hilos.
Y mira el aire, pero no ve ninguna esperanza, y suspira satisfecho. Adem谩s, le gusta observar la conmovedora alegr铆a del cronopio, que sostiene contra su pecho los dos hilos 鈥攗no azul鈥� y espera ansioso que el fama lo invite a subir a su autom贸vil.