From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
080. The Dancing Devil (El Diablo Bailarin)
(1910.)
It’s well known that in the 18th century the Devil was great friend with the miners of Petorca, where he had established his kingdom. On paydays, he went to town with them, or to the surrounding areas, [so as] to have fun and to dance the cueca in the small square belonging to him, which was located near where Silva street ends, or on the hill in the Plaza and that in the Piojo (lit. Louse, this is a hill in that area).
Once when he was dancing on this latter hill, he danced so well that a miner could not help but exclaim: -“Holy Virgin, how well this rude guy dances!”; and the Devil, upon hearing the invocation of the Virgin, burst, leaving the place burning with the smell of sulfur.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Bailarín – (profession) dancer, ballet dancer (in ballet); ballerina (feminine, in ballet); (that dances) dancing
Minero – (relating to mining) mining, mineral; (profession) miner
Remoler – (to pulverize) to grind up; (to bug) to annoy; (to have fun) (Chile) to live it up
Cueca – (dance) cueca; (music) cueca
Plazuela – (shameless man) scoundrel; (public place) small square
Reventar – (to break with pressure) to burst; (to explode) to blow up, to shatter (glass); (to cause to fail) to ruin, to spoil, to disrupt, to wreck, to break up (a gathering); (to bother) to annoy, to piss off; (to finish off) to ride into the ground; (to hit) to beat the living daylights out of, to punch; (to exhaust) to wear out, to tire out; (to break) to burst, to blow out; (to crash) to break (wave); (to be full) to burst; (to get angry) to explode; (to be eager to; used with “por”) to be bursting to, to be dying to
Roto – Persona maleducada, de modales groseros.