¡Adiós, Cordera! (1892) is a Spanish short story written by Leopoldo Alas (Clarín). It is a realistic story, with some naturalistic elements. The story comments on the problems of Spain, such as the Guerra (War) Carlista.
The story centers around a family living in rural Spain. The family consists of the father, Anton de Chinta, and his two children, Rosa and Pinín, the wife having died prior to the story. The family owns a cow whom the children affectionately call Cordera, which translates to lamb in English. The children look to the cow as a mother figure, caring for it, and as the mother put it before she died, "Care for her [the cow], she is your sustenance."
The story begins with the children and the cow out in a field by a telegraph pole. Pinín, the boy, is intrigued by it and tries to climb up it, while the girl, Rosa, simply sits by it and listens. She is partially scared of it, although she enjoys listening to the unknown. The cow ignores it entirely.
Soon after that scene, a railway is put through the field. Again, the children are intrigued by it, while the cow is frightened by the loud noise. This fear of the train foreshadows the eventual end of the story.
The family lives in poverty, so the father, forced by circumstance, sells the cow to a man in another village. The cow is to be made into meat for the wealthy. The cow is taken away on the train, amidst the tearful cries of the children.
Many years are skipped until Pinín is older and has been drafted into the army to fight in the Carlist Wars. Unhappily, he goes on the same train the cow went on, seeming to be ready to meet the same end. This train represents a path to civilization and to the new industrialized world. A world that is very scary and unwanted for many rural families.
Anton de Chinta - the father of the two kids. He is hardworking, but poor. As the story describes, he was a man born to be poor.
Pinín - a young boy and twin of Rosa. He is bolder than his sister, though still affectionate. He later is drafted into the army.
Rosa - a young girl and the twin of Pinín. She is curious, quieter, sweet.
Cordera - the cow of the family. She is a mother figure to the twins and a symbol of the cycle of poverty of the family. Eventually, she is sold to be slaughtered.