A Bet With The Devil (Una Apuesta Con El Diablo)
They say that many years ago when the Devil and St. Crispin were together, the Devil dedicated himself to tempting the saint, and St. Crispin always [managed to] escape traps that the Devil had laid out for him [and thus was able] to retain his soul. And as he was not able to ensnare St. Crispin with his tricks, the Devil was left in a great rage [literal translation from ‘el Diablo estaba que echaba chispas’ would be “Devil was fuming with sparks”].
There was once when St. Crispin became a farmer: he rented a field, plowed it, cultivated it, and in general, worked it with such dedication and care that, in little time, the field became pleasing to look at.
The Devil roamed near the field all envious, seeing how the brussel sprouts and broad beans sprouted and grew bigger, and how the saint obtained potatoes and turnips. The more he roamed the field, the angrier he got. Until when, by dint of pondering and grumbling, and grumbling and pondering, an idea came to him for which he jumped [up] with joy.
“Now I got you!” said the Devil inwardly.
So he rented a field near the saint’s, brought a couple of oxen and dedicated himself to plowing and preparing the land, sweating profusely, as if there was nothing more important for him to do in the world. And when he finished, he went over to see St. Crispin.
“Come, come,” said the saint when he saw him approaching. “Surely this visit comes with traps and all.”
– As you have seen – said the Devil – I myself have also become a farmer! This type of work is a good thing for our health, and if a good harvest comes afterward, then it’s icing on the cake [fig. translation from ‘pues miel sobre hojuelas’, which means roughly ‘honey on leaves’].
St. Crispin temporized:
– Exactly, a good harvest is not a bad thing for anyone.
And the Devil continued:
– It has occurred to me that, if you are smart, perhaps you can take my harvest in addition to yours. It’s a bet, you know? I will plant a seed in my field, you will see it grow, and as soon as you correctly guess its name, all the harvest from my field will be placed in your granary. On the other hand, if you do not get it right in three tries, I am the one to have both your harvest and mine.
The truth is that the proposition seems good to St. Crispin, because if he gets the other harvest he will have more to share among the needy. The Devil, although he hid it, was inwardly ecstatic with contentment and said to himself: “This time you have fallen into my trap, Crispin!”
The Devil went to a settlement very far away that no one other than himself can get there and brought back a seed that he planted in his field. Meanwhile, St. Crispin, with the intention to win the bet, went to neighboring fields and, each time he saw a plant for which he did not recognize, asked for its name.
– And this plant, what is it? – he would ask.
And they answered him:
– That is a carrot.
Later he went to the other side:
– And this one, what is it?
– Turnip.
– And that?
– Beans.
By the time the seed planted by the Devil began to sprout, St. Crispin knew more about plants than king Solomon himself. Thus he went to the Devil’s field once the seed was well sprouted to see what plant it was… and to his surprise upon seeing it that he did not know the plant. He called on his friends and neighbors and people from close by, and all went to see if they knew the plant, but no one had seen it before.
The Devil, meanwhile, contrived a chance meeting with poor St. Crispin and said:
– What? When are you going to come and tell me the name of the plant which I have in my field?
And St. Crispin was more worried and sulky than ever because he saw that he will be left without his harvest. Until one morning in which he was ready to admit defeat, an idea came to mind and his eyes lighted up, and he said:
“This is now mine!”
He went to where the Devil was and warned him:
– Be careful with your field, when I was there last night pondering about the plant, I saw a very strange beast wallowing in the middle of everything.
The Devil saw that St. Crispin did not give the name of the plant, and was very content [at that]. But that evening he decided to go watch his field, lest the beast destroy the harvest and his bet.
As soon as dusk fell, St. Crispin put himself in a bucket of honey and placed a sackful of feathers on him. In this way, he went to the Devil’s field. He had a horrible look, [that of] half man, half bird. He arrived at the field, crouched down between the bushes, and waited for the Devil’s arrival. When he appeared, the saint left his hiding place and began to run, wallowed, flapped his arms and growled in such manner that the Devil barely stood straight due to fear, because he never imagined there would be such a monster in the world. But gathering his courage, the Devil drew strength from his weakness and shouted to scare the monster:
– Leave, monster, you are damaging my zapallitos [a type of summer squash].
And the monster, heavily, disappeared in the night.
And came the day in which the saint had to give the plant’s name or lose his harvest. The Devil put on his best suit, trimmed his mustache and goatee, put on some cologne and, all dressed up, presented himself at St. Crispin’s hut.
– Do you know why I have come? – said the Devil.
– Yes señor – said the saint.
– And you remember the bet?
– Yes señor.
– As you know – said the Devil – that, if on the third try you do not guess correctly what I planted in my field, all your harvest will be mine; on the other hand, if you guess correctly, all my harvest will be yours. So answer me now: what is it that I planted in my field?
– Collard greens.
– No señor.
– Chards.
– Not that either.
The Devil was bursting with joy, because there was only one more answer to be given.
– For the last time, Crispin, what is it that I have in my field?
And St. Crispin, smiling, answered him:
– Zapallitos, man, zapallitos.
And the Devil, who had gone to Argentina in search of the seed, let out an angry snort that the entire county could hear and ran away faster than a hare.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Acelgar – chard, swiss chard
A fuerza de – as a result of, by dint of
Agachar – (to move down) to lower, to bend, to bow, to hang, to duck; agacharse – to crouch down
Aletear – to flap its wings (birds)
A lo mejor – maybe, perhaps
Alubia – bean
Anoche – last night
Anochecer – (sundown) dusk, nightfall; (to become nighttime) to get dark
Anzuelo – (to for fishing) fish hook, hook; (trap) bait
Apenas si – barely, hardly, barely even, can hardly
Apuesta – bet (gambling)
Arar – to plow, to plough
Armarse – to arm oneself,
Arreglarse – to get ready; arreglar – to fix, to mend
Arrendar – to rent, to lease
Berza – collard, collard green
Bigote – mustache
Bufido – snort, hiss
Cavilar – to ponder, to think deeply
Chispas – (culinary) sprinkles; (flash of fire) spark; (small amount) bit
Choza – hut, shack
Coles – brussel sprouts, cabbages
Colonia – (perfume) cologne; colony, community
Comarca – region, district, county
Conque – thus, so, so then
Contemporizar – to be accommodating; to compromise; to temporize
Cosecha – harvest, crop
Cuanto más – the more
Cubo – bucket, pail, container
Darse por – to count oneself, to believe oneself to be
Disimular – to hide, to conceal
Disponerse – (to make ready) to prepare, to get ready
Enfurruñado – sulky, sulking
Escondite – hiding place, hideout
Esmero – care, great care, diligence
Espantar – to frighten, to scare
Esponjar – to fluff up, to make fluffy; to puff up
Estropear – to damage, to break
Flaqueza – weakness, frailty
Frasco – bottle, jar
Fuera – out, away
Garlito – fishtrap; trap, snare
Gordo – fat, thick; overweight, obese
Gota – drop, bead
Gruñir – (to complain) to grumble, to grouse; (to make an unfriendly sound) to growl
Guisa – way, manner
Haba – broad bean
Hacerse el encontradizo – met by chance; to contrive an apparently chance meeting
Hojuela – (botany) leaflet, little leaf; (culinary) flake
Ido – (insane) crazy; (distracted) miles-away, far-away; past participle of ir: gone
Labrador – farmer, farmhand, farmworker
Mata, matas – bushes
Miel – honey
Monstruo – monster
Nabo – turnip
Nacer – (to develop) to sprout, to grow
Necesitados – (indigent people) the needy
No fuera a ser que – lest, lest there were
Pájaro – bird
Para sus adentros – inwardly, to him/herself, in his/her heart
Pareja – (romantic pair) couple; (team or set of two) pair
Patata – potato
Perilla – goatee; knob, doorknob
Peripuesto – dressed-up, dolled-up
Pesadamente – heavily
Pillar – (to grab) to catch, to get; (to capture); (to surprise); (to knock down)
Población – settlement, city, town; population
Preocupado – worried, concerned
Que nunca – than ever; that … never
Reventar – (to break with pressure) to burst; to explode, to blow up
Revolcarse – to roll around, to wallow
Rondar – to patrol; (to hang around) to prowl, to wander
Rórreo – (architecture) raised granary
Seguro que – for sure, surely, definitely
Sembrar – to plant, to sow
Simiente – (botany) seed
Soltar – to let go of, to let out
Sonreír – to smile
Sudar – to sweat, to perspire
Susto – (sudden fear) scare, fright
Tentarse – (to give in to temptation) to fall into temptation
Traje – suit, dress
Trampucias – trampa (???) – trap
Vencido – defeated, losing
Vigilar – to watch, to guard
Zanahoria – carrot
Zapallito – zapallito, summer squash, a zuchini but in globe shape