Goya to Martín Zapater · April 1777
Letters from Goya · Chapter I Madrid and the Cartoons · Madrid
Listen to the first sentence (Spanish)
The letter and its translation
Infinitas gracias, y muchas más, por las expresiones de amistad que te merezco, y no dudes que, si había de cansar alguno, sería a ti.
Endless thanks, and many more, for the words of friendship I have from you; and don't doubt that if I had to trouble anyone, it would be you.
Pero, gracias a Dios, tengo, y con esperanzas de tener, como te insinué, campicos.
But, thank God, I have, and hope to have, as I hinted to you, a few little fields.
Pues, amigo, ya estoy bueno, gracias a Dios, que me he escapado de buena, etc.
Well, my friend, I'm well again now, thank God; I've had a narrow escape, etc.
Selected sentences from the letter. The translation is our own.
In the spring of 1777 Goya was seriously ill; the letter does not say what the illness was. He wrote this to Martín once he had recovered. The same year he painted bright cartoons such as ‘The Parasol’. ‘Campicos’, little fields, stand for the quiet life at home he always dreamed of.
In the app the letter arrives line by line like a message, with the meaning under each word, and you can talk with the writer. Chapter I is free.
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Credits
- Picture: Francisco de Goya · El quitasol · 1777 · Museo del Prado, Madrid · Public domain (PD-Art) · source
- Letter text: Zapater y Gómez, p. 8 · F. Zapater y Gómez, Goya. Noticias biográficas (Zaragoza, 1868 text; scan without imprint), p. 8 · public domain · archive.org
- Narration: made with Supertonic 3 (Supertone Inc.), model licence OpenRAIL-M.
- All sources: Lingua Museum sources and licences
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