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A Study Of The Poetry Of Rafael Maya

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A Study Of The Poetry Of Rafael Maya

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Content This dlaaartatton has baan mlcroAhasd axactly as racatrad 66-8784 FAHEY, S.N.J.M., Sister Miriam Daniel, 1927- A STUDY OF THE POETRY OF RAFAEL MAYA. University of Southern California, Fh.D., 1966 Language and Literature, modern University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan A STUDY OF THE POETRY OF RAFAEL MAYA by Sister Miriam Daniel Fahey, S.n • J . A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirsments for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Spanish) June 1966 UNIVERSITY O F S O U T H E R N CA LIFO RN IA T H E GRADUATE SCHOO L U NIVERSITY PARK L O S ANOELES, CA LIFO R N IA BOOOT This dissertation, written by Sister Mirtfm Danlel F ... under the direction of hw....Dissertation Com mittee, and approved by all its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Graduate School, in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of D O C T O R OF P H IL O S O P H Y ... f Diaa Date ...............Jun.«.1566 ............................. DISSERTATION COMMITTEE —v / Chairman ^ V.CL^Cu< J < ^ X 3 [ > } . . : . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS X should like to acknowledge my Indebtedness and express my gratitude to the Government of the United States of America* which under Title IV of die National Defense Education Act* has enabled me to further my studies In Spanish and Spanish American Literature In preparation for college teaching* to the Regents of the University of Southern California for adopting the program on their campus, to my religious community who generously allowed me three years from my teaching to devote to study* to Dr. Dorothy McMahon and the members of the Department of Spanish for their unstinting guidance* to the staff of the Edward L* Doheny Jr. Library for Its Invaluable assistance* and to the poet* Rafael Maya* who cordially granted me Interviews at the University of the Andes and In his home In Bogota. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS il Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 Scope o£ Study Biographical Sketch of Maya The Poetry of Maya II. MAYA'S POETIC THEORY 20 Inspiration of the Muse The Poet Poetry Time and Place of Inspiration Language Themes Nature of Poetry Nature and the Poet Personal Reflections of Maya III. THE UNIVERSAL QUALITY OF MAYA'S POETRY .... 57 The Relevance of Universality Classical Themes and Mythological Symbols Old Testament Characters Life and Death Love Beauty Nature iii Chapter Page IV. THE NATIONAL QUALITY OF MAYA'S POETRY .... 201 Colombia and Colombians Geography of Colombia Family and Home V. MAYA'S GREATEST WORKS...................... 234 Coros fdel mediodfa Despues del silencio VI. FORMAL STRUCTURE OF MAYA'S POETRY........... 276 Meters Figures of Speech Sensory Appeal Diction and Syntax VII. CONCLUSION.................................. 344 APPENDIX......................................... 352 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................... 356 iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Scops of Study Rafael Maya (1898) is a teacher, critic, orator and poet of Colombia whose life has been dedicated to the edu cation of his nation's youth, who consider him their "maestro." This title he shares with his mentor, the great poet of "Modernlsmo," Guillermo Valencia (1873-1943), a fellow citizen of Popayan. A literary critic with a clear style and valid observations, Maya has studied the works of writers within Colombia, from Hernando Dominguez Cemargo, the colonial poet, to Leon de Grelff (1895), a contemporary lyrist who began the march of the vanguard writers in his native land. Maya has also written critical studies of writers from other countries, such as Cervantes, Goethe, Hugo, Garcia Lorca, Santos Chocano and Juana de lb arbour ou. Frequently, he is called upon to give the 1 keynote address at conventions end festivals where he captivates the audience with his lucid presentations and logical development of the topic under discussion. Nor Is his mastery of literary principles confined to theory, for he began to write poetry as a young man, and throughout his life he has been faithful to the Inspiration of the Muse. The latter aspect of Maya's life, that Is, his con tribution to Colombian letters In the field of poetry, has been chosen as the theme of this dissertation, not because his labor as a teacher, critic and orator Is Inferior, but because the attention which his lyrical works have received In the United States Is not consonant with their merit. As early as 1925 Jean Cassou, the eminent French critic, in reviewing Maya's first collection of poems, La vlda en la sombre.1 remarks that "M. Maya a une faclllte extra- 2 / ordinaire." Mariano Picon Salas, the Venezuelan critic, Immediately recognised the potentiality of Maya whose "vos ... es entre todas las voces nuevas la qua parece 1 Rafael Maya, kf Yfr*l fB 1* (Bogota: Cromos, 1925). 2 Jean Cassou, "Sobre La vlda en la sombra." Revue de l'Aaerloue latine, X (Aout, 1925), 159. « % mas clara y segura." In 1928, the year his second book, Coros del nedlodfa. was published,* another French critic, Georges Pillament, In his review, prophesied the develop ment of a gift possessed by Maya which would blossom with maturity after he had tasted more of the sorrows of life. He commented that It did not matter that he did not have an exact knowledge yet of life and its creations, nor if his experience was superficial because "11 y a en lui des dons qua, nous l'esperons, se realiseront.”5 The passing of the years has not diminished Rafael Maya's prestige. In 1944 the Brazilian, Mario Mendes Campos, characterizes Maya as "uma excelsa voz da poesia colombiena, portador de excepclonais dons de sabedoria, serenldade estetica e aguda percepcao da beleza ... ^Mariano Picon Salas, "Uh nuevo gran poeta de Colom bia: Rafael Maya," Atenea. VIZI (Novlenbre, 1927), 328. *Rafael Maya, Coros del medlodfe (Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1928). ^Georges Plllement, "Sobre Coros del Wy1l?Hi8-, t Revue 1'^atylcue latine. XVI (Julllet, 1928), 169. Sfarlo Mendes Campos, "Poetas colomblanos,” from Mmiagm (Belo Horizonte) Univer sided Pont if 1c la Boliva- lXflDI» X (Febrero-Marzo, 1944), 313. More recently the Bolivian critic, Femendo Dies de Medina, calls Maya "uno de [los] mas preclaros lngenios" of Colom bia, creator of "el verso terso, nltido, perfeeto ... Dies de Medina laments the tardy arrival of Maya's poems to Bolivia— "pocos, pero puros, radlantes, lmagen fiel de A la mas noble poesla." Angel Martin Sarmiento, C.M.F., a Spaniard who has written several articles about Maya's poetry, calls it a "magnifies obra ... produceion llterarla de un tan gran maestro" in which he found "tesoros lnsos- 9 pechados." Significant, also, is the inclusion of Maya among world-renowned writers in the Lealkon der welt- llteratur im 20. Jahrhundert.10 Although it may seem superfluous to note the reception Maya's poetry has had among Colombian critics, such as Baldomero San In Cano, Jose Umana Bernal, Javier Arango Ferrer, Nicolas Bayona ^Fernando Dies de Medina, "Figures de America: Rafael Maya, poeta de Colombia," Bolivar. XXXIX (Marso-Agosto, 1955), 745. 8Ibid., p. 746. 8Angel Martin Sarmiento, C.M.F., "Carta a Rafael Maya," Bolivar. XXXVIII (Enero-Abril, 1955), 629. 10T^rikon der weltliteratur im 20. Jahrhundert (2 vole.; Freiburg: Herder, 1961), II, 413. Posada, Eduardo Caballero Calderon and Carlos Arturo Capa- rroso, it Is significant that so many of them place him among their outstanding contemporary writers, as Leon de Greiff and German Pardo Garc£a (1902). Why, then, has so little attention been given to Rafael Maya in the United States? Is his poetry good, but not great? Has he remained aloof from the main stream of life, or is there a universal scope to his philosophy? Is there a distinguishing quality in his lyrical works that sets him apart from the ordinary poet? Can the problem of which Diez de Medina complains, that Maya's works were slow in reaching Bolivian readers, be applied to readers in the United States as well? Is there a reticence among students of Latin American literature to discuss the merits of a living author? Has too slight an emphasis been focused on the contribution of Latin American writers in recent times? Certainly, the answer to the last three queries is "No." All of Maya's works, both prose and verse, can be located in the United States, although his poetry has re* calved here far less recognition in anthologies and articles than it has in other countries. Federico de On£s does Include "Capitan de velnte aHos" from Coroe del medio- die In hie anthology published four years ago In New York.11 And "Alla lejos," accompanied by an English trans lation by R. Hays, is incorporated into an Anthology of ggntfflffgrtry p9 ? m by Dudley Fitts.12 Five poems recited by Maya have been taped for the Hispanic 13 Section of the Library of Congress in 1962. These in clude "Bn las prlmeras horas" from Coros del medlodla. "La esplna," "La mansion abandonada," and "Recado a mis , 14 amigos" from Navegaclon nocturne and "Sangre" published In the newspaper, El Tiemno. of Bogota.15 But this is 1XFederico de Onfs, ed., Antologla de la noesla esoa- nola e (1882-1932) (New York: Las Americas Publishing Company, 1961), pp. 1013-1016. 12 Dudley Fitts, ed., Anthology of Contemporary Larin American PQetrv (Norfolk: New Directions, 1942), pp. 442- 445. 13 Francisco Aguilera, comp., Index of Genres and Tonics to the Beading in Spanish by selected authors from the Library of Congress Archives of Hispanic Literature on tape (Washington: Library of Congress Reference Depart ment, 1962). ^Rafael Maya, Navegaclon nocturne (Bogota: Librerfa Voluntad, 1958). 15E1 Tiampo (Bogota), Sunday, May 14, 1961, Section II, p. 2. inappreciable in comparison to the poems of and articles about Maya found in periodicals, such as Poesfa df (Mexico), Renertorlo americano (Costa Rica), Ateneo de Honduras. A&gagg (Chile), and Revlsta chilena and antholo gies originating from Spain and Argentina.^ The studies devoted to Octavio Paz (1904), Clro Alegrfa (1909), Pablo Neruda (1904), Jorge Carrera Andrade (1902), and Jorge Luis Borges (1900) among many others prove that American students do not hesitate to consider the works of living men. The vast number of books, articles, theses and university courses in the United States dedicated to the examination of their writings attest to the growing realization of their value. This dissertation proposes to answer the questions posed on page 5. By examining closely all of Maya's poetry, 1 shall try to discover his greatness, and illus trate how he matures from the young imitative writer to the independent thinker. By a thorough scrutiny of his lyric production 1 hope to show that his provincial educa tion does not make him unaware of universal human probleois 16Thesa entries will be Included in the bibliography in order to be of service to those interested. nor that the confines of a small country like Colombia do not limit his thinking in terms of all mankind. I shall endeavor to demonstrate the support and validity that his meter, imagery and diction give to his poetic thoughts. In order that this study be systematic and that its conclusions be valid, Maya's six collections of poems will be the primary source of my investigations. These books include, La vide en la sombre, seventy-eight poems of diverse form and theme, Coros del mediodfa. a compilation of nineteen poems considered by some to be his masterpiece, Despues del silencio.17 six poems in dialogue averaging over three hundred verses each, Final de romances v otras 18 canclones. eleven poems, four of which are written in ballad form, Tiempo de lux. 7 a collection of fifty sonnets and his last book of poems, Navegaclon nocturne, a compila tion of one hundred one poems of varying meter and rhyme which climaxes Maya's published poems to this time. 17Rafael Maya, Despues del silencio (Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1938). I8Rafael Maya, Fina} de romayes v ptrmm in Foaaia (2a ed.; Bogota: Libreria Voluntad, 1944). 19 , Rafael Maya, Tiempo de lux (Bogota: Ediclones Esplral, 1951). Before undertaking the examination of Maya'a poetry, it aeema relevant to give a brief sketch of hla life in order to focus his poetic creation in the proper perspec tive. This sketch, with a brief description of the edi tions of his poetry, will conclude the introduction. Usually a poet has set ideas about poetry. If he does not have a theory per se, he may reveal these concepts throughout the course of his poetic production. When asked about poetic theory, Maya disparaged those poets who first offer "their aesthetic ideas," but whose theories are more Interesting than their application. He suggests that a poet not speculate about his art but dedicate himself exclusively to its creation leaving the exegesis for 20 others. Although Maya has no theory, as such, about poetic creation, he does state or suggest in his poems various thoughts about this art. Chapter II will be a discussion of thesa ideas as an aid to a better under standing of his art. Is there a unique quality in Maya's poetry as he 20 Rafael Maya in an interview with Julio Aguirre Quintero, "El pensamiento de Rafael Maya," Bolivar. XIV (Jullo-Septleobre, 1961), 190. 10 progresses from youth to maturity. Is Maya constrained by the limits of a colonial Colombian town or is there a universal dimension to his work, is there a distinct character, and an original flavor In his treatment of imagery which would attract readers beyond the confines of Colombia? Chapters III to VI will attempt to answer these questions by treating each one individually, illustrating by the philosophy contained in his poems, the themes treated, the moods expressed and the artistry exhibited that the poetry of Rafael Maya deserves greater recogni tion. Chapter VII will be a resume and evaluation of the matter considered in the body of the paper. Biographical Sketch of Mava Since Rafael Maya is not widely known in the United States it seems fitting to mention something about his life in order to facilitate the analysis of his poems. Poetry is affected and influenced by one's early years, his edu cation, his activities and his accomplishments. Maya's works reveal this fact. The poet was born in the colonial city of Popayan, 11 Colombia, on March 21, 1898.^ He racaivad hie secondary education In the Seminary of Popayan and studied Law at the Unlversided dal Cauca of the same city and at the Uni- versldad Nacional in Bogota. With regard to his education Maya says: .. • yo soy un autodldacto y ml cultura tlene tramandas lagunas porque en mi tiempo no hab£a donde nl como hacer estudios organlzedos de ninguna especle (me reflero a los estudios llterarlos y humanlsticos), y ten£a uno qua entrar fatalmente a la facultad de Derecho o a la de Mediclna. Yo perd£ muchos anos sobre los codigos. En el Seminario de Popayan tuve algunos rudimsntos de huma- nldades, es declr, el conoclmlento fragmentarlo de al gunos autores latinos, pero eso, no obstante lo elemental de la enseSanza, me ha servido touch£slmo posterlormente. Si yo hublese seguido formalmente aqu£ [Bogota] o en el exterior una carrera de letras o de humanidedes no ten- dr£a que lamentarme shore de las profundas deficiencies de ml modesta culture.22 21This and other biographical material, except where otherwise noted, was obtained from Oliverio Perry y c£a. (edltores), Quien es quien en Colombia (3a ed.; Bogota: Oliverio Perry y Cla., 1961), p. 224. Several authors cite 1897 as the year of Maya's birth, among them are Dario Achury Valenzuela, El llbro de los poatae (2a ed.; Bogota: Tipograf£a "Colon,** 1937), p. 38; Bailiano Dlez-Echarrl y Jose Ma. Roca Franquesa, Historic de la literatura espanola e hlepanympnlfint (Madrid: Aguilar, 1960), p. 1335; and Josi Joaquin Ortega Torres, Historic de la literatura coloab^^nf (2a ed. aum*; Bogota: Editorial Cromos, 1935), p. 935. March 19, 1898, is given by the Editors, Lexlkon Amr wlfcllfcsrstnr im 20. JmhrhunAmrt (2 vols.; Freiburg: Herder, 1961), II, 413. 22Maya in an interview with Aguirre Quintero, in Aguirre Quintero, p. 195. 12 At eighteen Maya began to write in the magazine 0 O O Popayan and in various other newspapers and reviews. As early as 1919 two of his sonnets had been published in Costa Rica, "Fatum" and "De mas alia," which had appeared , 24 earlier in Cronos (Bogota). These two poems were in cluded in his first published book of poetry, La vide an By 1929 he held the post of rector of the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Bogota, and through the years he has been a professor of literature in many colegioa of the same city. In 1941 he was elected dean of the School of Human! - 25 ties in the Unlversidad Javerlana. It is only natural that having held positions of this nature for so many years that he would be designated with the affectionate title of ntftr? by his students. 23 Ortega Torres, p. 935. 24 , Repertory ffltrjcano (San Jose, Costa Rica), I (Febrero, 1919), 23 (de Cronos [Bogota]). 2^"Rafael Maya, Decano," Revista de las Indlaa. VIII (1940), 125. 26 In the summer of 1965, while attending a seminar at the University of the Andes in Bogota, I stood chatting with Rafael Maya on one of the porches when one of his students passed and greeted him spontaneously as "maestro." Frequently during Maya's career he has been Invited to give the address at festivals, congresses and cultural functions. Many of these discourses have been published In magazines and In 1941 they were collected In a single 27 volume. The speech that he gave In Call during the fes tivities commemorating the centenary of Jorge Isaacs' birth was Incorporated under the title, "Jorge Isaacs y la reall- dad de su espfritu." Others Included were "Vlda, muerte y resurrecclon de una cludad," given In Manlzales to honor the founders of the city, and "La Iglesla, la Bucarlst£a y la cultura," delivered In Medellfn at the Inaugural assembly of the second Colombian Eucharlstlc Congress. Another address Included In this collection Is "Un sfmbolo* de America" which he delivered In Bogota at the unveiling of the monument erected there In honor of Jose Santos Chocano. "Popayan de Belalcazar" given In Maya's native city during Its fourth centenary celebration also appears In Alabansas ... In 1953 Maya was Invited to speak at Salamanca where he addressed the final session of the Con gress of Hispanic Universities, gathered at the great 27 Rafael Maya, del hombre y de la tlerra (2o vol.; Bogota: Editorial Voluntad, [1941]). 14 28 university on the occasion of its seventh centenary. In addition to the unswerving dedication of Maya In his role as writer, educator and orator, he has also served his country as cultural attache of its embassy in Chile, as representative in the House in 1947 and as director of the National Radio between 1948 and 1951, where he directed a series of cultural programs. He founded and directed the magazine Bolivar. the official organ of the Ministry of Education and also the Biblioteca Popular de Culture * Colombiana from 1951 until November of 1955 when he was nominated delegate to UNESCO in Paris. Maya returned to Colombia after several months in Europe in the early part 29 of 1958. Among the honors that have been accorded him are the title of Doctor of Philosophy and Letters, Honoris Causa, and the signal privilege of being an appointed mem ber of the Colombian Academy of Language and a correspond ent of the Spanish Academy. Rafael Maya still lives in Bogota (1965) with his 2*Rafael Maya, "La leccion de Salamanca," Bolivar. No. 25 (Septicabre-Dicienbre, 1953), pp. 689-698. ^"Regreso del acadsmico Rafael Maya," Bolotin de la Academia Colombians. VIII (Enero-Marco, 1958), 66-67. 15 wife, Nelly Gallego Norris, and with their children Clara, Christina, and Carlos. Much o£ his time Is spent among the books In his library where he meditates and writes. Julio Aguirre Quintero gives this admirable description o£ him: ... En la tarde encuentro al maestro en su blblloteca, ... El ambiente es exceptional: inslnua el dlalogo e Invlta a o£r la viva palabra cuyo mag is ter lo ha ennoble - ddo con tanta generosidad tantas conciencias. El rostro del maestro se llumlna; vive sub pensamlentos. El tono, esc singular acento en clertas aflrmaclones, mucho mas elocuente Incluso que las palabras, me sltua subltsmente en un cllma espirltual que ml memorla solo encuentra un antecedents en el recuerdo fulgurante del Uorno Finito.30 He Is active in the teaching profession as Instructor of literature in the University of the Andes. It was common to see him standing and conversing animatedly with his students on the cypress-lined walk of the campus during my seminar there. The poet is very self-assured and this confidence Is evident In his tone of voice and manner of speaking. He Is very young for his sixty-seven years. His taut complexion and his dark, though thinning, hair belie his age. His hand clasp is firm and cordial, and his 30 "El pensamiento de Rafael Maya," Bolfvar. XIV (Jullo-Septiembre, 1961), 181. 16 unhurried courtesy bespeaks the gentlemen that he Is. The Poetry of Mays Rafael Maya had Initiated his lyrical career several years before his first collection, La vlda en la sombre. was published in 1925. The sonnet "Fatum" was published in Cromos and in Repertorio «m«rie«nQ as early as 1919,31 and was printed in the Revlsta chilena in 1921. "De mas alia," another sonnet, also appeared in 1919* In 1924 Repertorio americano published another poem of Maya, "Vol- r 1 34 verte a ver [sic]." Since the publication of his first poetic compilation, Maya's poems have been included in numerous newspapers, reviews and anthologies. Less extensive-'nineteen poems— but excelling Maya's first collection in quality according to the judgment of critics within and out of Colombia is Coros del" medlodfa. Repertorio americano (San Jose, Costa Rica), I (Febrero, 1919), 23 (de Cromos [Bogota]). 328eelata chllena (Santiago de Chile), XII (1921), 192. 33 / Repertyyjft fpTicano (San Jose, Costa Rica), I (Febrero, 1919), 23 (de Cromos [Bogota]). • ^Report n rlcano (San Jose, Costa Rica), VIII (1924), 319. 17 In Coros del madiodfa Maya frees himself from the con straint of the sonnet (there are thirty-three In La vlda en la sombra) and of rhyme. Only four poems have asso nance. Of the remaining fifteen only nine have a set meter of mixed heptasyliable and hendecasyliable verses. After a decade Maya published his least extensive production, Desoues del silencio. This Is comprised of six dialogued poems averaging over three hundred verses each. Maya shows daring In his combining meter and rhyme within the poems. "Rosa mecanica," the most varied, contains stanzas of five, six, seven-eleven, ten-six, eleven and twelve-syllabled verses with perfect and Imperfect rhyme, couplets and free verse. In 1940 these three books of Poame--La vlda en la sombra, Coros del "t*119*^1 and Desoues del silencio— were published simultaneously In Poesfa.35 Four years later when a second edition of Poesfa was published It also Included Final de romances v otras can- 36 clones. The 1944 edition of Final ... contains eleven 35 Rafael Maya, Poes fa (Bogota: Llbrerfa Voluntad, 1940). ^Rafael Maya, Poes fa (2a ed.; Bogota: Llbrerfa Volun tad, 1944). 18 poems, four of them with octosyllabic meter and assonance In the even verses. The remaining seven varied between sonnets and poems of hexa-, hepta-, hendecasyliable or Alexandrine lines. Tiempo de lux was the first collection of Maya's poems to be composed entirely of sonnets. It contains fifty In the original edition, forty-nine of which are Included in the third edition of Maya's complete works entitled Obra poetlca.3^ This edition represents thirty years of Maya's poetic production, and the repeated print ings attest to the favorable reception his work has re ceived. Once again in 1958 the edited poems of Maya were re- 38 published. The same year the last of Rafael Maya's books 3 7 Rafael Maya, Obra poetlca (3a ed., aum.; Bogota: Editorial Iquelma, 1951). 38Rafael Maya, Obra poetlca (5a ed.; Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958 [Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos 111]). This edition was that used for this study; henceforth, all en tries, except where noted, will refer to it with the fol lowing abbreviations to denote the various collections: for u .vjdi tn la gg w b ra, Pggof for cgrgg 4tl a td lrtlr B B S . for Pfgptftg M ttttnci9> Pintl for Pinil, <fg r e m c t g y 9tm-gjR£i93ft> «nd I d t f . 19 * 39 of poetry, Navegaclon nocturne. was published In the city where he had spent the greater part of his life. It Is the most extensive of his collections numbering one hundred one poems with a predominance of aasonantal rhyme and a predi lection for seven-eleven and eight-syllabled verses. These books are enumerated here only by way of an Introduction and a more adequate description of them will be given In the course of this study. In a letter dated May 15, 1964,^ from Rafael Maya to the present writer he says, "Publlcare pronto dos llbros, uno de poems■ ... Thus, Navegaclon nocturne will not be the last collection of Maya's poams. CHAPTER II MAYA’S POETIC THEORY XaiPlratlcm of the Muse Throughout the centuries £rom the tine of the Dia logues of Plato and the Poetics of Aristotle, the Ars Poetlea of Horace, down to the Art poetioue of Boileau-- a link of the ancient past with the present— and T. S. Eliot's On Poetry fly1 great minds have focused on the problem of poetry, its definition, content and tech nique and on the poet himself. Rafael Maya is no exception in this matter, although his ideas are not collected in one essay but appear throughout his poetry. This chapter will be devoted to presenting these ideas in order to have a further criterion by Which to judge the value of Maya's poetic works Many critics have termed Maya a classic, and his ad herence to the custom of the classical poets of regarding 20 21 the Muse a* the source of poetic Inspiration Is one aspect In which Maya conforms to this category. In the poem with which he Initiates his first lyrical works, La vlda an la sowbra. Maya professes his creed in her. "Credo” begins: En cade hora, an cede minuto silencloso de ml vlda da hoy, de ml vlda paseda, se conflrma ml credo lumlnoso. Creo en vosotras, Musas ... 1 So Maya believes In the Muses, these "Musas perfeetas, cares ... claras," who have entwined a garland of fresh myrtle and blossoming laurel around his brow despite his 2 brief spring. The poet has tread the wine press and now he says: busco con mas amor vuestro sereno arrimo, vuestra pot ante eglda. (Vlda. p. 10) The poet recognises that the Muse has treated him bene ficently, infusing him with the gift of lyrical creativity. Now he looks for her serene support and powerful protec tion, and he begs: Rafael Maya, Obra noetlca (5a ed.; Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958), p. 9. The five books of this edition, which was used for this study, will be referred to henceforth with the abbreviations: Vlda. Coros. DPS (Pesnues del silanclo). and Lui. p. 9. Sedme, Musas, proplcias. and in return Yo labrare mis suenos a la sonbra del tr£pode colmado de priiplclas, del arco en que vlgllan los numenes rlsueHos. Sere £lel al dlctado de vuestros lab los, armonlosos de abejas, algun d£a he de morlr al pie de vuestro pllnto yo, cantor engendrado en la alegr£a, ... (Vlda, p. 10) Thus Maya begins his poetic production, cognizant of the fact that much of a poet's work is pure inspiration--the result of the goodness and bounty of the Muse. In return for her aegis, "vuestra potente eglda," he will spend his days faithful to her promptings, and, satisfied that he has responded to her whisperings, he will die happily at her feet. Maya does not advance too deeply into La vlda an la sombra before he pauses to advise the "alada Musa," in "Exhortacion," not to run after the applause lavished by others, but to seek for pleasure in everything she sings of, just as a mirror is satisfied looking for nothing more than the gracefulness with which things discover their own beautiful reflection looking into the clear depths of the mirror. Furthermore, Maya bids the Muse to rejoice daily 23 in the miracle of the newly-born world, and to praise the divine marvel of life— life that is humble, sad, silent 3 and good. He enjoins her not to search for some vague desire in superfluous rhetoric that suffocates the soul, but to say everything with clear words, damp with her spirit, which bring an aura like that of the primeval morning. And lastly, he urges her to meditate vastly on the deep mystery 4 which envelops mankind. Maya'8 exhortation urges lyrists to find satisfaction in their work, recommending them to look for inspiration in simple things, expressing thei elves in sxmple language while fortifying the creative act with meditation on the mystery of life that surrounds them. The Poet Just as poetry cannot exist without the inspiration of the Muse, inspiration cannot exist without the poet. Maya has many observations to make about him, his audience, his isolation and his rejection. He waits until the 3£Ldft’ pp. 34-35. 4Ibid.. p. 35. 24 publication of his third collection of poetry, Desouas del sllencio. before presenting his public with the dramatic dialogued poem, "La crucifixion del poeta," whose very title discloses the fact that Maya considers the poet a victim rejected by the world. Throughout the course of this poem of two hundred eighty-two verses the poet hangs dying, and one by one a child, a man, a woman, the crowd and the earth speak to him. Of those surrounding him only the child addresses him kindly, calling him "amigo de los ninos,"^ almost canon izing the poet when he speaks of his "boca bendlta." The townspeople on the other hand accuse him, charging him with being "el mortal lmp£o que fue os ado a revelamos la in- mortal belleza ... "** And the woman complains: Tu, ... contabas con destrulr ml domlnlo sobre los pueblos, y sobre el alma de los hombres, y aun sobre el Instlnto de la bestla. (DPS, p. 191) The poet cries out from his Ignominious death-bed and explains that he suffers on that Inaccessible rock because, having fulfilled his fatal destiny, he robbed the Rhythm of the flower that blossoms in the eternal mansion of 5PPS. p. 191 6Ibld.. p. 191. 25 the gods 7 But the poet is not completely forsaken In his hour of agony. Earth speaks up and calls him his son. He likens this son to the substance of seeds and to the nature of water, saying that he is blessed with the same quality as metals, and filled wiia the spirit which breathes over the void its germinal shower. Maya, using Earth as his mouthpiece, explains that the poet grows like seeds, purl** fies like water, constructs with the metal of his poetry, 0 and fertilizes the world with his verse. The woman then returns to the scene and calls the poet a spinner of words, a buffoon dressed in bells, a builder of ladders, and a maker of nets to rob and capture divine things. The people call him the Lord of Rhythm and Prince a of the Word. And the man who has been forced to r d him ascend the steep hill of his agony suggests that he might be an unknown king, a lord of some mysterious isle, an in* habitant of the boundless heavens, or the tranquil monarch of hell. And finally* he calls him the anonymous redeemer of the world.10 7 , DPS, p. 192. *IUd. 10Ibid.. p. 196. 9Ibid.. p. 194. It takes little Imagination to see that Maya has drawn an analogy between the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the lot of the poet in his role among man. The poet whose task it is to bring "immortal beauty" to man is con sidered "impfo" and "osado." The woman, scorning his efforts, derides him. His only comfort comes from nature who is about to welcome him into its bosom and from a child--"Have you not heard that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings comes forth perfect praise. Leaving this poem temporarily and moving on to a son net entitled "Acaso" in Tiempo de luz. one perceives an entirely different mood. The poet describes couples in love who wander in the country, and he warns them that there is always a poet lying in ambush who will divulge their secret in song. For the poet listens with genteel care to the whispering indiscretion of a chance poem in the multiple voice of the universe. And then in some transi tory strophe, perhaps, he will narrate the happiest part 12 of their existence. Taking the ordinary occurrence of life, a young love, Maya wishes to show that the poet lW XXI, 16. 12Lua. p. 337 will often choose e simple event to eleborete in a poem. Thus, here, these lovers become unwittingly a source for his poem, and he involuntarily publicises their secret. In Navegaclon nocturne Maya speaks not so much of the individual poet nor of his ubiquity but of his contribution to the whole of poetics. In the poem "Conclerto" he says that each poet brings but one note and one single song to the world of poetic music. Bach poet is a chord which gives a distinct sound in the concert of the Immense cre ation. And all together these sounds or notes form that powerful voice which universally resounds like the choir of God. Therefore, he bids the listener not to look for the universal meaning of the total vision in a single verse nor in but one diapason. For a single poem transmits but a fleeting gesture of the indefatigable spirit which is the unity of love. But, he counsels, all songs, from those when the first dawn plucked the strings of its lyre to those of the present day, must be united in order to dis cover in them, with distinct tremor*, the diverse stories 13 of a single heart. In this poem Maya means to say that 1 ^ Rafael Maya, Navegaclon nocturne (Bogota: Llbrerfa Voluntad, 1958), pp. 114-115. In referring to this book in the future the abbreviation NN will be used. 28 each poet has something unique to shere with humanity, and that it is only the harmonious unity of each one's note that creates the perfect, integral concert. For whom does the poet write, create? Who listens to him? What will be the tenor of the reception he is given? In the romance. "El hues pad canoro," from Final da romances v otras canciones the poet draws an analogy between the poet and the "ruble perla del alba" who invades the house in the early morning and fills it with song. After having hopped or flown from room to room, he is chased by mother, nurse, children and gardener until at last he finds refuge in the great outdoors. He flies above the house and fades away to something less than a speck in the abyss. Now no one listens to his warbling in the vast heavens--that warbling which that very morning had filled the house with 14 joy. The ecstasy of the uninvited bird, which swelled in the Intimacy of the hearth but is lost in the broad spaces, is like the joy that a poet disperses with his song: As£ es tu amor ioh poata! Solo vale en la serena 14JUfHL pp. 269-272. quletud de tu hogar pequaSo, entre los tuyos, en medio de tu gente y de tus campos. SI los sacas al espaelo y al vasto mundo lo arrojas, so plerde entre la Injurlosa frlaldad de seres y almas qua llenan calles y plazas, o^en la sorda noche lnmensa, mas alta qua las estrellas. (Final, pp. 271-272) According to Maya the poet's work Is valued only In the serene atmosphere of his home among his family, In the midst of his people and his country. If It Is cast to the vast world, It Is lost among the coldness of the creatures who wander through the streets, or it Is swallowed up In the Insensible night more removed than the distant stars. The deprecating remarks of those surrounding "La crucifixion del poeta" have been mentioned. Returning to this poem the reader finds the crowd pressing near, chiding the poet for his self-imposed Isolation and asking why he did not descend to their midst and eat his bread from their table so that his song and his Images, with their obscure allusions, might be clarified for them. Thus his song could have filled their cups and flowed through the reed 30 used for the simple music with which they mourned the tender sorrow of their deily lives. But, they continue complaining, everything in his poetry was emblematic and everything in his language was a formula grafted in a world of vague suggestion. He sent out the radial messages of his spirit from one tower to another, far above their simple mentalities.15 Maya speaks for the common man who is eager for a draft of poetic ambrosia but who is deprived of sating his thirst because so much is mysterious and enigmatic in poetry. The poet, too, feels the isolation which separates him from the ordinary man and he cries out, "jOh, soledad del alma! / Oh, infinita tristesa de ir cantando / humanamente solos, / isolos bajo la noche quo se ahonda / con un rumor de estrellas ignoradas!"1* In the Introduction to "La crucifixion del poeta" the people who have followed curiously after the poet to wit ness his cruel end make this stinging remark: 15PPS. pp. 194-195. ^"Bajo la noche,” Vlda. p. 48 31 iCuan Miserable esta! La tlerra mlsma qua acepta las escorlas de la noche, hublerase negedo a sepultarlo en su seno. (DPS. p. 187) The very earth that accepts the offscourlng of the night would refuse burial to the poet. This idea of the utter rejection and abandonment of the poet upon the cross appears in "Clamor," a poem of the later years of Maya in NgYmg*.on nq&tma- But here one does not feel the com plete desolation that the poet portrays in the former poem. For although in "Clamor" no one comes to administer to him, he suddenly sees e plant of health blooming at his feet which lifts up its flower like a rare goblet and offers him a nectar of a pure, delectable flavor. And he adds that this nectar is love. And so, completely satiated by this draft the poet is able to cry out, "I commend my soul after this terrible agony into thy hands, oh sacred, eternal Poetry."*7 Thus the awful dereliction that a poet may suffer in his younger years seams to have been alleviated. For everyone knows that events take on a new dimension as one matures and that love tempers many a heartache. PP* 76-77. 32 Once again In "La crucifixion del poeta" the woman deplores the self-imposed isolation of the poet When she remarks: Y tu pasaste, sin mas compaSera qua tu sombre, diciendo palabras dulces pero axtrafias. (DPS, p. 189) Not only is the poet exclusive, but his language is incom prehensible to his audience* Poetry Tfcng ,#qd. Plggf Qt fotfPiWion Night seems to be the favored hour for the moments when inspiration inundates the poet. Several of Maya's poems Incorporate this idea. In the sllva "Caller" from La vlda en la sombre the poet asks his companion to be still for they have talked all afternoon. Now he wishes to be filled up again, drop by drop, with mystery. He desires to be penetrated with the silent star of memory. This is the hour that the angel of night hovers around everything. And if the poet is responsive to the prompt ings of the nocturnal atmosphere, at the first instant of dawn he will be able to recount the message of the night-- 33 the marvelous working of silence on the soul. The Idee thst the poet receives his Inspiration at night recurs In "Canto del hoobre cautlvo" from Coros del mediodfa. That Is the tine when the poet recollects him self by the light of his lamp, and he feels as secure as a child who has closed the French doors of his bedroom on a windy night. His dreams grow beneath the benign light. Outside night sifts Its Impalpable ashes upon the timid brow of the world. Within the poet thinks. The entire universe Is reduced to a band that binds his temples. And then his nocturnal cogitation becomes universal conscious ness. Remote voices sing within him, and there springs up In his spirit a dawn In whose light seraphs of fire are purified. Like dew on blades of grass, pearls of words form In him as well as buds of expression In whose center the germs of the world mature. Streams of light fertilize his being and he blossoms Into golden flowers. Each word that Issues from his mouth, lost among men, swells In the night like a bright echo. His poetry, stained with the color of the earth, free as the wings of an arrow, pierces the broad starry heart— night. The night watches over his 19 solitude, and he also keeps vigil. Thus, elded by the mjrsterious quality of night, man gains accessibility to the mighty grandeur of the universe and his thoughts germinate Into flowers of song. The refulgence of the infused light Is so great that even the burning angels can be refined in it. And the echo of the poet's lyre travels with the ease of a released arrow into the center of night and ex pands In the vast silence of the starry vault. Inspiration must be snatched when the moment Is oppor tune. When does it come? According to Maya in "Inspira- clon," not when the messenger of God fills his head with a fever of perfect images, nor when he casts a golden arrow to awaken the heart sleeping upon the hard rock of sorrow, nor in the hour when, triumphantly, the will awakens, capable of conquering, with one sole cry, the entire cre ation. Nor does it come when the blood of divine beasts flows through his body and the messenger gives the poet a semblance of nature, nor when the herald lifts the poet's mightiest powers to the ultimate sphere and his spirit 19Coros. pp. 164-167. foresees e vest respiration of stars. This Is not the moment when the poetic announcement arrives, but When, naked in Infinite, Insensible, human misery, the poet trembles without discerning his own fear, like the withered leaf which forebodes the hurricane at the 20 first breath of a light breeze. Poetic inspiration, therefore, comes not when one most expects it In periods of great exhilaration, or triumph or sorrow, moments when one Is regaled or comforted, but, when stripped of all hindrances, the poet's soul is prepared to respond to the first gentle stirrings of the breath of poecic inspiration. There is not only a time for inspiration but also an atmosphere, a place and a season. In the sonnet, "A los abuelos difuntos," in Ticmpo de luz the provincial cemetery deigns to lend to the poet substance for his lyrical creativity. Speaking to his ancestors whom he venerates, the poet tells them that amid the sorrow that his memory effects he goes choosing words for his songs at the foot 21 of each tomb. What the ordinary layman might consider subject for sad reflection, the poet finds a rich source 20NN, pp. 111-112. 21 L u z. pp. 335-336 36 £or his ingenuity. With regard to the atmosphere conducive to the poet's task, Maya states that there is nothing better than grey for meditation. He affirms that the sun melts the mind, and that the rude brightness of the day kills the mystery that should encompass the poet so that the Muse, a daughter of darkness, may come. When the sun sinks its dart into one's skin, he continues, the demon of sensuality begins to roam. And the darkest desires of the fatal beast return to one's blood from the forest of Pan. Besides, he adds, light is the enemy of all hidden good. The sun paints, emphasises and Improvises his mural in each fragment of air, wielding a daring brush. But the soul meditating in the penumbra engenders its celestial order— ideas that are like stars and which begin to gyrate, following silent 22 orbits, through interior solitude. This is an interest ing idea that Maya puts forth and might explain why the poet considers the night hours the most productive of inspiration since the tropical Colombian sun might impede his activity in the daytime. 22"Cris," NN, pp. 89-91. 37 The season for poetry may be spring, or summer or autumn but not winter. In the early part of his career Maya asks in a poem entitled "Mi verso," "A donde ire mi verso ... ahora que las hojas comienzan a rodar? ... jA donde ira ... ahora que las eves se alistan a emigrar? ... iA donde ire ... ahora que la brisa no quiere per** fumar?" And he answers that his poetry, like all things 23 in nature, will die of an "exquisito mal. But just as spring follows every winter, when the grass begins to stir beneath the cold ground, his poetry will return to sing of the ever-recurring joys of life. It is a poet's clever manipulation of language that makes poetry what it is, gives it its distinctive quality and sets it apart from prose. Maya, speaking on this sub ject, addresses the morning lark in "Salutacion" and says, "Mi voz con tu retorica universal confundo. / La palabra es un vino mejor cuanto mas viejo, / pero en cada una de ellas debe mirarse el mundo / cual si por vez primers se asomara 24 a un espejo." The vocabulary the poet wields in 23Vida. pp. 33-34. 24Ibid.. pp. 20-22. 38 fashioning his lyrics should have a universal appeal* avoiding novelty and singularity. Seasoned words* chosen with care* should be used to reflect with accuracy the image of the idea the poet has captured and wishes to share with his audience. Maya reiterates this idea of clarity in language when* in "Babel** from Navegaclon nocturne, he indicates to the poets that their language has become confused. He asserts that they erected soaring towers* placing verses one on top of another* like huge stones* with the purpose of reaching the very stars. But suddenly their efforts ceased* their tools stopped* and confusion burst forth in hundreds of languages. Later the poets became scattered over the face of the earth. Maya recalls in "Babel" that in the early days poets utilised only direct words that went to the heart of things* like a delicate dart. In those days God spoke in the ear of the lyrist* and the heavens were like a book which clearly showed the hidden face of the entire creation on open pages. The relations of the soul were in perfect accord with beings of nature and fellow creatures. Murmur ing bees were the rapid messengers between the poet and nature, competing with the engels. If a voice or a chord vibrated In the spaces, the bees responded In unison with a secret palpitation from the minute petal to the burning stars. In early days the firmament followed in rapt atten tion the slow agony of the birds or the death of the grass. The twilight died imitating the color of autumn leaves. But pride accompanied the work of the poet. Little by little words took on almost a divine awareness. They forgot their lowly origin, and they bestowed on themselves a regal air, casting aside their sandals and maiden's sash. Poets failed to subdue them. How the feathers of mytho logical birds flew! How they erected dwellings of foam and pearls, with towers in the clouds and foundations in the mist! How they enjoyed ascending in strange raiment, riding "clavilenos" of dust and wood! And how they desired to forge a fantastic soul which defied the stars with its wings of white wax! Then the breath of God blew and a scene of aimless gestures and unintelligible grimaces followed. Confusion reigned everywhere and a tremendous babbling altered the song of the harp into a cacophony of voices. And from that time poets have not understood one another. 40 Locked In a double prison, the prison of the poem end that of the poet's spirit, the devices they employ to be comprehended are useless'-useless the bonfires that they send from hilltop to hilltop, futile the antennas they put in the wind, and even the letters the homing pigeons carry at their necks or the anagram that each tree wears oh 'Its bark. Before terminating ''Babel" Maya tells the poets to mourn the death of their divine knowledge which formerly united the terrestrial orb with the star-studded sphere. Their message approaches with a false brightness now, and it is only a tenuous reflection of that old consciousness which at the Inspiration of God burned like a gigantic torch.^ Maya, an eclectic who has never been identified with any "-isms" and who would not concur with poets who are exaggerated in their concept of poetics, complains in "La crucifixion del poeta" of the lyrist whose language is enigmatic. He repeats his plaint in "Babel" where he draws an analogy between the descendants of Noah and the modern 25!2L PP- 130-135 41 poet8. The former presumptuously attempted to build a tower reaching to heaven and were prevented In their scheme by suddenly speaking In different languages, unable to understand one another. Maya reproves the poets for allowing pride to govern their activity and falling Into the same fate as the citizens of Babel. Thg&fi. Is a poet restricted In the subject matter of his poetry? Do certain topics lend themselves more readily to lyrical compositions? In one of the poems of his early period Maya enumerates those "vain, useless and absurd things" that he considers suitable for a poem. In "Bajo la noche" he explains to his companion, who does not like his poetry, what he considers appropriate: esa ansla indefinible de exquisites ternuras. Ese vivir sonando en un amor mas alto y claro, como un extasIs. Esa trlsteza vaga por todos los palsajes, el deseo premloso de vivir en la forma pasajera, de perpetuar la gracla en solo un gesto y aprIsloner la fuga del Instants. 26Gen., XI, 1-9 42 Esa clamor que vlene de tan hondo, por algo que perdure en le vleja mud ansa de loa seres. Aquella pledad inmotivada de las noches hermosas, cuando es tan claro el clelo como el alma que escucha, de rodillas, las vagas confidenclas del ablsmo. Las lagrlmas suaves que lloramos, a veces, en la noche por nuestra juventud y por los ojos de una mujer lejana que ya no hamos de ver. Y la lnefable santa melancolfa de los atardeceres que nos lienan de una luz celestial todo el pasado. (Vlda. pp. 46-47) It will be noted that almost nothing that Maya mentions In this passage Is tangible--dreaming of a higher, brighter love, a vague sadness for all the countryside, preserving the gracefulness of a gesture, Imprisoning the fleeting moment, sweet tears that we shed for our youth, and the melancholy of a dying afternoon. He Is faithful to this directive In many Instances throughout his poetry although he does not limit himself to just these Ideas or feelings. In "Invltaclon a navegar" from Coros del roedlodla the poet tells us that he whittles a reed In order to sing of old sorrows and future deceptions. Both the past with Its memories and the future with Its surprises capture the fancy of the poet and are considered appropriate themes 43 27 for hia poetry. 9f-?PfttEy When the word, nature, la uaed In the heeding It ref era to the lntrln8lc power of poetry, the quality and e88ence that la an Integral part of It according to the Interpretation that Maya glve8 It. In the aonnet, "Flor y poema," the poet recalla a day years ago when he marked the favorite paaaage In a collection of poema with a flower. Time paaaed and he had forgotten completely about thl8 Incident, being taken up with other booka and Intere8t8. But In a reminiscent mood one day he was thumbing through the anthology and chanced upon the marker which he dis covered was perfectly Intact. Despite the passing of time the flower had not faded because the poem knew how to In fuse It with Its eternal freshness.Poetry, when It has been conceived In humility beneath the fecundity of the night and dressed in clear, direct language, has the unique quality of sustaining life because It shares Its vivifying faculty. In the same book, Tiempo de lug. Maya compares life 27, Coroa. p. 141. with poetry in the eonnet "Vide y poes£a." He observes that at tlines one can devise in the fields, beneath the sun which scorches the grass, a trace of green on the slopes which is fed by an underground stream. So, too, wherever a poem stealthily treads, spring Imprints its sign. Each verse reverberates on a stalk, and rhythm rises high on a flower. Years and verses are joined in genteel alliance. An analogous cadence continuously moves a poem and hope. A strophe begs for the rhythm of the heart, and existence, like a verse, is measured with Immortal syllables.^ Maya makes life and poetry intertwine and exchange attributes. Poetry, as in a former poem, has a life-giving quality. Where the song spreads its roots, flowers spring up and they in return engender poetry. And life, usually measured by heart beats gives her cadence to the poetry, accepting in return the rhythm of its song. Poetry is also imperishable and infallible according to Maya. In "Correspondencies” the poet compares verse, accents and rhyming words of poetry to the incarnation of Vishnu, so that if the former should perish they would 29Luz. p. 327. 45 return to life egaln me avatars who continue In space end in consciousness. Like them poems will continue or, at least, return to renew life. Maya also states that poetry is Infallible, and in order to substantiate his claim he points out to what scientists affirm as the cause of wind— the balance and equilibrium of the atmospheric conditions. He asserts that this is not the cause at all but what "la infallble poesfa" suggests--'the cries of men suspended on high, the choruses and hymns of ancient priests and liturgies, the song of reveling, the voice of vengeance, the prayer of the people, the supplication of the field, the cooing of the birds, the white symphony of the water, the blow of the bellows, the manly hymn of the hamsers, the plaint of the cattle in unison, the untiring elytron, the sonorous insect, and above all the echo of the illustrious harps, the flute, the rustic fifes and the three-winged horn. All these sounds in the atmosphere, which are captured by the leaves of the trees and in the blades of grass, are the cause of the wind. Thus when the poet passes through the woods, 30Lu*. pp. 339-340. 46 and the wind begins to blow, shaking the branches, a uni versal concert swells up and he hears that divine music o£ man, the music of the earth, more sublime than the mechani cal sound of the spheres. This Is the Infallible message 31 of poetry. Vitalising, Immortal and unerring--this Is how Maya has described poetry. In addition he says that although things may be surrounded by a vague poetic atmosphere, an air of blue sighs that encircle them ceaselessly, they also possess a nucleus— a prison of pure essence--where life reveals the mystery of Its origin. The important thing for the poet to do Is to look Into their center where the occult resides, the pure force which Impels them to help themselves In the eternal rotation, reinforcing the links 32 of the universal chain. Mature and the Poet Throughout the course of his life Maya has linked various creatures of nature with poetry to bring out the potential that the latter possesses. The poem "Salutaclon" 31"Vlento," NN, pp. 68-70. ^"No busques, poeta ... ," NN, pp. 80-81. 47 quoted above mentions the mutual power of the lark and poetry. Speaking to the melodious bird the poet says to him: Slentes qua hay en el inundo una armon£a secrets tin apaclble ensueno y un mlsterloso encanto qua preslente el poets mientras tu lo adivlnas, buena alondra, en el canto. (XiSg, p. 21) The simple creature and the poet perceive the secret har mony, that peaceful fantasia, that mysterious enchantment that the common man either overlooks or misses. They possess that tremendous ability to reach beyond the ordi nary and pierce the less comprehensible. In the poem which Maya dedicates to the stars, "A las estrellas," he calls them "palabraa lumlnosas" and "Ideas lnmortales." Since words and thoughts are the main tools with which a poet forges his product It can be Inferred that when he speaks to the stars, he Is speaking to the Instruments he uses. He says that they are serene rhythm and concordant music above the terrestrial chaos and above the Insane confusion of our souls. And he asks what effect our ancient denials would have against them or what power a fleeting thought conceived on earth could muster against the eternal brightness In which they bathe or against 48 33 the pure silence In which their perpetual light shines. Luminous words and inmortal thoughts dwell In the heavens shining like stars, Immune to the confusion on earth. They are the products with which the poet works and nothing earthly can have any dominion over them. Maya likens the poet to streams In "Oda a las fuentes" from Navegaclon noctuma. He sings to the rivers--the beneficent, everlasting currents. To all of them— those that begin In the depths of the high mountains, those that leap In white foam carving with their lightning flash the excavated rock, those that descend through the deep chasms In rapid turbulence carrying their music to the highest branches of the trees, those that are formed drop by drop In the age-old caverns, spilling over with the urgency of a filled amphora, those which receive their existence from some evanescent cloud that does not pass without sending Its refreshing dew on a torrid night. In fine, he sings to all the streams, large and small, hidden or exposed.3^ And he adds: 33Vlda. p. 103 ^NN, pp. 105-106. 49 Como ellM [1m fuentes], tu, poeta, de la cantara da tu paeho sac as el agua pura del cantar, qua siempre ae funde con el r£o da 1m lagrlmas. (MS, p. 105) Like the rivers and streams, the poet takM from the tree- t sury of his breMt the pure water of song and shares the joy of it with the sorrowing world. PgEpongl. Rgftotigng. pf_Mgyg Rafael Maya began his poetic production under the aegis of the Muse, shared his advice with fellow poets, discussed the position of the poet in the midst of his fellowman, the time and place of his inspiration, the sub ject and language of poetry, its peculiar quality and essence. But before leaving his IdeM concerning poetic creativity, I should like to examine a few thoughts he shares with regard to his own personal experience as a poet. It is a well known fact that many men who begin a career brilliantly do not always end so magnificently. It would have been more advantageous for their eternal glory to have been cut off in their prime so that their con temporaries would have to conjecture their unattalned 50 greatness. This is the thought that Maya presents in "Si hublese muerto" in lu». He says that if he had died when he was only twenty someone would have compared his existence, for its fugacity, to sweet spring. And perhaps, an unfinished poem, severed in a verse, in the height of its emotion, on summing up his youth would have told the total avidity which pulsed within him. This destiny, according to the poet at about fifty years old, would have been preferable to a white old age filled with glory and to the bronze at the end of his road. For the word "never," for sole insignia, would eternally lift up his memory with the beauty of a truncated column.^ Does this mean that Maya realizes that the potential with which he began as a young man, when he showed signs of being a great poet, never fully developed? Not neces sarily. He could be echoing the sentiments of an acquaint ance, repeating another's thought or suffering a moment of melancholy which every man endures when he does not fully appreciate his own talent. On the other hand, he could be lamenting the lack of recognition accorded him in his ^~*Luz. p. 338. 51 maturity In comparison to that received In his younger years. Another sonnet, from the collection just mentioned, reveals more Insight Into the functioning of this poet. In "Temblor” he says, "Pues ya no brota ml canclon como antes, / no asegurels que el manantlal ha muerto." Beneath the arid sand of the desert a thousand refreshing streams course. The poet admits that he does not now surrender his only good (his poetry) to the delirious winds nor to the open horizon, that uncertain tremor which iden tifies stars with lovers, that tremor, called poetry, which measures the rhythm of the cosmic harmony like an Infinite pendulum, a tremor which he manifests in his spirit which Is flame, wind, a storm or a shout- and often immortal 37 silence. In his maturity the poet, tempered by the years, does not cast the song of his lyre to the open air as before. His music which has been a burning, rushing, violent and anguished strain now concedes, at times, to be immortal silence. In Wavaaacion nocturne Maya likens his poetry to a globe and to a river. This "Globo" of his poetry ^^Luz. p. 346 37B>i4. 52 vacillates through the ether o£ the hours between night and day, constantly attracted by these two poles. And like his verse, he says, his heart and the world endure these 38 two distinct forces. The river of Maya's poetry, unlike a normal stream, does not rush over its bed to spill out and join other waters. It flows in reverse, retracing its steps and 30 returning to its source. The water of his poetry, having streamed from its source in the direction of the sea of life, now that it is reaching the end of its course gladly returns to the source from which it received its being. Death has never been far removed from the thoughts of the poet, but in Naveftacion noctunu Maya leaves a message for his friends which makes the reader of "Recado a mis amigo8" feel that the poet senses the imminence of death. He instructs his intimate friends with regard to his burial and the inscription to be engraved on his headstone. The poet reminds them that he has never been an ascetic, nor a soldier, nor a farmer, a blacksmith, nor a sculptor, but that he devoted his life to watching bees 38NN. p. 56. 3*"Mi poes£a," NN, p. 44 53 fly about, interpreting their music, and the secret of their hives. This is where his art has resided and here his knowledge rests. Nevertheless, he has tried his faith ful epic on "greater things," such as always noting how the telegraph wire, if grazed by a swallow, sings in the wooden posts. He has also followed the route of a red ant when it studiously encircles, as if drawing a meridian, the green sphere of a pear. And he has faithfully recounted the agony Which glorifies the withered leaf, trembling on a tree and burning like a star. In order that he might enjoy his final rest, he be seeches his friends to lay on his breast or beneath his temples a beautiful book of poems--a book where his only passion is mentioned— the earth with its water and rocks, the abundant harvest, the black mountains of pine and the golden valleys of oatflelds. He wants a book of moisture and oxygen because he wants the verses to exhale their beneficent quality and deeply penetrate him with the pros perous fragrance of the soil as the sun after a storm en velops the earth in the mist of a manorial kitchen. Thus his passing will be but a new life where his body will share the vegetal existence. And he hopes that the 54 palpitating nerves of his body will be like grasping claws 40 which maintain it ever united to the great maternal womb. Although Maya has not been exclusively devoted to writing poetry in his life, this poem reveals how important he considers this avocation. In order to insure transition from life on earth to its continuance, resting in the bosom of earth, he requests a book of poems that had its origin and inspiration in the land toward which he goes. Returning to "La crucifixion del poeta" which is almost a compendium of his poetic thought, one reads what power the poet has after his death. Earth,says to him: Has muerto. Te disolveras en mis entranas, y flulras en el £mpetu de mis arteries, y haras mover mi corason lncansable qua regula la palpltacion del mar con el ritmo salvaje con que ayuntabas las palabras para imponer sobre los vlentos la musics de , tu esplritu. Fecundaras toda la tierra Bajaras haste las rafces de mis montanas y entraras en la composlcion del oro integrando cada una de mis vertebras, para sallr luego a la superficie de mis tendones transformado en el temblor de la hlerba sec a que ondula 40 NN, pp. 151-155. 55 Y te confundlras con mis noches, como las rocas lnvadldas por la maraa de ^ la sombre, y surglras fundldo en los metales del d£a, pregonando en la juventud del fuego la redlante lnmortalidad de la palabra slempre nueva. (DPS, p. 197) Maya repeats the Idea he has enunciated before, that Is, the generative power of the poet and of the poem. Letting Earth speak for him, It says that the poet will die and dissolve In its breast. He shall flow In the veins of the earth setting In motion Its Indefatigable heart and order ing the tide of the sea with the savage rhythm with which he assembled words to Impose their music on the wind. The poet will make the earth fruitful. He will descend to the roots of the mountains, be transformed Into gold, ascend to the surface of the earth and with his life-giving power transform Its face to saving grass. He will become lost in the darkness of the earth and will rise up again fused in the brightness of the day, preaching the radiant im mortality of the word forever new. Of all the poems that Maya has written there is one which he says Is his favorite. It is the one in which everything has not been said, the unfinished poem, the 56 song without rules, where each word serves es support for the gyrations of the liberated spirit which casts itself adventurously from one end of space to another.In the poem where everything has been said and the form is Im prisoned by rules there is no room for imagination and freedom of expression. That is why Maya prefers the former type. What has been discussed in the preceding pages reveals some of the ideas that Maya has about poetry itself. The following chapters will demonstrate how the poet adheres to these suggestions. ^■"Aventura,” NN, p. 185. CHAPTER III THE UNIVERSAL QUALITY OF MAYA'S POETRY The Relevance of Universality In weighing the merits of poetry one must consider the reception it would enjoy in varying eras, in different areas and among various peoples. Does the poet treat themes that revolve around the age-old truths and problems that have beset man for centuries— life and death, love and hatred, beauty and nature? If these be the source of his poems, how does the diction, tone, and imagery he employs reinforce the subject matter of his work? Do his composi tions retain a unique quality that set him apart from contemporary poets? Do they possess the stamp of his en vironment without restricting him at the same time to the confines of hi*» country no matter how broad or narrow they may be? The purpose of the present chapter is to demonstrate the fact that from the inception of his first published 57 58 poetic work In 1924, La vide en la ■ombre, down to the publication of Navegacion nocturne in 1958, the poetry of Refeel Maya has a universal quality that is acceptable to varied times, regions and races. Some of the topics found in Maya's poetic works that have a universal appeal to all peoples and at all times are those centering on classical themes dating from ancient times: life (its meaning and duration), the struggle of man (with himself and the enveloping world), death (its inescapability), night versus day (night, the time of germination; day, the time of hope and rebirth), beauty, love and nature. In the later books of Maya, Timn de lua (1951) and Navegacion nocturaa (1958), the poet not only continues to elaborate most of these subjects but also introduces other time-honored themes— fugacity of time, memories of the past, oblivion, the shipwreck of man, his solitude and desolation, Immortality, man's search for a supreme being, hell— problems that have captured the imagination of great writers throughout the ages. In the course of Maya's poetic production, as he decreases his choice of mythological topics, he increases his interest in the life of man, the struggle that persists within man's consciousness and his ultimate end. In order to substantiate the statement that Maya's poetry possesses a universal quality, the aforementioned themes will be discussed from the viewpoint of subject- matter only, in the present chapter, insofar as the poet has developed, lessened or changed his attitude toward certain considerations. The characteristics of his par ticular style will be treated in a following chapter. Classical Themes and Mythological Symbols Classical themes that have withstood the test of time find a place in the depository of Maya's works, although it should be noted that they are much more prevalent in his first collection, La vide en la sombre, than in his later works. As has already been mentioned in the second chapter, Maya initiates his vocation as a poet by invoking the muse, the ancient patroness of poetry, and declares his belief in the assistance of her inspiration. There are nine more poems in this compilation that have direct bearings on mythological subjects which sig nifies that over a tenth of the seventy-eight poems that comprise the complete works of La vide en la sombre derive 60 their inspiration from works of antiquity. An Indian, possibly the descendant of a Chibcha chief tain, wandering through the crowds of Bogota, might have recalled to the poet the adventures of Odysseus. Dis guised by Athena as a beggar, he passed among his people unnoticed and unrecognized. In the poem, "Desconocido," Maya addresses the hero: Frente de Key ofendido, ojos de dlos tacltumo, peso de heroe que ha perdldo su coturno. Aai vas, altivo y triste, llorando el fausto pasado de un imperio del que fuiste desterrado. Mas nadie sabe tu nombre y entre el vulgo indlferente pasas siempre.como un hombre i tan ausente! The poet asks the exiled hero, who laments his happy past, about his home and his faithful wife: iQue Dlos protege tus lares? $No recuerdas tu palsaje? Rafael Maya, Obra noetica (5a ed.; Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958), p. 14. The five books of the edition used for this study will be referred to henceforth with the abbrevi ations: Vida. Coros. DPS (Desnues del sllencio), Final and Idl&’ 61 ^No tlenes, dime, una belle uujer que guerde tu lecho, con su telle de doncelle slempre eetrecho? (Vide, pp. 14-15) But the poet realises thet the hero cannot avoid the In exorable hand of Fete, so he urges him on, encouraging him to hope In the future: Perece, Desconocldo, que lleves, con vego esombro, todo un mundo destruldo sobre el hombro. Slgue, envuelto en tu qulmera, lejeno, trlste y err ante, que qulsas algo te espera adelante. (Vida, p. 15) Another poem Inspired by the wanderings of Odysseus Is the sonnet, "Odlsea." Odysseus, condemned with the rest of the Greeks for the crime committed against Neptune, Is favored by Athena and saved by her from a precipitous death. Nevertheless, he Is left to roam over land and sea, and held prisoner on Calypso's Island where he spends his days scanning the horlson for a ship, dreaming of Penelope and Telsmachus, and longing to see the smoke curling up from his hearth, following It in his musing from a vantage point in his orchard: 62 Cruzar aaules golfos an pos da una ancantada ciudad, dormir al vlento da calidos palmares, y dasatar un d£a, sobre la mar dorada, tropal ascalonado da valas triangulares. Cantar, bajo las vines, la juventud sagrada, abrlos dal rojo mosto qua nutrio los lagares, y, la sandalia rota, dejar la nave armada por al humo lejano de los ftales hogares. Taner un huerto ameno y un caracol sonoro en cuyo fondo al aco da las aguas retoza y apacentar los ados antra colmanas da oro. En tanto que an la clara ciudad qua al sol £ulgura fuertas mancebos uncen a la trlunfal carroza los atlcos corealas que hlanden la llanura. (Vida, pp. 64 and 65) The poet addresses Aphrodite in his poem, "Canto a la belleza," when he consecrates his song to her: Mi canto, diosa da los ojos bellos qua adoraron los hijos dal sonoro pialago, te consagro. Yo, como alios, te di tambien, an canastilla da oro, la ofranda juvanil da mis caballos. (Vida, p. 95) The shore, the sea and the sirens which remind one of Odysseus' story also appear in this poem: ... ni la playa ajena, ni al mar qua ofrace soladad y olvido, ni al ascollo an qua canta la sirena, romper me hiciaron la gantil cadena qua circunda tu carman floracido. (Vida, p. 95) Lika Aphrodite's myrtle, the poet wishes to grow old, entwining the fragrant wreaths of dawn at her feat: 63 Y, corno el mlrto que planto, pequeSo, junto e tu alter la mano labradors, 70 qulero envejecer, Numen risueno, renovando a tue pies, con dlarlo empeno, las £ragantes gulmaldas de la aurora. (Vida, p. 95) Wise with the wisdom of Athena whose tree Is the olive, Maya proposes to retell the tales narrated of old by Homer and Virgil: HIjo de los ilustres olivares que 8ombrean tu monte, yo, el postrero 8ere, Diosa que diga los cantares antlguos que en los golfos seculares entonaba el errante marlnero. (Vida, p. 96) He recalls the happy times when shepherds offered their first-fruits, when the woodland nymphs danced to Pan's pipes, and the merchants from afar came with gifts to Aphrodite's altar. But the centuries have passed, and incense no longer rises in her temple: Hoy, fuerte Diosa del fecundo seno, se olvldaron tus himnos perfumados, y el hondo azul de tu mirar sereno resigneda apaclentas sobre el heno que arralga entre tus marmoles volcados. tVIda, p. 96) The shepherds no longer whittle reeds to play for Aphrodite, but they chase after other beautiful women. So the poet, with his ability to recapture the past, draws near to renew her cult--the beauty and youthfulness of the 64 goddess so sdsptsble to the songs of his lyre: For eso yo me ecerco, 1lustre Dive, e renover tus ritos ancestrales. Vive por siglos tu belleza, vive tu eteme juvantud, libre y altlva, en medio de los dioses inmortales. (Vide, p. 97) An ancient chalice, perhaps discovered by a laborer tilling his fields, and now an adornment in the poet's house, recalls an old pastoral scene in the frieze deco rating its sides. "A una cope antigua' 1 is written in the TfTTIgl of Dante which is not a form found frequently among Maya's poems: Cope que hoy eres de mi case adomo: sun renuevas las vlejas pastorales en el frlso que elite tu contomo. Salvada de los exodos prediales qulza te hallara labrador sencillo removiendo sus prosperos cereales. (Vida, p. 87) The design sets the poet musing about the history of this chalice. Perhaps it listened to the flute fill the meadow with its gay song, or moistened the lips of the hunter. It may have been bought when Aphrodite still reigned in Athens, or it may have accompanied the farmer's daily repast. It is very likely to have been an adjunct at the wine festivals. But by soma good fortune it was buried in a field and found recently, aa was the Venus de Milo, the "diosa manca," as the poet calls her. The sight of the chalice rejuvenates the poet who is subjugated to the yoke of the chariot that encircles its sides: Cops, tu genio oculto me subjuga, y, esclavo de tu edad, a su carrosa con aureo leHo mi cervis enyuga. Un alegre vigor nutre y remoza mi juventud ante tu vista, ... (Vida, p. 89) In the last two stanzas of the poem there is a com mingling of the pagan with the Christian which appears from time to time in Maya's work. Maya himself says, "Y no podfa ser de otro modo. Veinte siglos de cristianismo moldean nuestra conciencia y mas cuando se ha nacido en una ciudad catolica y recibldo desde la infancia esas ensefian- 2 zas." The poet says that he, a devotee of antiquity, knows how to treasure this exhumed chalice which was offered by a divine Man whose brow was crowned with the light of dawn: 2 Rafael Maya, "Ezegesis de La vlda en la sombre." from AllfrlMli djl-hqafort. I <*1 ll U m i (Bogota: Editorial Santafe, 1934), p. 285. 66 Vtitago de^los tlampos mas remotos, 70 ta sabre guard ar, copa exhumeda, cono he guardado los altares rotos en donde fueras ya sacrificed® por el Hombre dlvino que trala, sobre la mansa frente coronada, toda la luz con que ae anuncla el d£a. (Vida, p. 89) The divine Man refers to Jesus Christ about whoa It Is written: "And having taken a cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this and share it among you . . . '”3 And the light which encircles his brow is most appropriate for Him who said of Himself, "1 am the light of the world. He who follows me does not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”4 In the poem, "La Muerte de Adonis," composed of sixty- two hendecasyllabic verses, Maya paraphrases a Greek poem about the death of Adonis.3 Three times in a heptasyliable verse the sad news re-echoes, "Ha muerto el bello Adonis." 3St. Luke, XXII, 17. 4St. John, VIII, 12. ' ’ Maya seems to draw inspiration from Idyll XXX, "The death of Adonis," of Theocritus. In the translation by C. S. Calverley, the remorse of the boar is stressed; Maya dwells on the mortal wound of Adonis and the Inconsolable grief of Cythera. C. S. Calverley (translator), Theocritus (3rd ed.; London: George Bell and Sons, 1892), pp. 169-171. 67 The blood-red anemone springe from the earth dampened by hie blood: ... De eu muelo bianco fluye un cardeno arroyo que humedece la tierra maternal . •. corre la eangre del herido muelo, empaga el vientre enjuto y colorea de purpura caliente los costados. (Vida, p. 74) Aphrodite cries disconsolately as she kisses the young man: ... Y Clprls llora desolada y besa el labio mustlo del mancebo. (Vida, p. 74) And she begs him: besame con el beso de tus labios tlblos aun, no sigas tras la hue11a del Rey medroso, de Akeron nocturno. Trenza a mi cuello tus floridos brasos, alza el pecho febril, besame, Adonis. (Vida, p. 75) But when she realizes that her supplications are to no avail, she calls out to Persephone, the Queen o£ the Dead, with whom she has shared Adonis, to receive him into her kingdom: i Persefona inhumana! reclbe al caro esposo que desclende hacia tu reino. Acogelo pladosa. (Vida, p. 75) Aphrodite has never relished the idea o£ Adonis' hunting in the wild forest, £or he was too immature to wield the 68 bow Against beasts, such as boars: jCuan imprudente fue! Mo manelaba el arco, puss bus brasos careclan de la fuersa adquirida en el estadlo, y era debil y £ino como un junco. Y as£ se fue a la salva, una mailana, a perseguir las bestias camiceras. (Vida, p. 75) With Aphrodite the Eros mourn, "Ha muerto el bello Adonis." In order to manifest their wrath, they destroy the instru ments responsible for bringing him to his death: ... Y uno pisotea las fleehas, otro el arco, y ese rompe el carcaj emplumado. (Vida, p. 75) After unsuccessful attempts to rouse Adonis, the Eros tell Aphrodite to hush, for her entreaties will be of no avail before Persephone who turns a deaf ear to terrestrial sorrows: ICalls, por fin, oh dulce Citerea! Persefona no entrega al que en sus brazos cayo. La madre subterranea esqulva su duro o£do ante el dolor terreno. (Vida, p. 76) Since there is no hope, they bid her to cast aside her nuptial crown and call Hymen to extinguish the light of her bright torch: Arroja presto la nupcial corona y has que Hlmeneo, el de florldos ramos, 69 en el unbral de le mortuorle eat ancle la luz extlnga de su clara an tore ha. (Vide, p. 76) Although the complete text of "La muerte de Adonis" is not Included here, from the verses that have been In corporated, one can see how aptly Maya has employed the hendecasyliable line with free verse to portray the feeling of activity in the forest and the flowing of Adonis' blood. In thirteen verses he uses enjambment to effect this sensa tion of motion. Diana, the Roman Artemis, who is known as the Hunt ress, the goddess of the Moon, and the pure Malden-Goddess, is the inspiration for the sonnet, "Diana Victrix." In the first quatrain where the poet refers to the unsurpassable beauty of Diana, he also implies her swift-footed prowess as a huntress when he mentions her "ligera sandal la.” The sun, which lends its light to the moon, gilds the temples of the Moon goddess and bums in her eyes in the second quatrain. Diana's title of huntress is again alluded to in the first tercet. And when the poet speaks of her "barren womb" in the last tercet he is thinking of Diana as the Maiden Goddess: 70 N1 las altas doncellas qua Sandro, con ligera sandalla y aureos valos, pinto bajo al ramaje danso da floras, gosan tu pura prlmsvera nl dlsfrutan al clelo da tu natal palsaja. El sol dora tus slanas como un oro salvaje, axda an tus ojos toda la lus da la pradera, y hay un parfuma exotico qua nos racuarda un viaja lejano, si dasatas la fuarta cabellera. Eras alta y flexible. Con al arco podrfas cruzar la salva al trota largo da tus labrales. En tu seno divides las noches y los d£as como la tlerra. Y nunca da tu vlentre Infacundo daras, ni aun a la sombra da tus arboles fielea, nuava came da angustla y da dolor al mundo. (Vida, p. 100) The subject shifts from specific mythological charac ters to scenes reminiscent of them in the poem, "Jardln antlguo." One imagines a vista that might have been woven in tapestries or painted around amphorae. In the light of an autumnal moon the ancient garden lies with its marble gnawed by time, the graceful flow of its fountains stilled, white statues hidden in recessed corners, the pavement obliterated by invading ivy, and the holy sarcophagus of Silence guarded by erect old cypresses. The poet, gazing on this melancholic spectacle, recapitulates his ideas when he states: Quiero abrir la petrea carcel de tus fuentes agotadas — fuentes nacidas al pie de las colinas lejanas— 71 y perderme en el arboreo laberlnto de tus send as ante el crepuaculo tlblo que anublan las hojas secas. Qulero llorar^a la sombra de tus estatuas vencldas, dlgnas del clasico olvldo bajo una selva de enclnas, y descifrar el mis ter lo del ave antlgua que vela inmovll sobre el acanto de tus columns de pledra. (Vida, p. 77) This scene of death, taking on an aura of mystery under the charm of the moon, represents the inevitable passing of the transitory which Maya captures in this poem of eighteen hexadecasyliable couplets. Another scene, not of slow death but of peaceful living, is that which Maya represents in the sonnet, "Pastoral," invoking those pacific countrysides that Virgil frequently portrayed in verse. The time is late afternoon when the sky lights up with the brilliance of the setting sun. Blue smoke rises slowly over the village, and an emptied cart, returned from the labors in the fields, rests beneath the pensive laurel. The ruddy tint of the sky changes to violet, and the song of the flute can be heard in the distance. A star appears in the serene blue sky as the fleecy clouds make the afternoon resemble a sheep- fold where the sun's rays feed golden hay to the flock: La tarda an lumbres da arrebol sa lnmola y daja an la collna un fugitivo temblor, como al carmfn da un Prlmltlvo qua la faz da la Vlrgen arrebola. El humo azul dal cab anal tranola sobra al valla falls de esmalte vivo, y debajo da un sauce pensatlvo esta volcada la carrata sola. Huye al ultimo lampo de violate por el cenlt. Dasda el lejano rlsco llora una flauta su anodon secret a. La e8tralla naca an al asul sereno, y ya toda la tarda as un aprlsco donde floraea la humlldad dal hano. (Vida, p. 45) One cannot help but think that Maya had In mind poets such as Theocritus, Virgil and Horace when he wrote the poem consisting of twenty-three triplets, "A los poetas primitives." The authors of The Winged Horse tell us that Hesiod wrote poetry suited to a quiet, friendly life and that he "made a kind of encyclopedia of the gods, their ancestry, birth, adventures, and habits. . . ."** In de scribing Horace, who wrote of the joys of the simple life, Auslander and Hill say that he "sat among his grapes and books, dreamed under dark trees beside singing water, and ^Joseph Auslander and Frank Ernest Hill, The Wiraad Horse (The Story of the Poets and Their Poetry) (New York: Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., 1940), p. 32. 73 celebrated the riches of the spirit at peace with the world.Horace frequently longed for the simple joys of the countryside In the midst of the bustle of Rome. It reminds one of Maya's love for the quiet life when Horace In the second Epode, "In Praise of Country Life," exclaims: What joy, beneath some holm-oak old and grey Or on thick turf, one's limbs to lay; While streams past toppling banks roll down their flood, And the birds croon In every wood, And fountains murmur with their gushing streams Sounds that shall sooth to sleep and dreams. They also point out that Virgil first wrote about the earth and the farmers and the simple things of life in his o Eclogues which resembled the pastorals of Theocritus. In his Georgies. besides exalting the labor in the fields, he speaks of "the intoxication of April and the brother hood of plant, animals and men."1® In Virgil's first pastoral "Tityrus and Mellboeus" one detects the same ^Auslander and Hill, p. 60. ®John Marshall et al. (translated by Various Hands), The Complete Works of Horace (London: J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd., 1931), pp. 113-114. o Auslander and Hill, p. 67. 10Ibid.. p. 69. \ 74 nostalgia for tha familiar fields and homeland that Maya expresses in his poem, "A los poetas prlmltlvos." The pastoral begins: Beneath the shade which beechen boughs diffuse, You, Tityrus, entertain your sylvan muse. Round the wide world In banishment we roam, Forced from our pleasing fields and native home; While, stretched at east, you sing your happy loves, And Amaryllis fills the shirty groves.11 The peaceful mood that permeated the verses of these ancient poets pervades the first stanzas of Maya's poem in which a subtle fragrance fills the air, and the earth shares its divine murmur with the poets who greet the evening star from the sides of the road: Vivistels bajo el cielo da la infancla y fue vuestra vision, en la distanda, un cielo que era un poco de fragancia. Os dlo la tlerr» su rumor divino y en las tardes, a or 11 las del camino, saludasteis al astro vespertlno. (Vida, p. 100) Although the simple beauty would bring the poets to their knees "en medio de esa pastoral sencilla," they would also leave the peacefulness of life to sing of amorous "Pastoral I--Tityrus and Mellboeus," John Dryden (translator), The Works of Virgil (London: Oxford Univer slty Press, 1961), p. 3. 75 caprice* and the life of the immortal gods: Ya, dejando la pas da los plantlos, 1lorabais amorosos desvarlos en la agreate ribera de los r£os, o bien, bajo los fertiles psrrales, cantabais con las arpas ancestrales la vida de los dioses inmortales. (Vida, p. 101) Maya acknowledges the tremendous inspiration with which these ancient poets were endowed when he writes in another triplet: Y en el alba del cielo adolescente bajo la inspiracion, calladamente, como un halo de oro a vuestra frente. (Vida, p. 101) Not only were the poets gifted with inspiration but also were successful in its use, and so ... los ninos, en festivo coro, os ofreclan el laurel sonoro entre el rumor de las cigarras de oro. (Vida, p. 101) Maya recalls in the next triplet the love that some of these poets had for the labor in the fields when the grains were heavy with seeds: For vosotros fue dulce la faena rural y al punto, de simientes llena, sobre los surcos se doblo la avena. (Vida, p. 101) Four stanzas ratall the story o£ Homer’s hero, Odys seus, when his raft is torn apart by the storm sent by Poseidon, and fate carries him to the land of the Phaea- cians, where he sleeps covered by a heap of dry leaves until awakened by the maidens of the princess of the 12 country. A vosotros, en golfos seculares, llegaban melancollcos cantares que atra£an las velas triangulares; pero lumbres amigas en el cielo mostraron siempre a vuestro raudo anhelo la curve playa del nativo suelo. Y al dejar, coronado de gaviotas, hendldo el mastil y las jarclas rotas, el barco que sureera agues remotes, os recibieron, bajo verdes ramas, las doncellas, flexibles como llamas, danzando entre la flor de las retamas. (Vida, p. 102) Maya mentions again the poets' predilection for rural thsskes, mingled with the conversation they enjoy with the gods: Y labrastels la tierra primitive ceSlda en vuestros cantos de una viva guirnalda, como una anfora votive. 12 Edith Hasdlton, Mythology (New York: Mentor Books, 1957), p. 209. 77 Y entre el sesgo dorado de las hocas escucho vuestro ofdo las valoces palabras dal mensaje da los dlosas. (Vida, pp. 102 and 103) In tha final stanza Maya compares tha slmpla and vast vision of tha aarly poets with space in which tha sea is inlayed with tha irldascant light of its chaste pearl: Y fue vuastra vision sancllla y vasta como al aspacio an donda al mar angasta la luz mudabla da su parla casta. (Vida. p. 103) This poem, a summation of tha spirit and themes of the aarly Greek and Roman poets, is tha last of tha nine in La vida an la eombra that Illustrate Maya's choice of mythological inspiration. In a variety of forms— couplets, tr i p le ts , T1HHI TV"! q u atrain s, sonnets and combinations 13 of hepta-, hendecasyliable and Alexandrine verses — the poet has conveyed many moods— awe, pleasure, sorrow, nos talgia, joy and admiration. These poems have been a re capitulation of mythological themes in Maya's first book of poetry. In his later works the poet tends to use these themes in a metaphorical rather than a narrative sense. 13 In Spanish verse an Alexandrine line is one of four teen syllables with a caesura between the hemistichs. Maya always places the caesura after the seventh syllable em ploying hiatus and dlaersls wherever necessary. 78 Corot del mediod£a, published In 1928, differs sub stantially from Maya's first anthology, La vlda en la t sombra. The first considerable difference is the decreased nupober of poems (there are nineteen in Coros t seventy-eight in Vida). Furthermore, the poet breaks with classical forms employing free verse and mixed meters in many of the poems. Maya*8 treatment of human problems— man's struggle in life, his attraction to high ideals, and his ultimate end, death— give to Coros del mediodfa a cohesiveness which is not so apparent in his earlier work. In order not to im pinge on an aspect of his universality which will be dis cussed later--Maya's concern with the age-old concerns of man— they will be set aside temporarily, in order to remark here on those classical symbols which Maya utilizes to fortify the Impact of his message. The first poem of Coros del mediodfa. "Interior, refers to an interior light which is "traditionally . . . I4Coros del mediodfa from Rafael Maya, Obra poet lea (5a ed.; Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958), pp. 117-118. 79 equated with the spirit.By means of the symbol of light, Maya introduces his readers into the milieu of Coros dfiLatglsdift- -the conscience of man and his constant war fare with spiritual enemies inside his personality. Outside, the afternoon diffuses its ancient splendor, burning in the fire of a red and violent spring: La tarde dlfund£a su resplandor antiguo sobre el mundo. Era la luz venlda de los campos remotos, ardidos en el fuego de una roja y violenta prlmavera. (Coros. p. 117) Speaking in the first person, the poet says that as they were conversing an internal brightness illumined her countenance like the genial atmosphere of amber that sur rounds the sweet images on illustrious walls: Conversabamos. Una dlafanidad interna lluminaba tu fas, como esa tibia atmosfera de ambar que rodea a las dulces imagenes de los muros 1lustres. (Coros. p. 117) The afternoon becomes even brighter as it lights up ^Juan Eduardo Cirlot, A Dictionary of Symbols (London: Routledge and Kagan Paul, 1962), p. 179. 80 gloriously like a t ample that has bean invaded by dishev eled barbarians with burning torches: La tarde se encendfa glorlosamente como un templo donde hub las en penetrado, con teas encendIdas, los birbaros grenudos, ensmlgos del oro de los techos y de las colgaduras cuyos pllegues de purpura revlsten el resplandor llturgico del cedro. (Coros. p. 117) Suddenly the light goes out. The hills in the dis tance darken, changing expressions, like a face struck by human tragedy. The world is extinguished. Pero de pronto fuese apagando la luz. ^En la dlstancla se opacaron las rustless colinas, canbiando de expresion como los rostros por donde pass la tragedla humane. El mundo se extingu£a. (Coros, p. 118) While the light from without is being snuffed out, the lamps within are slowly lit, and she, whose face was illu mined by an Internal brightness as they spoke, withdraws beyond the mist of the pallid gold shed by the evening lamps. Mas entonces, en tu alcoba profunda, poblada por los dlafanos espejos que multipllcan tu ademan a modo de una ague movll, se encendleron, lent as, las lamparas de plata. 81 D«Jut« la vantana y yo te vl aleJarte, delgmda, blanca, rftmlca, con tua aereos dados sujetando la rubla cabellara, a traves da la bruma da oro palldo qua vert£a la noche da tus lsmparas. (Coros, p. 118) Ona cannot overlook tha luminosity that Maya craatas in this poem. If it is not tha exterior brilliance of an afternoon sun, it is the radiance diffused by tha lamps within* A lamp, as well as light, is a "symbol . . . of tha spirit,”^ and Maya employs this traditional sign in tha introduction of Coros dal madiodfa to indicate tha direction the poems of this collection will take toward problems of tha spirit. In tha poem "Invitacion a nevegar"17 man's existence is equated with tha sea. Tha great epics contain many epi- 4 sodas that involve tha sea which has traditionally bean considered "not only as tha source of life but also as its In tha first stanza tha poet wonders: l6Cirlot, p. 168. *7Coros dal madiodfa. pp. 138-141. *®Cirlot, p. 268. 82 Cuando, cuando llegara al d£a en qua me dlea: ea nacaaarlo navagar. Allsta,una nava qua tanga un timon y un palo para colgar la vala nomade qua ha da pardaraa an al mar ancho. (Coros, p. 138) Tha poet asks whan ha will be told to ready a ship to sail tha vast sea* He comas from a race which bora tha sign of mariners upon its brow. One ancestor was so brave that ha compares him to Ulysses: Mi rasa llevaba en la frente al Imgeratlvo mandato. Despues lo grabo an su escudo un poeta qua fue corsario, y puso un angel con un remo y una torre qua eleva un faro. La^tlbia noche da mi lnfancia oyo una historla da naufraglos an qua ml abuelo, qua ten£a un corason da Ulises barbaro, murio da vlajo an una isla comiando datiles dorados. (Coros. p. 139) But the only sea that he is to sail is that measured with tha beat of classic versa, for ha lives far from tha sea, in a city of granite and marble surrounded by tall, mute hills: Vino despues al mar medldo con al compas dal verso clasico. 83 Pero yo tmci en una urbe hecha da granlto y de maxmol, con aacudoa de pledra toeca que unen la clave de los arcos, y liana de polvo y de hues os como un antlguo catefalco. Lejos del mar! Altas colines estrechan, nudes, el eublto. (Coros. p. 140) The sea represents freedom for the poet because he says that he will depart for the numerous roads opened up to him In space, and he will leave behind earth with Its bitterness and sorrows: Yo partire ... y ya solo tendre delante los mil camlnos del espaclo. Y he de grltar: Adios joh tlerra! amasada con polvo y llanto bajo la furla de tus clelos, y crusade por r£os amargos que te clSen a la clntura el vlejo sayal de los campos. (Coros. pp. 140-141) Nothing will detain him. A strange wind whistles. The mist clears. He bids us to lift the gallant mast for the nomadic sail which will be lost In the vast sea. Ah! mas nada sera bastante a detenerme. Un vlento ext ratio sllba. La bnsna se despeja. 84 Clavamos el mastil gtllacdo para colgar la vala nomade qua ha da pardaraa an al mar ancho. (Coro*, p. 141) "Invitacl6n a navagar” is a call for man to embark on hla journey through tha aaa of Ufa, unencumbered by ter ras trial cares. For Maya, It Is tha vocation of a poet which attracts him: Corte la caiia qua se else an la ribera da los lagos, para cantar panes antlguas o venlderos desengaSos, y, sobra al cielo o al inflemo, cada verso quedo temblando como con al peso da un eve suala dob1area un junco largo. (Coros. p. 141) In this stanza the poet declares that ha whittled a flute to sing of old sorrows and of future deceits. Man, like tha poet, must make tha choice of tha route he will follow over tha paths of tha sea. Man faces many hardships as he sails over tha sea of life and tha struggle ha encounters whan ha loses tha wings 10 of equilibrium is suggested in tha poem, "Las alas." Tha poem which begins l9Coros dal madiodfa, pp. 151-155 85 Yo tanfa do* *1**, •1 *1* azul, *1 al* roja (Coro*. p. 151) remind* one of the Greek deities depicted with wings that portrayed love or victory. In Maya'* concept they symbo lize victory and ascent. These two wings— the one blue and the other red**-are the forces that balance man. The former Is protective, like the wing of a warrior angel who "deflende a los ninos / y vela el stxeSo de las vfrgenes." It Is also like "el pabellon de flores / que protege los ldlllos campes- tres." The blue wing Is also compared to a multi-colored tent in a festival and to the shadow of the church bell- tower. The red wing, on the other hand, signifies ascent. This wing was on his shoulder to furrow the paths of the sky, to fly above the sea and earth, to discover celestial shores, where beacons are lit to guide ships and shepherds through the roads of the earth, and to follow the river of light that springs from the rosy meadows of Paradise where unclad virgins pick dew In their hands: El ala roja era [en] ml hooabro para surcar las rutas aereas. Para el vuelo soberblo sobre el mar y la tlerra. 86 Part descubrir 1m costM ealutta, donde se anclendan los faros qua orisntan a 1m naves y a los eonductorM da rebaftos por los camlnos da la tiarra. Para sagulr al cauca da la lus qua nace en 1m rosadM praderM dal Para£so donda 1m v£rgenes daanudM recogan al roc£o an sus rnsnos. (Coros, p. 154) Tha poet In tha 1m t nineteen verses laments for man the loss of these two wings, a loss which makes him totter as a laborer returned from the grape harvest. He cries In vain for the wings that he does not find. Alone, wandering and distracted, each step (without his wings) brings him closer to the great nocturnal chaos: Hoy, cuando de ml vlda penden los aSos muertos, como 1m floras sec as de 1 m ven tanas abler t M para los festlvalM mundamos, camino por la tlerra tambaleandome a modo dal labrador que vuelve de la vendimla, porque he perdldo mis dos alM. Vanamente, en la noche clega, por 1m cludades qua festajan con ramllletes de faro1m su trlunfo da lujurla y de sangra, clamo por mis dos alM. No 1m encuentro y solo, arranta y abstra£do, voy como fundlendome, p m o a p m o , an al gran caoa noctumo. (Coros, p. 155) 87 Maintaining tht 14m of wings and tha aacant of nan in his attaapta to soar Into tha hlghast reaches of spaca, Maya utlllsaa tha development of alrplanas in tha twantiath century, conbining an aneiant idaa with a nodarn invention, to coonunicata this notion. In "Capitan da valnta aSos"20 tha poat asks tha young pilot to carry him in his light plana. Lika birds who (by naans of wings) risa Into tha sky, tha pilot will fly with his body alongatad by tha impetus of tha sudden start and with a last raflection of terrestrial verdure in his ayes, contracted by tha fury of tha wind which seises hln in its whirlwind as it seises tha gods: Cono sa ranontan los pajaros con al solo equips ja de sus plumas, y llevando una hoja con la ultima rana an qua sa posaron, as£ vas a las rutas aareas con tu cuerpo alargado an al fmpetu dal arranque, y un ultimo rafla jo dal vardor terrastra m tus ojos astrangulados ya por la furia dal vlanto qua ta arrebata an su torbellino cono a los diosas. (Coros. p. 182) They will fly through tha norning like tha first voice of nan. Tha poet's heart, a prisoner of earth like tha 20Coros dal nediodia. pp. 180-184 88 roots of a tree, will beat above hie life like the pilot's propeller. They will fly through the morning purified In the light which renews the conscience of the world, and only a little cloud will witness their celestial rapture. They will enter Into the blue vortex, Into the ether which will pierce them like light pierces the clouds. There will be neither time nor limit to their joy, and all things will be known In their unity from the kingdom of the sun: Volaremos por la maffana como las prlmeras voces de los hombres. Ml coraxon, prislonero de la tierra Igualque las ra£ces de los arboles, batira sobre ml vlda con mas fragor que tu hellce, Si; volaremos por la manana purificedos en la luz que renueva la conclencia del mundo, y solo una nubecilla del m£sero polvo originario dara testlmonio de nuestro rapto celeste, ante los camlnos de la tierra y ante las montanas d1stantes. Y habremos entrado en la voragine azul, en el eter que nos trasgasara como la luz a las nubes. Y ya no habra ni tlempo nl l£mlte para nuestra alegr£a, y todas las cosas seran conocldas en su unidad desde el relno del sol. (Coros. p. 183) Completing the symbolism of wings which has signified protection, balance and ascent, Maya In "Bajo el alba de la 21 victoria" presents the concept of victory. ^ Coros del aadiodfa. pp. 174-180. 89 In this poem of two hundred lines of blank verse the poet tells the story of six companions whose youth had been joined by the same force, as the feathers of a wing are tied by the same nerve: Un mlsmo esfuerzo vincula nuestra juventud a modo del nervlo que llga todas las plumas del ala. (Coros, p. 174) They were united by a tenderness like the wax that joins the Irregular reeds of a Pan's pipes: Identlca teraura nos une como la cera que aprlslona las canas impares en el Instrumento de pocas notas. (Coros. p. 175) Before entering the battle they sealed their Infancy with a handshake: Al darnos la mano cerramos el cielo de nuestra Infanela como las montaSas de la tierra natlva. (Coros. p. 175) The enemy approached and after that It was complete violence. They grappled with one another In the battle like twigs that twist In a silent flame: Lo demas fue vlolencla. Nos abrasasios en la lucha como sarmlentos que se retuercen en una llama sllenclosa. (Coros. p. 177) Then blood appeared on the earth like the day of the 90 first •aerifies. It was the blood of their youth, the blood of their fathers, which flawed from their arms, their chests, and their brows, in glorious streams like strips from a banner: Entonces, como en el d£a del primer sacrificio, aparecio la sangre sobre la tierra. Era la sangre de nuestra juventud, la sangre de nuestros padres, que manaba de nuestros brazos, del pecho, de la frente, en hilos gloriosos como los jirones de una banders. (Coros. p. 178) But they conquered in the fury of blood and dust. The enemy fled and the victors sat down upon the rocks. They looked at one another and felt their hands and bodies which had been exercised In Imprudent battle. Their clothes were in rags like those of contemptible beggars on the streets. And even if their wives had wept at their feet, they would have smiled in their disdain, because their «* c victorious nakedness had been so great. Not even the mag nificent sky of the afternoon would have been worthy to crown them. Resting as though they had just come from a debate, they calmly helped themselves to the ripe fruit offered to them. Deep sounds came from everywhere. An autumn sun was slowly setting. Like lasy ships, the clouds anchored upon the distant hills, unloading in chimerical seas 91 all the wealth robbed from celestial climes. Then VICTORY appeared. The whole afternoon shook with the Impetus of her flight. She was as beautiful as their life and heroic as their Invincible hope. She gathered on her brow all the light of the world, while they, with the olive branch, sang a war hymn, uniting their heads beneath the wing of VICTORY. The poems of the collection, Final de romances v otraa 22 canclones. lack the scope of Coros del medlodfa. and there Is little reference to classical themes or utiliza tion of classical symbols. The most significant in this respect— a more recent classical allusion— is the sonnet entitled "Beatriz."23 Inspired by Dante's Beatrice, she passes, clothed in flowing gown, regal In her gait and crowned with gold and White flowers. Surrounded by angels, several thuribles move at her feet. She is preceded by birds as she ad vances. And a rosy hue spreads over the meadow as the hours seem to fall from her lovely hands. 22 Included In Poesfa (2a ed.; Bogota: Librerfa Volun- tad, 1944). 23Ibid.. p. 297. 92 Thu* she passes, in the midst of her eternal cortege, on the way to Paradise. But unlike Dante, who would have been willing to follow his ideal wherever she led, the poet says that he continues to lean out over the noise that rises from his own hell. Large tunica, llena de sfmbolos florales, te cine. Lentsmente te mueves bajo el breve cerco de roses aureas y jasmines de nieve que aprieta vanamente tus cabellos caudales. Rodeate un ejerclto de alas inmortales, un pueblo de incensarios a tus plantea se mueve, y hacla la dulce boveda, tree una nube leve, lansa tu aguda flecha las fines catedrales. Avanzas. Te preceden las arpas voladoras. Llueve una luz rosada sobre la fas del prado. De tus manos celestes van cayendo las horas. Asf pasas, en medio de tu cortejo etemo, con ruobo al para£so ... Mas yo sigo inclinado sobre el clamor que sube desde mi proplo inflemo. (Final, p. 297) The flowing gowns and the garlands of golden roses and snowy jasmine are typical of classical attire. The "Insaortal wings," symbolic of the gods, of protection, of victory and of ascent, have an added meaning here where they represent angels. The offering of incense is con nected both with ancient and Christian rites, and the cathedrals replace the Greek and Roman temples. The phrase, "arpas voladoras," is reminiscent of Gongora. 93 But the £lnal tercet is original in the unexpected turn it takes where Beatrice is rejected and replaced by the attraction of hell. One is not surprised in examining < fa luz not to find many poems that are classical in allusion or sym bolism for this collection is comprised of sonnets which in themselves are more personal. It is natural that the poet, a more mature man, should direct his poems to topics of a more subjective nature. Since this is the case, these sonnets will be considered later when the appropriate categories are treated. The last published collection of Maya's poems, Navaga- cion nocturne (1958), as varied as it is lengthy, contains what one might consider an epilogue to the Odyssey. The Siren is asked to tell the story of her antiquity: Cuentame, Sirena, qua estas en el mar la hermosa leyenda de tu antigttedad. (NN, p. 96) In her rhythmical voice she tells, how, from her cliff, she has seen pass by as many centuries as waves and as many ships as clouds, and that only the tide was faith ful to her resplendent rock, the sparkling throne of the tempest: 94 Dead* esta escollera he vlato peser mas,slglos que olas, nee barcoe que nubee, y solo lee egues canbiantes del mar pemenecen fie las a mi roca fulgida, trono destellent* de la tenpeatad. (M> P* 96) Alone she has kept singing the song that made sailors from every clime shipwreck: Yo solo he seguldo cantado el canter que a los navegantes de toda la tierra hizo naufragar. (Ml, p. 96) No sooner would they approach than they would cease their rowing: Aqul se acercaban y al^punto cesaba el rudo remar. jAdios a la patria, del canpo nativo, del humo que alzaba su lenta espiral! (NN. p. 96) There was only one who in order to hear her song had himself tied to the mast. He plugged up the ears (of his men) and continued out to sea: Uno solo, al o£r este canto, del mastil mas alto se hizo amarrar: tapose con cars los flnos o£dos, y slgulo con rumbo a la inmensidad. (ML p. 97) This nan was tall and magnificent. A curly beard gave his face the virile charm of a sailor and of a philosopher. 95 He w u astute Ilka tha rustic Pan: Era alto, magnffico Craspa barba la daba a su faz un vlrll ancanto da nauta y fllosofo. Tenfa la astucla dal rustlco Pan. <M> P- 97) Tha Siren admits her love for him because of his deceit, and she confesses that from that day she has cast her ayes out over the sea hoping that this man, a son of the ocean, would pass again in front of her cliff: Lo ame por su engano, y desde ese d£a, tendlendo los ojos por el ancho mar, espero que el hombre, frente a ml escollera — hljo del oceano--volvera a pasar. (NN, p. 97) Maya, who was Introduced to the classic writers In his early education, does not hesitate to create his own OA denouement to Odysseus* encounter with the Sirens. Since It was their marvelous song that attracted passersby, Maya captures this charm by utilizing a flowing rhythm and en- jambment. The second stanza— "Desde ... tempested" (see page 94)— Illustrates this cadence and melody; It Is com posed of six verses (sixty syllables) with a final pause only after the last word, f—«n^»ypd. ^Hamilton, p. 214 96 In the previous poem, "Cuento," Meya adds an interest ing conjecture to the incident of Odysseus and the Sirens. 25 In "Naufragios,” although there is no mention of the Greek hero of the Trojan War, one cannot but recall the dreadful experiences he suffered on his sea journey home ward to Ithaca. The wrath of the gods, the Imprudence of his men, the sea peril awaiting him at the passage between Scylla and Charybdis brought Odysseus to the brink of death. Maya employs this idea of shipwrecks with regard to men*s souls. Unlike the "naufragios" which Odysseus survived, man's is a silent one without the ferment of the dark foam and the disturbance of gigantic waves. Never theless, the ships roll to the deep abyss, and only un grateful, mute, gray shores welcome survivors: Hay un naufragio, a cada instants, en nuestras almas. Sin borbotar de oscura espuma, sin alboroto de las olas braves, ruedan al fondo, silenciosos, grandes nav£os, leves barcas. jOh gran abismo generoso! {Oh ingratas, sordas, grises playas! (M, p. 14) 2W « g i elon noctuma (Bogota: Librerla Voluntad), p. 14. 97 In « completely different tone the poet addresses 26 Eros, "El arquero," whose arrows Inflict wounds of love on mortals. He is not seen but only felt in the shadows, armed like a barbarous soldier with homicidal steel: Yo no te veo, arquero, pero en la sombre equivoca armado te presiento, como un soldado barbaro, del homicide hierro. (NN, p. 181) Mutely he spies on his victim, trying to cast his blind dart with every movement he makes: Se, que me expias, mudo, y a cada movlmiento que reallzo, tu intentas lanzarme el dardo ciego. At times the poet seems to hear the wind whistle where he sees his own blood, and he grows silent like a dead man: A veces me parece que olgo sllbar el viento donde ya veo mi sangre, y callo como un muerto. But Eros, girded with patience and armed with silence, contains himself and delays his victim's death: Pero tu te contlanes y dilates mi termino, cenldo de paciencla y armado de sllencio. ^Naveaacion nocturne, pp. 181-183. 98 Sometimes it appears as though he has changed his poet and looked for another corner for the evil blow: En ocasIones creo qua has mudado de puesto, y que otto rincon buscas para el golpe malevolo. Meanwhile the poet remains frozen, mute, still, with one hand barely protecting his breast and the other feeling the sinister space. He hardly blinks an eye. His arteries are weighed down with fear: Yo permanezco, en tanto, helado, mudo, quieto, con una mano, apenas, defendlendome el pecho, en tanto que la otra palpa el vac£o siniestro. Con la vlda en suspenso, apenas pestafleo. Mis arteries soportan todo el peso del miedo. Om. p. 182) When finally he thinks that the invisible archer has ended the dreadful truce, he detects his presence again in the shadows, silently on guard, coldly waiting in ambush: Ya! me digo, pensando que va a poner fin clerto a la espantosa tregua el invisible arquero. Pero, jnada! En la sombre tan solo lo preslento, tacltamente eh guardia, fr{amenta en as echo. 99 Completely tremulous, the poet wonders where the wound will be, as he £eels his heart contract, happy £or having pulsed to the rhythm o£ the universe: iDonde sera la herida? me dlgo, todo tremulo, y 0lento que se encoge ml corason, contento de haber vlbrado al rltmo de todo el unlverso. He shouts with a wrathful cry for Eros to shoot with out delay. The expectancy Is worse than death. His body Is bared for the dart: Dlspara pronto! grlto con un grlto colerlco. A este espactativa yo la muerte preflero. Ya tengo, para el dardo, desnudo todo el cuerpo. (NN, pp. 182-183) But the enemy, ever attentive, waits for some unexpected hour of an unprepared time: Mas el raro enemlgo espera, siempreatento, alguna hera Insollta de un Inprevlsto tlampo. (M> P- 183) In these fifty-five verses Maya describes the well- known habits of Eros. The poet speaks for all men who have ever felt his dart and know that when one Is off his guard, Love never Is. He strikes at unsuspecting moments and 100 withdraws when one most ewelts him. Love seems to take delight in his game and, armed with patience, waits £or the propitious moment. The reluctance to fall In love recalls several mytho logical episodes— Narcissus, who scorned all beautiful girls, is made to fall in love with himself and slowly pines away; Pygmalion, who has always hated the opposite sex, falls in love with the statue he creates; Cupid, wounded by one of his own arrows, falls in love with Psyche, his mother's enemy; and Aphrodite, graced by her son's arrow, falls helplessly in love with Adonis. If the gods were powerless against the wiles of "the archer," man must also be prepared to expect an assault from him. Love is insistent in his siege and is as importuning now as he was at the beginning of time. Borrowing again from a mythological theme Maya de scribes the beauty of the morning and compares its power to convert everything into gold with that of King Midas. The king of Phrygia regrets this request that Bacchus kindly gives him, when everything he eats and even his beloved daughter turn to gold. This is not the case with "la mafiana" which gives everything she touches with her maiden hands the illusion 101 of gold. If she looks at soma thing with her bright eyes, It takes on the quality of a jewel. She disposes of her wise alchemy to change earthly dross Into a volatile ma terial that diffuses Itself with the silent combustion of amber. With her diamond arrow she pierces the red rose, the pebble, the dark stone and the tree, and converts them Into a transparent flame that fuses Itself, with the tremor of mother-of-pearl, in the rosy vibration of the air. Matter Is transformed Into a liquid emanation of cosmic substance, and the universe vibrates— a prisoner In a net of pallid rays of light: Como un ray mltologlco, eat a pura manana todo lo convlerte en oro; todo, en sus manos de doncella Intacta, cobra prestlglo de metal lnsigne, y todo tlene callded de joya si ella lo mlra con sus ojos claros. Ella dispone de su sable alquimla para trocar la terrenal escorla en materia sutll que se dlfunde con la callade combustion del amber. Traspasa, con su fleeha de diamante, a la rose de sangre y al guljarro, a la roca de funebre granlto y al arbol de cortesa sensitive, y los convlerte en llama transparante que va a fundlrse, con temblor de nacar, en la rosada vlbraclon del alre. La materia transformase en flu£da smanaclon de la sustencla cosmic a, y vlbra el unlverso prislonero en una red de palldos relampagos. QBL p. 42) 102 In this poem, appropriately entitled "La manana," tha comparison of the morning's magic touch with Midas' is well chosen. There is no reason, though, for the morning to have her privilege rescinded, because her gold is illusion not reality, and far from causing anguish she transforms the most common substances into resplendent figures. The poet himself desires this miraculous gift of the morning when in the last two verses of the poem he asks her to pierce him, to illuminate him and to elevate him: iTraspasame, ilumfname, levantame, taumaturgico don de la maSana! (NN» p. 43) This poem will conclude for the present the discussion of Maya's universality from the standpoint of his selection of mythological themes and sources for many of his poems. Other aspects of these works will be considered further on in this study. Old Testament Characters Maya's third book of poems, Pesoues dal silencio (1938), considered by some critics as the apex of his work, contains six long poems in dialogue. The limited number restricts his choice of themes. There is neither a 103 development of the enclent mythological subject nor of the classical symbol as in La vida en la sombra and Coros del mediodfa. But the fact that Maya resorts to the Old Testa* mant for the source of the theme in one of the poems lends to his work an appeal for myriads of readers. In the poem "La piedra de David" the poet again pre- sents the idea of the hero's straggle between the spiritual and the carnal. In speaking of Maya's poetry in general, one of his critics says that two equally powerful forces 27 dispute for the soul of the poet. He says that those who have not studied the very essence of Maya's poetry would call these two forces, romanticism and classicism. But he is convinced that they are Apollo and Dionysus, taking these two concepts not in their literal and rhetorical sense but insofar as the first represents the plastic serenity of Beauty and the latter the elemental forces of lif..28 Speaking of "La piedra de David" in particular Busta mante states that there is nothing more Apolllnarian than 27 / ^ Jose Ignacio Bustamante, f-* m Ponavan (Popayan: Editorial Univeraldad del Cauca, 1954), p. 64. 28Ibid.. pp. 64-65. the description of the young adolescent: Tiene Dsvid velnte anos ricos de lus e inocencla, como los frutos meduros bajo le pelusa tlerne. El ague cubre de rlzos sus blsncss msnos expertss en describlr con le bonds el c£rculo de le piedra. 1 ® Then Besenet appears and her presence unbalances from the first instant the spiritual equilibrium of the young warrior. Thus begins the battle between Love--the un bridled charger of Dionysus— and the heroic predestination of the future King of Israel whose destiny rests upon the firm conviction of his unshakeable chastity, except that the primary instinct of sex is more powerful than the will power of the predestined hero. And this triumph of life over logic, of nature over discipline, and of blind instinct over "knowledge" cause the poet to alter com pletely the biblical text in order to arrive at the old 30 teachings of the Book of Wisdom. The precept of the Book of Wisdom that Bustamante refers to is that man avoid and 29Pt»Pttff,dtl gllfngl? from Rafael Maya, Ofrri PP»ti98 (5a ed.; Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958), p. 198. 30 Bustamante, p. 69* 105 fit* from tha wiles of women, for their feet walk toward death and their steps lead to hell."*1 Maya has taken the liberty to draw from various characters of the Bible to form the philosophical thesis of "La piedra de David." Basenat, a young girl with "dos lentejuelas azules / con falao brillo," is a combination of Bethsabee, the wife of Urias, and Dalila, the lover of Samson, who robbed him of his long locks-“the source of his strength. The poet puts on the lips of an old man (Samuel) who 32 anoints David with oil the prophecy that he will fight with a giant and for that reason his locks have "never felt the touch of steel. "33 Pelearas con el gigante que tiene roja la grena, y sobre todos los hoobres como una torre descuella. Por eao Dios ha guardado los rizos de tu cabeza, como el cabello de un angel, extranos a la tijera. (DPS, p. 204) From his youth, in tending his father's flocks, David would pursue any lion or bear that carried off one of 32The Book of Proverbs, II, 16-19• 32I Kings, XVI, 13. 33Judges, XVI, 17. 106 the rams, and snatching the prey from their jaws would catch than by the throat and strangle them. In the poem David says: Cuando era gastor yo pude sacar al leon de su cueva y hacer de sus huesos rotos para mi perro una fiesta. Tamblen al oso di muerte, y he matado en su carrera el flaco lobo que tiene dos puntlagudas orejas. (DPS, p. 204) The poet adds another wild animal, the wolf, to the con quests of David, who feeds the broken bones to his dog. So, David is willing to fight with Goliath. But Basenat is not only responsible for David's being shorn of his hair but also of his virtue, and as a result, unlike the 35 account in the Bible, his stones are of no avail against the giant: Y al punto contra el gigante lanza la primer* piedra. Goliath recibe en su mano las cinco guijas enteras, 6 y del mancebo se r£e bajo su barba de cerda. (DPS, p. 206) Kings, XVII, 36. 35I Kings, XVII, 49. 3*The word, enteras, is "certeras" in the 1944 edition of Poes£a. p. 176. This seems more likely as it means, well-aimed. 107 David, instead of running up and cutting off the Philistine's head, falls on the ground, red with anger, as his soldiers flee, leaving their shields behind: David se postra en el suelo rojo de Ira y vergttensa, en tanto que sus soldados con grandes voces desertan, dejando la ancha llanura toda de escudos cublerta. (DPS, p. 206) Maya again borrows from another incident in the Bible, 37 that of Joseph*8 being sold into slavery, when he says: David, flno adolescents, marcha a una tierra eoctranjera. (DPS, p. 207) As an affront to the misfortune of David and as a mockery to the hero's weakness, the poem ends as Basenat returns to the well where David first met her: mlentra8 al agua del bsfio vuelve la mujer morena. (DPS, p. 207) Lifa mnd Timmfh The poems of Maya that have been discussed are those that have revealed some of his theories with regard to 37Genesls, XXXVII, 28. 108 poetry end those that have revolved around classical thesies. There has been overlapping, as Is natural, as poens are not completely compartmentalized, and a few of those already mentioned will figure when the next facet of Maya's universality— his treatment of life and death themes— Is examined. Man is born, he is allotted a certain number of days to live, and then he dies. This is the inexorable lot of the human race. It is not strange, then, that these phenomena have captured the attention of thinking men of all times. What is life? How long is its duration? What can man expect from it? What is its inevitable end? These are a few of the questions that the poet answers as he probes the enigmas of life. In one of the earliest of Maya's poems, "No esperes, 38 alma mla," the poet tells his soul not to expect anything from the future for perhaps the grave awaits him. Perhaps, too, the plot he wants to cultivate for flowers will become his grave instead: 38 La vida en la scmbra. pp. 28-30. 109 No esperes, alma m£a, no esperes nada dal £uturo. Acaso solo te aguarda al cabaaal da pladra an al jardfn musgoso dal silencio. Acaso an al oculto tracho qua qularas cultlvar da floras para vlvlr an soladad amena, proyecte ahora la callada asfInge su triangulo da soubra. Who knows If this may be tha happiest moment of his life? Perhaps this instant, which filters lightly through the hand like a grain of sand, is the most precious of all. Tha soul, therefore, should forget the trivial tasks and penetrate the present in order to comprehend the most felicitous time of life: Tal vez estas vlviendo la hora mas bella de tu vida. Acaso esta minuto qua sa flltra, lave, como un grano da arena por tu mano, as la parte preciosa de venture 01v£da la faena trivial, penetra an al instanta sumo y alcanzaras que as aste el cfrculo mas claro da tu vida. (Vida, p. 29) One can hear an echo of Horace's caroa diem as the poet continues to advise his soul to bury himself in tha present: "lAblsmate an la hora!" Tha soul is counseled to inebriate itself in tha light, for tha night will come when it will have to put its old lamp at tha feat of death: 110 Ettbrlagate en le luz, mlencree que liege le noche en que pondras tu vleje lampara e lee humlldee plentes de le muarte. (YidA, p. 30) As the poet advises the soul to live Its life to the fullest, the last three lines just quoted explain why. The thought of death Is never very removed from life, end no one Is certain of the days destined for him. In a similar vein the poet advises his beloved to deny herself nothing. He tells her to keep singing as she travels down her rough path where triumphs and dangers alternate. He encourages her to enjoy both good and evil, "el angel bianco y la mujer oscura." He enjoins her to love the star shining In the firmament and the withered leaf in the mud. But he warns her to remember that amidst its caprice all the fountains of life could never fill her empty heart: Vida mfa, que acendras tu amargura bajo la ardua corteza de los azSos, experts en infinltos desengaHos, y al rojo sol de la paslon, madura. s£gue cantando, por la sends dura donde alteraan los trlunfos y los danos, y deja que te den goces extraxSos el angel bianco y la mujer oscura. I No te nlegues a nada! Analo todo: en el azul, la estrella floraeIda; la hoja march!ta, en el oscuro lodo. Ill Mas plensa, antra tu propio desvar£o, qua ni todas laa fuentes da la vida podran llanar tu coraaon vac£o. ^ Maya Implants apprehension In tha mind of his readers with tha advice that ha proposes in these two poems. It is only in the last three verses that he jolts one to the realisation of the inanity of a life completely filled with pleasure, oblivious of lasting values. In the poem, "Vida nueva," comprised of forty-five couplets, Maya employs the solemn Alexandrine line^9 as he describes the end of the old year and the beginning of a new--" ... acaba el ano, se anuncia un nuevo d£a."^ Just as energy expended in daytime is renewed at night, so the effete life regains vigor with the new year. Life begins and a cloudy future opens up like a smile on the face of one in mourning. Life begins and, like birds in moulting, our souls, like our bodies, rid 39"Nada," La vida en la sombra, p. 54. 40 In note 13 of the present chapter it was noted that whan Maya employed the Alexandrine line the caesura came after the seventh syllable. Line 36 of "Vida nueva" demon strates this as well as the poet's^use of synalepha--"le pi-doa la ma-da-na, / en mio-ra-clon sen-cl-lla." **La vida en la sombra. pp. 67-69. 112 themselves of the old skin of pest sorrows end sing with the joy of e child emong flowers: Le vide emplese y ebrese el porvenir nubledo cuel se ebre une sonrise en un rostro enlutado. Le vide emplese y como las eves en le aside, iguel que nuestro cuerpo, nuestre elms se desnude de le vieje epidermis de pesedos do lores, y cents con el jubllo de tin nino entre les flores. (Vide, p. 69) As the lest night of the year ends, down begins to break. The flickering lamp grows dinner as day approaches. And before the light that exalts and renews everything, the new life finally appears: T ante la luz que todo lo exalte y lo renueva se anuncia a nuestros ojos, por fin, la vide nueva. (Vida, p. 69) The Idea that the poet wishes to convey in "Vida nueva" Is that just as other things in life— day, the season, the year— are renewed, so can man, dragged down by his lower nature, renew his good Intentions and begin a new life. In the sonnet, "El fruto," from Tiemoo de luz Maya repeats the advice of Horace: c6ge la flor esqulva de la hora sin mas espera, aconsejo el poeta. (log, P* 323) 113 Why? Because ll£e passes like a daring arrow Which leaves behind only a bussing wake: La vida pasa como audas saeta que solo deja astela sumbedora. (Lug. p. 323) Fortunately for the poet, his soul Is unfamiliar with this doctrine and, contemning the here-and-now, sets Its goal beyond the temptations of life: Pero ml alma, por fortuna, ignore esa doctrine, y en su fe secrete, menospreciando el hoy, pone la mete mas alia de .la vide tent odor a. (Lus. p. 323) His soul does not aspire to the flower Whose perfume, 8pirallng in the brilliant morning, Is consumed like a fortune; but It reaches for the fruit which enriches and fills the man who feels divine hunger midst terrestrial plenitude: Y no aspire a la flor cuyo perfume, glrando en la maffana d lamenting, como la propia die ha se consume. Sino a equal fruto que enriquece y llena a qulen supo sentlr hambra divine desde la vena plenitud terrene. (Lug, p. 323) The poet exploits his own soul in order to emphasise once again the truth that the ephemeral goods of the world fade away while the eternal values remain. 114 The poet'8 tone shifts es we move on to Heyeaseion nocturne. It Is not so much the transiency of life that 4 2 is discussed in "Tu vida"^ as its essence--its generation, nourishment, and movement. The poet says that he asks life from everything he sees— the pensive flower, the blade of grass: A todo cuanto veo, a la flor pensativa, a la ho^a de la hlerba, digo: dame tu vida. (NN, p. 12) From the tree whose seed is carried by the rapid wind he asks for nourishment; from the stone that was perhaps a part of a luminous nebula he asks for power to move his muscles; from the mountain stream whose generative power gives him light he asks light for his spirit; from the pollen, the source of the mitriclous meadows, he asks life for his hidden faith; from the roots that feed on primeval earth he asks life for his weak pulse; from the meteor which crosses the vast spaces he asks to be able to reach his ecstacy; and from very death he asks life in order to arrive at her black vortex.43 Man who is the highest of 42Pp. 12-13. 43Navegacion nocturne, pp. 12-13. 115 the creations on earth requests life from vegetal life, from minerals and from water, not because their qualities excel his, but because he realises he could profit from their powers. In summing up life the poet exclaims in another poem that greater than living is the grandeur of feeling one self live, the conscious awareness of the lofty act which our existence is, and the simultaneous event which beats in the fleeting hour— that is, its fugacity. The unbroken vision of all that was, and all that is or all that is to be, is greater than living. Life means feeling in. each pulsation of each artery a feverish emotion. Mas que vivlr, lo grande es sentlrse vivlr, la conclencia presente del sumo acto que es nuestro ser, y el slmultaneo acontecer que late en la hora fugas. Vida. Totalidad. Vision unanlme de todo cuanto fue, y de todo cuanto es, o cuanto oculta el vago porvenlr. T en cada pulsacion de cada arterla sentir una febril emocion que nos da todo el sentido de la vida total.*4 ^Mevegacion nocturne, p. 36 116 In a previous passage the poem, "Las alas," was dis cussed from the viewpoint of classical symbolism of wings. Maya also refers to them as the balance in life, for with out them man walks through life like one sated with wine: "... camino por la tierra / tambaleandome a modo / del 45 labrador que vuelve de la vendimia." These two wings--el ala azul, el ala roja— are like two complementary forces working in man. The blue wing is more passive, more phlegmatic. It sows peace among men, and its shadow hovers above the earth like that of a cloud that beneficently fills the rivers and refreshes the meadows. The blue wing is like the mystery of an after noon over the smoky valley where the windows blink before the distant sky which is gathering up in the horizon like a veil filled with exotic flowers: el ala azul iba en mi hombro sembrando paz entre los mortales. Su sombra se cern£a, sobre la tierra hecha de lodo y de cenlza, como la sombra de una nube benefice que tree el ague, absorbida en los r£os lejanos, para refrescar la pradera 45Coros del mediod£a. p. 155. 117 El ala azul ara al mlatarlo da la tacda sobra al valla humoso donde parpadean las vantanas, anta la lejanla dal dalo qua sa racoga an al horlzonte como un valo llano da floras extraSas. (Coros, pp. 152-153) On tha othar hand, the rad wing Is compared to a flame: "El ala roja ara en ml hoobro / como una llama. Far from the peaceful calm of the blue wind, the rad one Is Ilka a war banner amidst tha copper of trumpets as It greets tha ascent of dawn: Sernejante a un pendon de guerra antra el cobra da [sic] las trompetas, 7 el ala roja saludaba la asuncion del alba. (Coros. p. 153) This wing also lights the fire in tha blood of young men and on tha cheeks of maidens. Tha rad wing, like a bellows, whips tha bonfires of tha world lit to consume forests, and books, and tha wounded body of martyrs; to frighten animals, to purify water, to fuse metals: El ala roja encendla al fuego an la sangre da los mancebos y an las mejillas da las v£rgenes. ^6Coros. p. 153. ^*7I believe tha word, d&, should be de. This changes tha meaning to "copper qf, tha trumpets." 118 El ala roja allmentaba con au soplo las hogueras prendIdas en el mundo para consumir las selvas y los llbros y el cuerpo llagado de los martires, para sembrar de espanto el alma dulce de las fieras. Para purl£icar el ague que nace de los lfquenes ... Para fundir los metales que perpetuan, entre los hombres. el suefio vago de las formas lncreadas. (Coros. pp. 154-155) These wings are not to be equated with the forces of good and evil, for as it can be seen, they both possess beneficial qualities. But as the passive task of the blue wing renews the world with its restorative power of sleep— "E1 ala azul era en mi hombro / como el ala del sueno / / 48 caida sobre el mundo" — the red wing purifies with the heat of its fire. They are equally necessary for life, but their methods are different. Even as the poet speaks about life, he can not avoid its inevitable finality— death. In one of his early poems. 49 "La vida." he mentions a silent life, a passing life. 48P. 153 49Vlda. pp. 10-12. 119 a humble and pure life as well as certain death.He exclaims to his youth that swift-footed death wishes to hide Its face: iOh juventud m£a! La muerte, ligera de plantas, espera velarte la fax. (Yid* p. 12) These two thoughts, life and death, follow one another when the poet lets the mountain stream tell Its story. In the sonnet, "La vox del agua," the current which came to life in the hollow of wild brambles— "nac£ en un hueco del brenal salvaje"--realizes that its destiny is to die one night in the same thickets— "mi destino es ... morir una noche en la espesura."^ As a young man, Maya is never far from the thoughts of death which he seems to welcome. Besides offering him another life, it will be a release from his prison. His only regret is that his "amiga" will not follow him. In the poem, "Bntonces," he says that he wishes to sadden things at his death, like the sun, when it sets: 50Vlda. pp. 10-11. 51lbid.. p. 13. 120 Yo me morire muy pronto. Nada aapara ml corazon. Bajo mis plat la tlarra as dura. Qularo otra vlda y otro amor. Yo ma morire muy pronto porqua an ml aar hay una vox qua dlca al alma: aa al momento da qua aa rompa tu prlalon. Tan solo, amlga, ma acongoja qua no ta vayaa da m£ an po8 para aar como doa estrellas da una mlama conatalaclon. Yo ma morire muy pronto. Qularo declr ml ultimo adlos antrlataclando a ml partlda todaa loa [ale] cosas, como al aol. (Vlda. pp. 43-44) But ha do aa not wlah to ba forgotten, for a8 the moment approachaa ha reminds his sweat friend: No ma olvides, joh dulca amlga! la ultima aatralla aparaclo y aata la tarda sobre al valla como una aanta an oraclon. (Vlda. p. 45) In the poem, "Alma qua lloras tanto," the poet says, *'Huahf" to the souls weighed down with the burdens of Ufa. Although they ba laden Ilka the bridges of huge galleys, neither Ufa nor man listens to thalr plaints. Therefore, ha advises that they await that sweat hour whan the hills 121 light up over m dying world end they can tell Death, which brings soporific words on her lips, all their bitterness: Alma, que lloras tanto recuerdo, calla, calla. La vida esta carmada de tusHiltuoso afan, como los puentes de la vasta galera en que se arrojan colonias juveniles al ancho mar de numerosos ruidos. La vida no te escucha ni te escuchan los honbres. ... aguarda entre el misterio vivo de tu pasado tormentoso la hora dulce y santa en que se doran todas las colinas, sobre el mundo apagado, le diras tu amargura a la Muerte divine, que tree entre sue labios palabras de sopor para tu enorme corazon mistarioso. (Vida, pp. 31-33) Although the poet speaks of the "horror de la muerte" 0 52 in "Tu y yo" because it threatens his human love— " ... no he podido ofrecerte / mas que mi amor humano, tambien amenazado / ... [d]el horror de la muerte"--this is not his general attitude. In two other poems from La vida an la sombre, he welcomes death. He knows it is 52 La vida en la sombre, p. 46. 122 MCMiary to die, and ha look* forward to the sepulchral silence which no one has ever violated. He even longs for death, for he is tired of inane, routine words: Dicen, amada m£a, que es preciso morir. Fiensa cuan hondo habra da ser el sepulcral silencio iOjala sea pronto! Estoy cansado ya de las inutlles palabras rutinarias Quiero, pues, que callesios tan hondamenta que en nuestro silencio quepa una etemldad. Ans£o que callemos en el divino seno de la muerte; que nlnguno violo ... ^3 The other poem, "Los aHos que avansan," reveals simi lar sentiments. The poet is Inundated with an inexpres sible peace, a deep peace, a bright peace. It is difficult for him to express exactly what he feels, but he is certain that death awaits him, and that she is removing the black diamonds that seal her bronze door: Yo no se que siento a mad Ida que avansan los anos. La pas inefable del alma inflamada 53"Morir," Vida, p. 43. 123 en el eecro temblor de su prople dee nudes divine. Una pas tan honda como al tllencloao florecer de un huerto. Una pas tan clera como el vuelo del alba Inocente sobre un palido fondo merino. Yo no se qua slento a mad Ida que avansan los anos: solo se qua la muerte me eguarda y que esta desclavendo los negros dlamentes que salien su puerta de bronce. (Vida, pp. 48-49) In a like vein the poet speaks of the approach of death as similar to that of a mother drawing near to the bed of her sick son. While everyone else pleads with him to hasten and rise, she will close his eyes and cross his hands upon his breast. And that same afternoon he will be taken to the nearby cemetery and laid to rest beneath the ancient pine: Un d£a vendra la muerte no se de donde. Yo estare dormido y ella dire: No quiero que despierte. Y, plsando sin ruido, como una madre que se acerca al lecho del hijo enfermo, cerrare mis ojos y crusara mis manos sobre el pecho. Y vandran a llamarme. iLevantete que es hora de que comlence tu labor! ... ... Ya por la taxde, cuando tornan los bueyes con la inclerta lus, y cunden los humos solarlegos, me 1leveran al cementerio aldeano 124 donde duermen los rustlcos lebriegos be jo 1« sombre fiel de un pino anclano. It Is striking to note how frequently In the early works of Maya death Is the subject of his poems. It Is not with fear or morbidity that he faces this eternal truth, but with peaceful resignation and acceptance. Per haps it is because he has had a vision of death which he describes in the beautiful sonnet, "Fatum," a favorite poem among his critics and anthologists. This contemplation occurred one evening as he sat by the shore of the sea, alone, submerged in thought. The stars were becoming visible. The sea hushed, and the dormant waves stirred in his very thoughts. There was a storm, and the turbid waves washed up the wreckage of every floundered ship. The sky was dark and the water was motionless as the poet beheld a siren with tranquil eyes on the black pile of death: A la orilla del mar, sentado a solas, sumido en interior recoglmlento, trajo a ml o£do el apagado viento ecos de moribund as barcaroles. ^*”Un d£a vendra la muerte," Vida, pp. 51-52. ' 125 Lu utrtllu ibrfin sue corolas •n el profundo uul del flrmamento. Cello el mar, y en ml proplo penaamlento se despertaron las dormidas olas. iY fua la tempestad! Turbido oleaje fue sacando a la playa los despojos de tanta nave qua encallo en el vlaje. VI un delo funeral, un ague Inerte y una sIrena de tranqullos ojos en la negra escollera de la muerte. (Vida, p. 90) There Is Imperative insistence as the poet demands that death wound him— "Hiereme, joh muerte! He wants to be plucked before he grows old. He begs death to come soon, to break the red propeller of his ambitious heart, to paralyze his arms, to tie his feet, to extinguish the rhythm of his arteries. But why such determination? Because he knows that in the crypt of death by the penum bra of the waning lamps he will see once again the varied scenes of his life, the familiar faces, the golden image of the fields which blossom beneath other skies lost in time and memory: Hiereme, ioh muerte! Coge la flor ablerta de mis aSos. No dejes que envejezca. Van pronto. 55"Alla lejos," Coros del mediodfa. p. 123. 126 Romp* la bailee roja de ml anblcloao corazon ... Paral£sa mla brasos *.. Ata mis plantas ... Apaga el rltmo de mis arteriaa ... Quiero bajar los humedos peldanos, afelpados de musgo, de la estrecha galerla que lleva haste tu cripta, donde espera la es£lnge sonolienta coronada de roses lnmortales All£, al fulgor de las marchltas lamparas que flltran una aurora penumbrosa a traves de los grlses alabastros, repasare la eseena multlforme de ml vida, los rostros conocidos, y la imagen dorada de unos campos que florecen aun, bajo otros clelos, perdldos en el tlempo y la memorla. (Coros. pp. 123-125) For the poet, then, death Is not an ending but a con tinuation in the spirit where one Is allowed to look back on the past which no forces in life can restore. Another poem which will be discussed more at length later is, "La mujer sobre el ebano," which is one of the six in the collection, Desoues del silencio. The reason for Its inclusion, now, is that it reveals Maya's attitude when confronted with the actual death of an acquaintance. Since the dedicatory line reads: JEojRHfiElflB S.T.R., it is likely that she was the inspiration for "The Woman Upon the Ebony." It i« t poem in blank verse in which "El” converses with the stone whom he asks to be as soft as a pile of hay and to protect the "fragil" woman from the hunger of the worm. The shadow which also enters into the conversation tells "him” that he shall hover over the stone and watch over her sleep. The grass, who calls herself the passing guest of the road and the virgin tread on despite her crown of pearls, promises to transmit to her bones (to those of the "woman on the ebony") the cosmic vibrations and speak to her of the light and the fields and of the singing birds: El — Buena piedra ... ... hoy vas a ser blanda como una gavilla de heno, porque te traigo a la muerta, a la mujer que fue mas fragil que sue propias pestafias, Vas a guardarla, buena piedra, inmune a la avidez del gusano, La Sombra — ' To rodeare la piedra con mis leglones unanlmes de angeles clegos, para vigilar su suefio ... La Hlerba — Yo, la humilde, huespad livlana del camino, la vlrgen hollada no obstante su corona de perlas. 128 le hablare de le lux y del cempo y de loe pa Jaros que lleven une cancion, como lee berces• TransmitIre haste sus huesos todas las vibraciones cosmicas• (DPS, pp. 221-222) The stone, the shadow, and the grass have been expect ing the woman. The stone has been awaiting her since he first saw a pallor come over her; the shadow, from the afternoon when her eyes were no longer captured by terres trial things but by supernatural Images; and the grass, from the time that she stretched out her hands toward earth, wearied from carrying the goblet from which life pours out its wine: --Yo la espero desde la noche en que la palidez se introdujo en sus venas como una onda lactea que la hermano con la luna de inviemo ... --Yo la espero desde la tarde en que sus ojos, siempre fieles al suelo como los ojos de las bestias famillares, comenzaron a cap tar solo imagenes sobrehumanas. — Yo la espero desde que sus manos, lianas de signos oscuros como el dorso de las esfinges, se abrieron hacia la tierra con fatiga infinita despues de haber sostenido la copa donde la vida vierte su vino y sus canciones. (DPS, p. 223) 129 In the last thirty odd verses of "La mujer sobre el ebano," there is a gradual rise of emotion as "el" begins in a spirit of resignation and surrenders the woman to the stone, to the grass, and to the shadow: "-'Oh piedra, oh hierba, oh sombra, / ya es vueetra."*® In a more pathetic tone he complains that new dances will come but she will be immobile; other songs, but she will not hear them; dis tant voices, but she will be mute. There will be festivals but she will keep wearing her poor tunic (shroud): s£. Vendran para la tierra joven nuevos balles ... y ella estara lnmovll. Vendran otras canciones y ella no podra o£rlas. Vendran lejanas voces de nlxfos, ... y ella estara muda. Habra fiestas sobre la tierra, y ella seguira con su tunica pobre. (DPS, p. 226) He rises to a higher pitch as he deplores the futility of a dawn without her to greet it; of the twilight because she will not be there to receive the first star; of night with its languid flutes because she is dead: En vano^las rutilas maftanas quebraran su diamante sobre la piedra de la nube, 56Pesi>ues del silencio. p. 226 130 porque ella no saldra, bajo el cielo, a reclblr la unclon dorada en sus brazos. En vano la tatde, poblada de voces hondas, morira de una pena de floras y una ausencia de lagrlmas, porque ella no vendra a perfumer sua manos en medio de la hlerba, para reclblr el primer lucero. En vano la noche— oasis calldo— envlara su conclerto de acldas £lautas perezosas, porque ya la sombra lnvadlo su lecho como el ague que cubre un arrecife de jasmines. (DPS, pp. 226-227) Since her parting Is definitive and all hope £or her return Is lost, he laments in an urgent tone that It Is In vain that he cries out against the bronze wall, In vain Is he to lose her to the demons or the angels. It Is all in vain! The woman rests upon the ebony: lEn vano he de gritar contra el muro de bronce! i En vano he de pedlrla a los demonios o a los angeles! IEh vano! La mujer reposa sobre el ebano. (DPS, p. 227) The poet suggests in these last lines of "La mujer sobre el ebano" the crushing finality of death, and he utilizes the technique of repeating phrases to create this Impres sion. Three times he says, "Vendran ... y ella ... " and six times he shouts, "En vano ... En vano ... En vano." As the years pass and death inevitably draws closer, it Is not necessary to Invite it, since it comes of Its 131 own accord. So, as time progresses, and cha poet's days are fewer, he no longer calls for It with such insistence. Nevertheless, he refers to death as the "inexorable puerta" to which everyone arrives, led down the road of life by the guiding stars: sois [estrellas] las senales puestas en el camino que conduce a la ultima Inexorable puerta.” The fact that each Individual receives a special call from death is stressed in the poem, "Llamada," from Navaga- cion nocturne. The poet makes it personal again as he writes in the first person: Hasta mi puerta han llegado muchas gentes a go1pear, y el eco ha rspercutido por el profundo saguan, 8 in que turbara mi suefto ni el pulso hlciera saltar. am. p. 19) But he relates how "anoche" an unseasonable knock sounded, which awakened him with a start, and left perspiration running down his brow. The clock failed to strike twelve, and a strange silence, which seemed to measure his anxiety, prevailed. The echo of the knock began to wander through 57"Camino," Naveaacion nocturne, p. 175 132 corridors and chambers Ilka Che sound of a tempest. Every one else was asleep; the dog lay undisturbed beneath the table and the left-over fruit had begun to crystallize. Suddenly, he realized the knock was only for him, and It had come from eternity: Pero anoche una llamada Intempestlva, ml afan deeperto. Salts del lecho. Sent£ que la oscurldad como un sudor me corr£a frfamente. Ibon a dar las doce, mas no sonaron, y un silencio singular se mov£a como un pendulo que mldlera ml ansledad. El eco de la llamada comenzo pronto a rodar por corredores y alcobas como un son de tempested. Ay! pero todos dorm£an como los campos en paz, y, debajo de la mesa, como siempre estaba el can, y las frutas de la cena se empezaban a escarchar. Comprend£, entonces, que el golpe fue para m£, nada sms, y que ven£a, ven£a de la propla eternldad. (NN, pp. 19-20) In the last work to be discussed in this section of poems which demonstrate the poet's choice of the universal themes of life and death, the scene is laid In a cemetery to which he Invites a young girl to meditate: 133 Vamos, ocultamente, entre eatoa tumulos a meditar, amlga ... 58 The poet answers hla own queation--whether It be foollah to Invite someone ao young and beautiful to this scene of death--by asserting that there ia nothing so close to death aa her charming beauty, for it would never cap tivate if it were durable. He compares the fleeting apparition of her beauty to a dazzling rainbow hovering over the graves and to a single grain of sand which slips imperceptibly with all the rest into the reckoning hour- glass: ... £es cierto que te convido a ti, joven y hermosa, a este ©scenario de la muerte? Dime que es necedad ... Has nada esta mas proximo a la ruina final, qua esta belleza encantadora qua nunca, nunca, cautivara tanto si hublese de durar. Su fugitlva aparlcion, es iris deslumbrante que se forma, no mas, sobre las tumbas, o grano de oro, por azar mezclado en la arena fatal de la clepsidra. (m. pp. 92-93) He asks her if she does not feel an attraction for the grave, if she does not see In the dried ashes the final C O "Inviteeion," Naveaaclon noctuma, p. 92 134 destiny of her own smile, if she does not perceive e striking likeness between herself end other beautiful girls whose cold residue could fit In the space of a rose petal: Tu misma, hermosa amiga, aqu£ no adviertes la atraccion del sepulcro? En ese polvo que aqu£ duerme, en las aridas cenizas que colman estas umai enlutadas, jno has advertido el ^ultimo destino de tu sonrisa? El gelido residuo de otras bellesas, que caber podr£a en un coobado petalo de rosa, $no dice que, en viviente simulacro de nieve y de carm£n, eras apenas un poco de ceniza apasionada? CM, p. 93) She is reminded that these "dulces companeras," once so lovely, now call to her from the depths of these sad amphoras, where even the luster of their tresses has been extinguished: Del fondo de esas anforas luctuosas te llaman otras dulces compaSeras que, antes que tu, los dones recibieron de la luz, y despues de ser amadas, jay! escaparon por la fragil puerta del sueno, y haste el rastro luminoso de sus cabellos, se extinguio en la sooibra. (NN, p. 93) They, who tread with almost complete dominion on the sub missive earth, now send back to those left behind a yellow flower, the anonymous flower germinated with the lime of their bones: 135 Ellas tamblen plsaron con domlnlo casl absoluto, la sumlsa tierra, y hoy esa tierra nos devualve solo una amarllla flor, la flor anon1mA con la cal de sus huesos fecundada. (NN. pp. 93-94) When the poet's guest begins to cry at the thought o£ the bitter but Irrevocable truth of death, he encourages her to weep for herself, for her oblivion, for the dust that she Is: ... Llora en silencio, Mas llora por tl misma, por tu olvido, y por el polvo que eres, muy escaso para llenar el cofre perfumado en que hoy guardas tus celicos zafiros. (NN, p. 94) Before leaving the lugubrious ambit, the poet reminds the beautiful young girl of the faithfulness that awaits her here, where the funereal rocks were perfumed by the soft touch of her dress: Dejemos este funebre reclnto, ..• Pero recuerda, amlga, que una fidelldad sin sobresaltos te espera aqu£, donde las piedras funebres se han perfumado con el blando roce de tu traje, emlsario de la brlsa. (NN, p. 95) "Invitacion" clearly indicates that Maya is well aware that death strikes even the young and beautiful. For voluptuousness is capricious, "la voluptuosldad as capri- chosa," and the beauty and youth that Is theirs now will soon be a memory. From the poems that have been considered it is evident that Maya has pondered and made the center of his lyrical writings the truths that have given pause to men throughout the ages. The thoughts that he reiterates are that life, which is harsh, passes quickly, never fully filling the heart of man with its ephemeral pleasures. There is a balance in life of the spiritual and the corporeal and these two elements are essential for its equilibrium. Life is followed inevitably and certainly by death, and, al though there is pain at the separation from those one loves, death is a release from life's prison into a realm of silence and peace which restores past memories once lost in oblivion. Love Love is the most essential ingredient of life. With out it brother turns against brother, husband deserts wife, nation struggles against nation, and peace gives way to chaos. Whether it be the love of a child for its parents, 137 or o£ a mother for her sick Infant, of a young maiden for her lover, of a man willing to give his life for a friend, or of a brave soldier for his country, love is the moving force which motivates their actions. Love is eternal since it began with God and will continue to exist for all eternity. It is no wonder, then, that all through literature, from the figurative love story in the Canticle of Can ticles down to the present day, love has been the focal point of dramas, poems and stories. It would be peculiar if this universal subject were not found in the body of Maya's works. But this is not the case. In several poems spanning the course of his career from La vida en la sombre to Msvaaacion nocturne he writes of love--of pure love, of ideal love, of passionate love. He speaks of its fugacity, of its deceit and vacillation on one side, and the strength and power of it on the other. Although none of this is new, the way in which it is said is. In a poem already mentioned, "El arquero," Maya de scribes the wiles of Cupid who never strikes when one is on his guard, but shoots his arrows from unexpected 138 directions and on unforeseen occasions. Like Cupid'8 dart which moves with great alacrity, love sometimes passes with great rapidity, only grazing as it rushes by. Maya relates an Incident that happened In the park one morning. It was a diaphanous day with the grass beneath the feet of a beautiful woman swaying back and forth in a green and gray alternation. As she ap proached, the atmosphere made her seem more distant; as the sun rose her silhouette became finer. Thus she came from the flowering earth like a swift dart, grazed him and passed on: Era en el parque. La gent11 manana re£a con sus labios de amapola, en tanto que, a tus pies, su verde ola agolpaba la hlerba franciscana. La atmosfera te hac£a mas lejana, y el cielo azul dejabate mas sola, en ese prado flel donde tremola sus banderas el agua corteaana. Tu sonre£as, con tu risa franca, en medio de la luz, y tu silueta haciendose mas flna era mas blanca. As£, desde la tierra floraeIda, llegaste a m£ como fugaz saeta que rasgara, al pasar, toda ml vida.59 59"En el parque," La vida en la sombre, pp. 13-14. 139 In another sonnet, "Rosa ale," from lug the poet again develops the idea of the fugaclty of love. When he vas young he aspired to seise love and he would weep with the infantile suspicion of not seeing her. Then would cone the danger of losing her by death, which she preferred to Imprisonment like that of the rose among the thorns on the branch: Cuando era joven aspire a cogerte joh perfunada rose de alegrla! y en la ventana de ml amor geafa con lnfantll recelo de no verte. Despues fue el duro trance de perderte sin haberte llaaado ”rosa mia,” pues cuando ya la raaa raquaria, a tu prision se antlcipo tu muerte. (Lus. p. 318) But the poet admits it is better that she peas away, as well as the many things that resemble her in her frail ty-- thlngs such as the fugitive splendor of afternoons, rain, clouds, birds, stars, and fleeting tears and love: Major asl. Major por tantas cosaa tan parecldaa a tu imagen. Ellas valsn, por lo ceduces, como roses: Tardea de fugitlvos resplandores, agues, nubes y pa jar os y estrellaa, con algo mas fugas; llantos y amores. (Lu«. p. 318) 140 The tantalising vacillation o£ love is the subject of "Engaxfo" and "Anor sin amor/' sonnets from Tiamno de Ins. In the first it is compared to the wave that laps up on the shore to kiss the rock and then rushes away. Once again when love is offered, the lover stretches forth his hand to accept the gift to have it withdrawn as before. Then his spirit wonders if the lie from which it is sus pended is better than the fortune of which it doubts: Avanzas hacia mi, como la onda sube a besar la piedra de la orilla, y ante mis ojos tu pupils brilla con luz profunda que ml amor no sonda. Huyes despues. No hay nadie que responds al corazon clamante que se humilla; pero luego tu ardor me marsvilla, sin que el gesto al deseo corresponds. Nuevamente te ofrecea, y ya alargo la mano hacia la dadiva desnuda, cuando vuelve a su rama el fruto amargo. Y as£, en este vaiven, mi anima piensa si es mejor que la dicha de que duda esta mentira de que esta suspensa. (Luz» p. 324) By an interplay of antithetical expressions the poet expresses once again this vacillation of love: " ... nace o se extlngue, se aminora o crecc, ... se oscurece, en nueva aurora ... deetella ... pendulo inflel de rises y amarguras ... huye de mi, pero al final la aguardo ... 141 Prometes al amor dlchas seguras, mas solo as raalldad tu movlmlento." In the sonnet, "Amor sin amor," from which the above phrases have been taken, the poet speaks metaphorically of love as a chaste light which shines in the abyss (the depths of our life); and whether it swells or diminishes, the sky (our being) cannot live without it: La casta lumbre, dlminuta y bella, que en el concavo abismo resplandece, nace o se extlngue, se aminora o crece, mas no puede el azul vivir sin ella. Tal para m£ la magica doneella que en el abismo de ml ser se mece. Si en l£mites de llanto se oscurece, en nueva aurora de pasion destella. As£ con ritmo musical y tardo, - -pendulo infiel de rises y amarguras - - huye de m£, pero al final la aguardo. jOh constante vaiven! (Oh mar de viento! Prometes al amor dlchas seguras, mas solo es realidad tu movlmlento. (Lua. p. 326) Love is so great that the poet says one sigh of> it is great enough to counterbalance all the sorrows of the world and all the chastisement of lost souls before the accuse* tion of the infinite. Maya has effected the awe of this truth by leaving this stark statement to the last line of the poem, "Balance": 142 Yo busco, en clertes horas, el sublime equlllbrlo de un alma que se slente responsable ante la acusaclon del infinite. Pongo, de un lado, los dolores todos del mundo, y el castigo de las almas perdldas. Y en el otro plat11lo, contarrrestando [sic] el peso, pongo en tu nombre, Amor, solo un susplro. (NN. p. 60) In a poem already mentioned, "Clamor," where the poet draws an analogy between the agony of Christ and that of being a poet, the fear of the final torment was alleviated by the sight of love: ... la planta de la salud brotaba al pie de mi cruz. Y un tallo, alargando su vara, puso delante de mi cara una flor, como copa rara. Un nectar ten£a esa flor de puro y deleitable sabor pues era el nectar del amor. (NN, pp. 76-77) Maya'8 treatment of love varies at different stages of his life. In the two poems just cited from Navagacion nocturne love is a balancing and strengthening force. As a younger man several of his poems deal of love--pure love, the ideal woman found only in books, the woman longed for who does not appear, and passionate love. 143 "Canto nuevo" discusses a purified love In which all the dross of the heart Is cast among the embers of a crucible (an Instrument of purification). There are to be no more dissipated nights nor kisses that searched for painted cheeks: Puriflque mi pensamiento, ung£ tamblen ml corazon arrojando toda su escoria entre las brasas de un crisol, y amanec£ a nueva vida as£ como amanece el sol y las mlserlas de la noche borra con una bendiclon. No mas fiebre de noches locas disipadas, como un licor, ni fr£os besos que buscaban mejillas de falso candor. <m*> P- 18) The beloved is Invited to come so that he may com municate with her spirit In a language not learned by any mortal mouth, a falacious Instrument, and so that he can be like a child who reveals the secret of his abandonment: Ven, acercate joh amorosa! Van sobre petalos de nleve con tu palidez celestial, 144 Qulero una lengua no aprendida da ninguna boca mortal, comunlcarma con tu espiritu sin aaa Inatrumanto falaa, y aar, por gracla dal carlHo, para tu Inatlnto matamal, como un nlfto qua ha revalado el aacrato da au orfended. (tidg, pp. 18-19) At other times ha apaaka of the ideal woman who la forged only by hi8 poetry or who 18 the heroine of imnortal booka. In the aonnet, "De cristal," it i8 not the pas- 8ionate woman who atira the blood of men, nor the pale virgin who i8 lost in deep thought, but the creature made of cry8tal and of ice whoae name i8 sung by the diatant choru8. This creature ahinea out, pure, distant, cold (unreal), protected by a diamond ring made by his own poetry: No area la hambra callda, de ojos aluclnados, la que of race sus flancos, como una anfora viva, al deseo confuao de loa hombres, y active el fuego de la aangre, como el aol en loa prados. Ni area la vlrgen palida de cabelloa dorados cuyas largas peataftas de aeda aenaltlva, bajo el albor qua bane la frente penaatlva, deja caer oacuroa pensamientos calledoa. Pero area la criatura de cristal y de hlelo cuyo nambre se canta, en un coro d1stante, cuando llega la blanca festlvldad del cielo. 145 Ail brill** *1 «1m, pur*, l*j«n* 7 fr£a, prot*gid* por ese anlllo d* diamante qu* en torno d* tu* *i«ne* £orj* mi poes£a. nrida. p. 55) Wh*r* can h* find this cel««ti«l creature, * vision of a glorious dawn, the graceful maiden whose winged sandal hardly touches the ground as she passes? At times he describes her in the distant sunrise, and then again he feels her hand upon his brow. And he inhales her fragrant breath in the sorrow that eternally animates the glory of lmaortal books: iDonde hallarte, serafica criatura, vision da una celeste madrugada, novla gentll cuya sandalia alada se posa apenas en la tlerra oscura? Ha mucho^que persigo tu hermosura porque tu ares la fuerte, la inviolada, no la fragil mu jar aprlslonada an forma terrenal de arcilia impure. A veces te columbro en el lejano amanecer. A veces en mi frente slento la sonbra viva de tu sumo. Y resplro tus halitos florales en el dolor qua anlma eterasmente la gloria de los libros inmortales. 0 Once again there is a longing for the woman who is desired but does not appear. He expects her to coma from 6°HUnlca," La vide en la sombre, p. 85. 146 the East which he calls vague and mysterious, the threshold o£ gold, a miraculous route, a pathway adorned with damp grass down which the sun comes singing, the portico that opened a way for the star that guided the Magi, and a blue cornice where the nomadic stork pauses his flight. The poet chides the "orlente" for never opening its gates for " ... la del largo / velo de desposada, / la que cifie su talle de una casto / cinturon y reparte la gracia / con su gesto meIodico y vario. He has waited many years, for the earth is dying, summer's crown is drying up, and winter has lit her lamp. His voice falls and his tired arms fall. And yet he awaits her. The poet uses this symbol of the East here because it represents hope with the new dawn that breaks in that direction every day. And thus, although his dry eyes have grown weary looking toward that distant kingdom--"De mlrar a tu relno lejano / se cansaron mis ojos sedlentos"--he still waits for her--"La aguardo." Earlier in this chapter the dialogued poem, "La pledra de David," was mentioned in conjunction with the univer sality of biblical themes. Basenat, who sheared David of ^"Oriente," La vlda en la sombre, pp. 86-87. 147 his virtue &a veil as his locks one night— "le cor to una noche / con la virtud, las guedejas"— Is a character, typified by some women in the Bible stories, who Is repre sentative of the lascivious, loose-living women who are willing to forfeit the priceless possession of virtue to cause the downfall of an enemy. Maya reveals great psychological Insight as Basenat wreaks havoc on David. She praises, then belittles, she boasts and tempts, she commands and after she has executed her scheme she scoffs: — David, hermoso mancebo de la rubia cabellera, esbelto como la torre que deflende nuestra aldea, tu pecho finge un escudo donde la luz reverbera, y cual los remos del galgo tiene veloces las piernas. — Tu ^a pelear? Eres un nino, y en vez de la rama be lie a tan solo un cerco de rosas debe cenlr tu cabeza. — Todo un ejercito viene tras de ml came morena, y por dormir en mis senos un rey quemo sus banderas; 148 -*Tomame. Para tus ojos ml came ae halla deaplerta como una noche en qua rondan lea £leraa de crln espeaa. — Aqu£ vendre con ml can taro eeta noche, cuando duenna la eluded, y en la llanura solo vlglle la eatrella qua recoge, como un broche, loa plleguee de la tlnlebla. Baaenat sale y ae burla de verlo as£ [with hla hands tied], pues recuerda que ella le corto una noche con la vlrtud, las guedejas. (DPS, pp. 199-207) In this section, In which poems concerning love are the core, one will notice that no mention has been made of the family. It would be unjust to give the Impression that the poet expresses no conception of family love. Although children rarely appear in his poems, the poet speaks ten derly of his mother and one of his last poems is dedicated to Tomas Maya, his father, his teacher and his friend.62 The next chapter will deal with poems in which his mother is affectionately an integral part of some of his poetry and a sister is synonymous with kindness. *2"A una eluded,'* Navagacion nocturne, pp. 219-231. 149 SSfiufiL Everyone hee experienced the breathtaking moment o£ gazing on something beautiful. The ability to capture the moment lies within the realm o£ the poet who says £or men what they £eel but are unable to express. Whether it be the song o£ the lark, a glorious sunrise, an awe-inspiring sunset, twinkling stars, fragrsnt roses, majestic moun tains, singing streams or a lovely woman, the poet immor talizes the sight and the emotion for future generations. All of the aforementioned subjects have arrested the attention of Maya who in many poems has transmitted the ecstatic feeling that such sights cause. In this particu lar section only the poems which treat of the beauty of women will be considered, and those that deal with beauty in nature will form part of the following division. As was seen in an earlier part of this chapter, the poet consecrates his song to Venus, the goddess of beauty. In the course of the twelve "quintetos" which comprise "Canto a la bellesa," the poet laments the fact that today the goddess stands amid the marble ruins forgotten by the shepherd who once whittled a reed to sing of her great charms. For this reason he draws near to her shrine to 150 renew the ancient devotion to her beauty, which he does by means of celebrating the beauty of others. A song, a light breeze, a river, a star, a sigh, shadow, light, a smile— nothing very substantial or tan gible— this Is how the poet describes the beauty of a woman. In one of the most breathtaking sonnets of en la sombre. "Tu," the poet almost compels the reader to hold his breath until the last verse when with him one can breathe in the refreshing beauty as if Inhaling the wind from the mountain top: Eres una canclon. Aire ligero cernido entre las flores y los nidos. Duermen, bajo tus pies, campos floridos, y es tu melena un r£o verdadero. Comienza en ti ml vida. Eres ml enero qua aaoma en horizontes presentldos; ml comarca de r£os conocidos, mi alta constelacion de marinero. Por mis manos te vas como una brlsa; envuelves un jard£n en un suspiro, y se abren marlposas en tu rise. Eres la sombra toda, eres la lumbre, y yo, elevando el corazon, te aspiro como al viento que vlene de una cuobre. (Vida, p. 53) Another woman Is so beautiful that It is Impossible to say where her beauty ends and that of the dawn begins. The two seem to meld Into one. She comes out to greet 151 the light, end her rhythmical walk la a soft melody. As she approaches the East, dawn fuses Into a mellow rose tone. Morning descends, like something fragile, to her hands. And the pale horizon enkindles at the breath of her silent mouth. Between heaven and earth her beauty rises-- darkness at her waist and a burning noon on her head. The line of her brow is like the boundary, dividing dawn and darkness: Sailste con tu planta cadenclosa hacia la luz. iQue suave melod£a! Ya la per la del cielo se fund£a en una suave entonaclon de rose. La manana bajo como una cosa fragll, hasta tus manos. Parecfa que el palldo horizonte se encend£a al soplo de tu boca silenclosa. Entre el cielo y la tlerra, tu belleza surgfa: oscuridad en la clntura, y un ardiente mediod£a en la cabeza. Leve en la soobra y en el alre bella, era la l£nea de tu frente pure el l£mite del alba y de la estrella.63 If the cadent step of the previous woman caused a soft melody to play as she stepped out to greet the sun, it can not compare with the music set in motion by the woman 63,,Hacia la luz,” La vida en la aombra. pp. 53-54. 152 deacrlbed in "Momento musical." At aht puiti cht purt air keepa resounding, tht mirror reflects « cadent echo, tht wall trembles ilka a harp, tht pavement resounds and thara it a voiea in avary piaca of furnitura. Har reflac- tion vibratat lika an harmonic incantation. And if tha poat takaa a ttap it ravarbaratat at though a garden ware breaking into a confualon of aromat and color. And if ha, by chance, uttara a word har voice answers from all direc- tlont lika a labyrinth of bella: Aqu£ quedo aonando al alra puro cuando ta fulata. Cadancloto dajo hay an laa lajan£at dal atpajo, y tlanbla, como un arpa, todo al muro. Tambian ratuana al pavlmento oacuro y hay una vos an cada muabla vlajo. Vibra por todaa partes tu raflajo a mantra da armonlco conjuro- Si doy un pato, cundan lot rumores como cuando germina una floratta en confualon da aromat y colorea. T tl digo, al acar, fraaea lajanat, an toda direction tu vot contaata como an un laberinto da campanaa. (Luc, p. 340) In a vary abort poem which la, In fact, entitled "Eplgrama," tha poat excuses a baa who hat mlataken a beautiful mouth for ita beehive. Tha error la understand- able became thla awaat mouth makaa aavory honey, rival 153 of chat which Che bee robe from flowers: Ninguna culpa tienes, abeja que aqu£ buscas la colmena, en haberte extraviado, porque esta boca amlga que aqu£ ves, orgulloaa de su purpura, fabrlca mlel sabrosa rival de la que robas a las floras. (NN. p. 108) The poet half complains of the tremendous comeliness of the woman who inspires the poem, "Situaciones." If he puts her in space, she devours it with Che transparent flame of her perfect radiance. If he places her in a gar** den, all the flowers are absorbed into her mouth and their fragrance is condensed in her body. If she stands in the middle of a stream her voice annuls the water and her smile evaporates the foam. If she dances around the trees, her body is a veritable breeze, and if she smiles, each leaf displays the brilliance of her teeth and lips. She im prisons the beating horizon in her breast. And if she walks through the meadow she robs the light of the most exquisite day for the blue of her eyes: Te sltuo en el espaclo y tu lo devoras todo con la llama transparente de tu cumpllda presencla. Si es en un jard£n, las floras se reabsorban en tu boca, y se condense en tu cuerpo todo el cielo del perfume. 154 SI es en medio de las fuentes, tu pelabra anula el agua, y tu sonrlsa evapora la mejor de las espumas. Si entre los arboles danzas no hay mas verdadera brlsa que tu cuerpo, y si sonr£es cada hoja luce el brillo del mar£ll entre la purpura. Aprisionas en tu pecho el palpitante horlzonte. Si vas por el prado, robas la luz del mas bello d£a para el azul de tus ojos. (NN, pp. 121-122) On the other hand, if he places her in time all beings restore to her what they had borrowed from her. And with the passing of time, filled with herself, and quiet, in an internal abundance of happiness, she offers the poet, in her transitoriness, what she possesses of the eternal. The hours rob nothing from her, nor does she even give to an instant an atom of her grace. Therefore, when the poet wishes her total unique image, he calls time and lifts her up in its hands, pure, Eucharistic, like an idea suspended in the threshold of the spirit: Fero, en cambio, si te miro como instalada en el tiempo, los seres todos te entregan lo que de ti reten£an. Y entre el coro de las horas, plena de ti misma, y quieta en una interna abundancia de felicidad, me ofreces, 155 en tu transitorla eaencial, lo que en tl tienes de eterno. Las horas nada te roban, nl tu al Instante le entregas un atomo de tu gracia. Por eso, cuando yo qulero tu total lmagen unica, llano al tlempo, y en sus manos te elevas, pura, eucarfstlca, como idea suspendida en el unbral del esp£rltu. (NN. p. 122) In the poem, "Origen," the poet asserts that light, whiteness and gold all have their origin in the resplendent body o£ a maiden. She is so luminous, the poet states, that i£ there be light anterior to all light, it is that which shines in her blue eyes. And i£ there exist a white ness before all that is white, it is surely the white o£ her angelic brows. And if the gold, in the recesses of the earth, had a dawn before its light, it now shines in the subtle sheen of her tresses. In a certain way she exists before all created things, and all the gold, all the refulgence and all the whiteness in the world comes from her, as from a pure substance which recalls its origin from the body of a maiden: Si hay una luz, en este vasto mundo, que sea anterior a toda luz, de cierto que es la luz de tus ojos de zaflro. Y si existe tamblen una blancura anterior a lo bianco, de seguro que es esa de tus sienes arcangelicas. 156 Y si tl oro, m el fondo de lee rocas, tuvo, hece muchoe slglos, una aurora anterior a au luz, ahora refulge en la aeda autil de tua cabellos. Eres, en derto mcxlo, como anterior a todo lo creado, y el oro, y el fulgor y la blancura diapersoa en el mundo, de ti nacieron, como de una pura sustancla que recuerda sus or {genes a traves de tu cuerpo de doncella. (MW, p. 186) Before I terminate this section in which Maya writes of women as breathtaking as a breeze and as dazzling as the dawn, whose very steps create music and whose sweet lips deceive the bee, whose beauty robs space of its splendor and eternity from time, whose magnificence is the origin of light and gold and whiteness, there is one more poem from Navease ion nocturne which merits inclusion because of the charm with which the poet has captured the lithe movements and gracefulness of the "fairy of the garden.*' The poet calls her "el hade" because like a fairy in the midst of the flowers her lovely dresses defy the extra ordinary elegance of their petals. He calls her queen of the subtle empire of silk, whose miraculous hand rules her court of reflections and who submits a multitude of sun flowers to her wise wand. She goes through the garden like a butterfly rocked in an undulating skiff of blue, as if 157 she were Imprisoned in e machine made of transparent ma terial. The flowers imprinted on her dresses enjoy a sweeter spring than their sisters in the garden, and they are gayer than a festive rose because they not only rest on her shoulders but also on her back, on her golden arms, on her childlike breast and on her legs Which look for steppingstones rather than step upon the gentle grass. Enveloped in her bright raiment, erect in her agile slip pers, she is a veritable spout of pleats and a rapid cascade of fans. As she advances through the garden, bearing with audacious hand the ribbons of the breeze, a gorgeous storm of color seems to encircle the grass. And then it is im possible to distinguish her from the garden. Some times the flowers take on her carnal ostentation, and there is a kiss on the corollas and a transparent red splendor on the long calyxes like the rubies that lend grace to her throat. Other times her figure is like a tight bud, and her tresses seem like trembling locks of pistils ready to gather pollen to fill the cavity of her breast. Thus she lives in constant interchange of attributes, at times with the earth, and at sweeter moments with the heavens. 158 The poet, In recelling this faithful resemblance between the sprightly girl and the garden, calls her once again the Fairy of the Gardens: Por eso yo, rememorando aquella vlrtud que te acercaba hasta los talios, vuelvo a llamarte, en esta prlmavera, Hada de los Jardines.6^ Nature In the same wondrous tone with which the poet de* scribes the resplendence of women, he celebrates the marvels of nature--some times Its beauty, and at others, Its power. These poems that encompass the remarkable creations and properties of the universe reveal the medlta- - tlve custom of a man who has contemplated the Inspiring phenomena of the world about him. Whether It be the melo dious lark or the humble beetle, the radiant rose or the lowly grass, the sun at dawn or at twilight, the mountains or the streams coursing down them, the poet has discovered a unique attribute which he valued worthy of immortalizing. It Is the universal rhetoric of the lark that the poet greets in "Salutacion," mentioned earlier in the **"£1 hade," Navegacion nocturna. p. 212. 159 section of Mays's poetic concepts. In this glorious salute to the lark, the poet calls the bird the candid soul of the fields which awakens the flowers, ringing her bell of light. He employs a double metaphor here, as the bell Is actually the lark's song which begins with the first rays of dawn: ... desplertas a las floras tocando tu campana de luz en cede era. (Vida, p. 20) The joyful morning song of the lark causes the roses to spill over the garden wall in a profusion of blossoms, and stirs the Inhabitants of the valleys and the carts in which will be gathered the ripe fruit in the orchards. As the shepherd descends the wooded canyon he picks up the tune of the lark whose voice sets the wind In action among the wings of the windmill: Por ti, de los cercados desborda la profuse carga de los rosales, y en medio de sus valles despiertan los poblados al son de alegres replques matlnales. Por tl, ••. va el carro hasta la fresca sombre del huerto amano por la fruta ca£da qua satura el amblente. Tu Inlcias la tonada del zagal qua desclende la selvosa hondoneda donde corra la fertll Ignorancle de un r£o, y por tl sopla el vlento que se enreda en el aspa sobre el hondo mumullo de feliz caserfo. (Vida, p. 20) 160 The morning lark, herald of dawn, rewarded for its early rising, is Che monarch of the candid light with which daybreak arrays the vague ecstasy of the sweet bell. It is lord, too, of the fragrant products of the field and of the blue mystery of the morning. The wind belongs to it--the wind that brings aromas and gives advice, that rejoices the afternoons of flower-filled convents and scatters the dust of old pages: Tuya es la luz ingenua con que el alba novicia arropa el vago extasls de la dulce campana que nos desplerta. Es tuya la fragante primicia del campo, y el misterio azul de la maftana. ... Tuyo es el viento, el que lleva el aroma y el que dice consejas, el que alegra las tardes del florido convento o se esparce en el polvo de las paginas viejas. (Vida, p. 21) Although the lark's melody is always simple, it con tains something marvelous, as the words of a child or the songs of a bird always do: ... No sabe tu voz sino la escala de una cancion sencilla, mas siempre se halls oculta alguna maravilla en lo que dice un nino o en lo que canta un ave. (Vida, p. 21) It is no wonder that the poet finds so much to praise in the lark, because there exists an affinity between the two. The secret harmony, the peaceful fantasy, and the 161 mysterious enchantment that the poet forebodes, the lark feels and sings in its song: Sientes que hay en el mundo una armonfa secrete un apaclble enaueno y un mlsterioso encanto que preslente el poeta mlentras tu lo adlvlnas, buena alondra, en el canto. (Vida, p. 21) One of the sonnets from Tiempo de luz Illustrates Maya'8 contemplation before the beauty of dawn and substan tiates what one of his critics says about this collection of poems: . . . Nearly every sonnet, in simple unsought words, dwells upon some phase of light, and the whole collec tion, like a giant prism, breaks It up Into Its rich component variety— the light before an image by Murillo, the light that sears an afternoon freighted with long ings, the light that shines in a lost tear on the bosom of the great abyss. . . . 5 The substantives "luz" (used three times) and "llama," the verbs "resplandece," "amanece," and "brilla," and the phrases "d£a que lesplerta" and "diafanas corrientes" create the atmosphere of light that accompanies "Amanecer": BendecIda esta luz que resplandece como el amor, con evldencla sums. Cuando el recuerdo de la noche abruma es dulce contamplar como amanece. ^Donato Intemoscla, "Review of Tiempo de luz." Books Abroad (Noman, Oklahoma), XXVI (Spring, 1952), 186. 162 Tel como un hljo do lo Homo croco ol dfa, onvuolto on ou voll6n do espums* Lo tierra, como copo quo perfume, ontro losoo do purpura oo moco. Esto inocencia do lo luz humillo todo ambleion. El d£o quo dosplorto por oobro ol proplo ponoomlento brlllo. Esto os lo luz, quo on dlafanas corrlentes, troo hosts aqui, por lo extension dosierto, noticio do otros mundos inocentes. (Luz. pp. 344-345) The lark and the light appear again in the poem, "Canto," where their role is less impressive, but where they lend grace to the description of the day. It is such a bright day that the tree dresses in light with its own shadow. The mountains seem like crystal formed by pressing together the blue of the sky and the waving green of the fronds. The stream furtively wanders among the fresh grass with a white breast of foam like a swollen dove. Around the pool the unadorned roses weave a purple crown for the opal mirror. The soft breeze is like the breath from a woman's mouth, where the kiss dissolves red apples. And the earth in its joy is like a crystalline goblet that overflows everywhere with golden bubbles: Es tan diafano este d£a, bajo el^vuelo de la alondra, que el arbol mlsmo se vlste de luz, con su propla sombre. 163 Lu nonttSu aparecen como cristal qua sa forma compactando asul da altura y vaxda movil da frondas. Por antra la frasca hlarba al agua, furtlva, ronda, con pecho bianco da es pumas, como asponjada paloma. En darrador dal estanque tajan purpurea corona, para al aspajo da £palo laa slempre desnudas rosas. Paraca la auava brlaa al allanto da una boca fcmenlna, donde al baao dealfa manzanas rojaa. Y la tierra, an au alegr£a, una crlatallna copa qua da burbujaa da oro por todaa partes desborda. (NH. pp. 123-124) Morning wears on and tha poat progresses into the afternoon, a period of tha day that must hold much charm for Maya as there are several poems, "Ya sa anuncla la tarda,” "Tarde," "Vlspero," HClara y lanta," and "Tastl- monio" which derive their inspiration in tha glorious radiance of tha waning day. Tha bright, slow afternoon is called a blue urn in tha sonnet, "Clara y lanta," a vassal that contains tha love of tha two people in tha poem witnessing its tardy death. 164 One of them cells It the leet song of the green earth, the final festival that God attends. The plain down below is enveloped in mist, and a perfumed wind descends from the mountains bringing an early announcement of a sad autumn. Together, the two of them in pleasant conversation watch the shadows descend to the road. And they guess the good fortune of the morrow behind the first window lighted to greet them from the distant city: La tarde clara y lenta--me dljlste— ea uraa azul que nuestro amor enclerra, ultimo canto de la verde tlerra, fiesta final a la que Dios aslste. Alla abajo la pampa se revlste de brumes y desclends de la sierra un viento perfumado en el que yerra precoz anunclo del otono trlste. Juntos los dos, bajo los altos plnos de la montane, en platice sabrosa vemos bajar la sombre a los caminos. Y entrevemos la dicha del maSana tras la primer vent ana lumlnosa que nos saluda en la eluded lejana. (Vida, p. 23) The poet exclaims in "Vespero," "Oh the happy inno cence of a tranquil afternoon.It can hold every thing— the valley, the river, the grange and the cow bells. 66Vida. p. 27 165 The hill grows rod with mystical lights, tha mast of tha towar hoists Its lamp, tha cathadral looms up, rafulgant and solitary. Lika a ship, an oval cloud passas after depositing Its rain on tha village. Tha horison is rad. Tha rlvar murmurs in tha dlstanca. (Oh falls lnocancla da la tarda tranqulla! Todo: al valla y al vio y la granja y la esqulla cabe an ti, como en una carinosa pup!la. El collado con lunbres mfsticas sa arrebola. El mastll da una torre su farol enarbola. Surge la catadral llumlnada y sola. Una nube radonda pas a, como un nav£o despues da habarla dado su lluvla al caserio. El horlsonte as rojo. Lajos, murmurs al vio. (Vida, p. 27) It is in this poem that tha poat likens tha afternoon to a good sister who watches har loved ones arrive from a distant country peering through tha pane of an ancient window: Tarda, tu me par aces como una buena hermana qua nos vlasa llegar da una tlerra lajana a trav£s dal crlstal da la antigua vent ana. (Vida, p. 27) At vesper time every creature kneels to pray while one hears tha flute of tha simple eclogues In tha distance. Tha star, lit on tha mountain top, gathers around itself tha peace of tha horison: 166 Es la oracl6n. Y todo aa postra da rodillas, y al alma, antra un ambienta da pomaa y gavillas, oya la flauta da 1aa aglogaa aanclllaa. Nada hay qua para al paamo vaaparal no aa apronta. Ya la estrella, ancendlda aobra al ara da un monte, congraga an torno toda la pas dal horisonta. (Vida, p. 27) Love lights up tha lamps within tha home, aa the sun sinks into tha aaa. And as tha wind wanders stealthily around outside lika a wolf in tha fields, the royal caval cade penetrates tha parlor through the golden door of a story: ... Mas aa anuncia el rumor da la noche, y en todos los hogaraa joh amor! aa enclende la pantalla roja del comador. Como un lobo dal campo pasa por fuera al vlanto, y antra la cabalgata real al apoaento a traves da la puarta lumlnoaa da un cuento. (Vida, p. 28) Aa tha poat goes to close out tha cold wind, his in firm spirit, looking down on tha valley, asks tha after noon, which it calls an island of gold and a ship of glory, to carry it away before tha flutes in the distant hills grow mute: Yo cierro la ventana. Mas dice al alma enferma: tarda, islote da oro, sobra la tierra yerma; bajal da gloria, Havana cuando todo sa duenna. 167 Llavame bajo al vualo dal anael qua socorra al suefto da los nl£os y dal angel qua corra a daspartar al alma da bronce da la torra. Llsvame ... Qua tu asqulfa sonambulo me halla llsto a zarpar, mas antas da qua la flauta calls detras da la collna qua duarme sobra al valla. (Vida, p. 28) Tha aftsmoon is a melancholic period for tha poat, a time whan one recalls memories of tha past. In a poem entitled "Tarde,” in which the poet describes the burning lamps in the cathedrals, and the tolling bells, he also speaks of the nostalgia of the horn on the hill when he looks for a melancholic spot in the park where he can sit and wait for the dawn with the spirit of his sister: Ard£a las rojas luces dentro da las catedrales como estrellas encandIdas en el fondo de la tarda. Las campanas en el cielo sonaban solamnas, grandes, y las nubes eran alas, eran velas y estandartes. ... una voz conocida me llamo, bajo la tarda, con la nostalgia que tiene al caracol llano da alra. Y vl tu rostro de niSa an medio da los rosales qua sembraron- -pobres manos-- las manos da nuestra madra. 168 Y 70 buscaba el retlro melancolico de un perque donde alumbraran los faros el ague de loa estanquea, para aguardar, con tu sombre, lea clarldades dlatantes del alba santa que alegra las torres de las cludades. (Vida, pp. 38-39) Once again in a beautiful description of the after noon, Maya calls it the time for great memories. The pleasant hill of the past, he says, is tinted in an affable and sad light. The rose bushes give their fragrance in the garden of dead loves, and perfumed hands also call to us from beyond: Ya se anuncia la tarde. recogete, alma m£a, en el silencio y mlra atenta como a medlda que el mundo se obscurece tienes mas luz adentro. Es la bora propicia de los grandes recuerdos. La risuena colina del pasado se tine de una luz afable y triste. Dan su olor los rosales en el jard£n de los amores muertos, y manos perfumedas tambien nos llaman desde lejos. In the silence of the afternoon amid the miraculous amber that trembles in the valley, the poet bids the 67«ya ie anuncia la tarde," La vide en la aoafcra. pp. 50-51. 169 soul to prostrate itself, to Inebriate itself in the breese and to listen to the prayer of the leaves as they fall: ique lenta eats la tarde! ique divine la hora! Arrodlllate al pie de aquel milagro que hace tenblar en amber todo el valle. Bnbriagate en la brisa, escucha al pie del arbol la oracion de las hojas que se caen. (Vida, pp. 50-51) This is truly a holy time. The atmosphere resenbles a cathedral, and all created things begin their vigil. This is the moment when the divine star appears in the sky— the star that shines for everyone: Ya comlenza la santa vigllia de las cosas, --ya se vuelve mas honda el ague azul de los estanques viejos, iya se presiente la divina estrella que nace para todos en el cielo! (Vida, p. 51) In a sonnet from Tiempo de lug, which again bursts out in tremendous radiance, the poet witnesses from a familiar hill the changing colors of the afternoon which return to illumine the weary earth. Daily the radiant spectacle is the same— the same clouds, the silent expanse, the cattle bells, the triumphant purple. For the poet, who calls him self a solitary, this fantastic scene encloses a testimony 170 of hop*. For whan he sees that, although earth changes her season, the sky is ever faithful to its splendor his eager ness expands: Vuelven las tardes de color camblante a lluminar la tlerra fatigada, y yo, de la collna acostumbrada* vuelvo a mlrar la lux agonlxante. Neda, en este espectaculo radlante, canbla de una jomada a otra jomada. Las mlsmas nubas, la extension callada, las esquilas, la purpura trlunfante. Para ml corazon de solitarlo, qua testimonlo de esperanza encierra el slempre igual, fantastlco escenario. Como brota mas lfmpido mi anhelo si veo que, mudandose la tlerra, es slempre flel a su esplendor el cielo. The poet follows day progressively from dawn, to mid day, to sunset, and as the sun sinks In the West and the 8tars begin to appear in the sky, Maya comnemorates their great beauty in a prayer that echoes like a litany. When the poet addresses the star as his "hermana celestial," it reminds one of St. Francis of Assisi with his affection for his brothers, the creatures of Mature. Five times the poet repeats, "No me olvides, estrella." To the star that appears over the blue hill, tp. the star that shines, filled with the deep rapture of 171 a distant prayer, on the brow of the angel that rings the bell, the poet says, "Do not forget me." The poet asks the star to let him grow quiet beneath the bright afternoon as If he were a valley. He begs the star, that has watched him cry in the tranquil shadows of the hillsides, the star, that has shined in the eye of the ox who pulls the cart, the star, that presides over the rustic homecomings in the summer, not to forget him. When the star enters the broken window of a hut and rests on the lamp about to go out, or when it becomes lost in the roads of a story that unfolds in the tepid quiet of the parlor, the poet does not want to be forgotten. The poet asks not to be forgotten when the star moves into other climes, or, as the poet expresses it, when it follow8 after the furrow opened up by the sandal of God. In the last supplication of "Oracion de la estrella," the poet asks his "celestial sister" who made him so deeply 68 sad, as a shepherd in the valley, not to forget him. In the couplets of "Oracion de la estrella" the poet reveals the awe which overcomes him as he beholds the 68Vld«. p. 25. 172 breathtaking beauty o£ a constellation when It first be comes visible, suspended above a neighboring hill. Like a soul kneeling within a temple communing with Almighty God, the poet is inspired to converse with the star which unobtrusively witnesses the activities of man from its exalted position, and because of this intermediary condi tion of the star between man and God, the poet beseeches it to remember him in this sacrosanct hour. Again in the silva. "A las estrellas," the poet addresses the stars who shine as proof of the existence of God, which he Implies as he asks, "What can our ancient denials do before you?": iQue pueden nuestras vieJas negac iones contra vosotras?®* The poet wonders how a fleeting thought conceived on earth can compare with the eternal brightness that surrounds a star, or with the pure silence in which their light per petually radiates. For the poet, contemplating their faithful radla.ice, the stars are serene rhythm and harmonic music above the Vida, p. 103. The verse, "contra vosotras," has only five syllables; all the rest have seven or eleven, and therefore I have considered the poem a silva. 173 terrestrial chaos and the excessive confusion of nan. And from the earth the poet salutes the stars, calling them "luminous words" (despite their silence) and immortal ideas (although It is man's prerogative to think): &Que pueden nuestras vieJas negaciones contra vosotras? iQue puede un pensamiento fugltlvo, engendrado en la tierra, contra la eternal claridad que os bans, contra el silenclo puro en que irradian perpetuas vuestras luces? Sols el ritmo sereno, la musica acordada sobre el trastomo terrenal y sobre la loca confusion de nuestras almas. Por eso yo os saludo desde la tierra, estrellas: ipalabras lumlnosas! {ideas inmortales! (Vida, p. 103) Unlike the previous poems in Which Maya stands In awe of the great mystery of the stars, in a more recent one, "Astros," from Naveaacion nocturne he uses them to illus trate the Immensity of the soul. The poet tells us that he spent the night counting stars. Although he had plenty of imagination he lacked space. So he went to his soul and continued counting stars there: Estuve toda la noche enumerando los astros. Me sobro la fantas£a pero me falto el espacio. 174 Ehtonees, dentro del alma, •egu£ los astros contando. (M, P- 59) The phenomena of night have an attraction for Maya and an example of thl8 Is the description he gives of moonlight in the poem entitled "Claro de luna.” Anyone who has ever taken cognisance of the rare light shed by the moon will feel that the poet has chosen some unique and descriptive metaphors that convey exactly the impression that the wan rays of the moon give. By avoiding the use of verbs, Maya suggests the Inactivity of the moon whose light is borrowed from the sun. Infirmity, pallor and whiteness, intangi bility and death are the pre-eminent Ideas that the poet develops. To give the idea of the whiteness of moonlight the poet describes It as a dawn of pearls, phosphorus burning In a silver mine, white lilies that cover the world, an expansion of the poles, a novice's veil, snow to fill up the abysses and new whitewash on the comer. Possibly the pallor of invalids resembles the pale illumination of the moon and prompts the poet to call the moonlight the anemia of the gardens and the convalescence of the mountain tops. 175 The intangibility of a moonbeam la aptly expreaaed in the llnea Where Maya portrays it as an evaporated diamond, oxygen of angels, a fallen nebula and the soul of extin guished waterfalls. Only when the sun dies is the moon allowed to give its borrowed light, and this idea of death is extended to other metaphors that the poet creates in describing moon light. He calls it the apparition of the sun after death, the aurora of sepulchres, the tomb of the unknown nightin gale, the shroud of butterflies and powder for the death mask. Maya speaks of moonlight as a tunnel of mirrors, a paper frame among the trees, a fan of mute lightning rays, a crystal urn for the bell tower and a humble lamp for abandoned patios. By the very use Maya has made of incomplete sentences, he also conveys the idea of the moon's dependence on the sun. If the latter denies its rays to the moon, it no longer shines. And the tepid light it does shed, even at its fullest, suggests an infirmity that the poet has con veyed in the twenty-four lines of the poem: 176 Amsnecer de 1m per 1m . Fosforo encendido en una mine de plate. Asucena que cubre el mundo. Avance de los polos. Apariclon de sol despues de muerto. Aurora de los sepulcros. v£speras del ultimo d£a de la tierra. Ox£geno de los angeles. Alas de 1m C M c a d M extlnguidas. Velo de novicla. Diamante evaporado. Nebulosa ca£da. Convalecencia de 1m cumbres. Nieve para rellenar los abismos. Tunel de espejos. BMtldor de papel entre los arboles. Tunba del ruisenor desconocldo. Anemia de los ^ardines. Abanlco de relampagos mudos. U m a de vldrlo para los campanarios. Mortaja de 1m marlposM. Harlna para la care de la smarte. Cal nueva de la esqulna. Lampara humllde de los patios abandonados. (NN, pp. 63-64) Besides finding inspiration in the glorious changes in nature that take place during the succession of the day and night, Maya, of course, is enthralled by the beauty of the tangible creation surrounding him. He enjoins the mountains to rejoice because of their magnificent strength by which they sustain on their shoul ders the sovereign sky, balancing the stars. He bids them to rejoice for their hieratic old age which is girded with an ancient crown of years. Again, he tells them to rejoice 177 because In their plaintive mutants* they witnessed the origin of the light and arrayed themselves in the first nebulae. For their indomitable arrogance with Which they dare to thrust into the sky the flame of their abyss, the ornament which in days past they robbed from the gods, the poet says to rejoice. In the last stanea of "Salmo," the poet coonands the mountains to rejoice for the tremendous disdain which they display as they stand unflinching before the assaults of the thunder, the darts of the sun, the lashes of the clouds and the circle of lightning. There is a joyfulness and exaltation that permeate this poem that re-echo, in a small way, the magnificence of the Psalms of King David when he coumands the creatures of God to praise Him: A vosotras, las montanas, quiero decir: alegraos! Saltad come bestlas jovenes con las testas enfloradas, y ante el ater sin fronteras, alegraos! Porque sols altas y solas y a los clelos soberanos sosteneis en vuestros hombros, equllibrando los astros: por vuestra fuarsa magnifies, alegraos! 178 Porqua os cine uns corona antiqufslma da mSob, y an torno vuaotro formose la bovada dal aspaelo; por vuastra vajas hieratica, alegraosI Porqua vistais los orlgenes de la lua, y os arroparon las prlmeras nebulosas, madras da mundos erraticos; por vuastra mudes patetica, alagraos! Porqua devolvels la pranda qua antlguamenta robaron los dioses, lanaando al clalo la llama da vuastros antros; por vuastra arrogancla indomita, alagraos! Porqua los truenos os buscan y al sol os manda sus dardos, porqua os azotan las nubes y os clrcundan los relampagos; por vuastro dasdan magnanlmo, alagraos! (NN» PP* 57-58) An almost unfailing counterpart of mountains are the streams that course down their slopes, and in an ode, al ready mentioned on page 48 in connection with Maya's ideas on poetry, the poet sings in honor of the rivers which originate in the depths of the high mountains. The title Itself, "Oda a las fuentas," reveals the admiration that the poet has for the pure streams that at last fuse with the rivers. 179 As a testimony of the great regard that ha haa for the fountain# and streams# the poet writes "De nuavo# las fuentes." He exclaims at the number of brooks that have never mirrored a human face. These streams# that flow from the highest mountains or whose calm waters are hidden in dark glens# have never reflected the enigmatic evil of a human countenance or the ostentation of white bodies which are multiplied in the musical water giving an illusion of truncated lilies. These streams are so distant that no swift# thirsty beasts have ever come to their shores nor have they ever hosted colorful birds among the reeds. Only clouds passing above have given to their surface the Illusion of rushing ships. And stars# on warm evenings# like archers in mute action# have grazed the diamond of their waters# shooting their daring bows. Only the clouds and stars have passed over the waters which preserve their unsullied candor# as pure as the sunnier day on which they were bom: Cuantas fuentes axisten# cuantas fuentes que no ban copiedo nunca un rostro humano. Bn montanas altfsimas axisten# fijas unicamenta en el espacio# o bien an penunbrosas hondonadas donde abren sue cristales sosegados como anchos ojos de la tierra virgen# mas llenos de bonded cuanto mas claros. 180 Nunca fliti £uentu, dal humano rostro, la maldad enigmatica copiaron, nl vieron reflajarse la turgancia icuan inslnuante! da loa cuarpoa blancoa qua an la linfa sonora multiplican au lluslon da nenufares truncadoa. No ban aantldo llegar, haata au orllla, aadlantaa baatlaa da llgaro casco, nl acogleron, an madlo da loa Juncos da la ribera, a loa plntadoa pajaroa. s6lo las nubes, al volar aobra alias, solas o an grupos, por al clalo alto, a au callada auparflcle dleron una llualon da atropalladoa bareoa. Y las astrallaa, an las tiblas nochas, en una muda accion de sagltarlos, rozaron al diamante de a us agues al dlsparar loa atravldoa arcos. Eao £ue todo. Las Intactas fuentes Conaervan au candor, como en el calldo y venturoao d£a en que nacieron de laa azulea manoa del verano. (NN, PP* 141-142) From celestial bodies, rocky mountains and flowing rivulets, we progress to living matter In this section on beauty in nature, when Maya elaborates upon grass and roses. The poet reveals great appreciation for and insight Into a simple reality as grass, when, in the poem, nHierba," ha greats this common plant, forever destined for outrage and dishonor. Like time grass Is transitory, and like time it is renewed. Grass tails the story of old, abandoned cities in every blue flower; and neither fable nor memory exists that 181 does not find grass entwined to Its roots. A defenseless tribe, It knows how to revenge the age-old offense of the peasant's foot snd of the plow. With Its blades opened to the sun, It encircles the vain empire of the past, and it protects the dust of the dead: iSalud! ioh hlerba! slempre destinsda a ultra je y deahonor, como la gloria. ]0h hlerba! como el tlempo transitorla y tambien, como el tlempo renovada. De la vieja eluded abandonada en cade flor azul cuantas la historla, y nl fabula existe, nl memorla que no se encuentre a tu ra£z trenzada. As£, joh hlerba! tribu sin defense, de la rustica planta o del arado sabes vengar la secular ofensa. Y con tus talios, a la luz ablertos, cercas el vano imperio del pasado y deflendes el polvo de los muertos. (luz. pp. 340-341) The setting is the refulgent afternoon In "Mujer y rose," a poem of one hundred thirty heptasyliable verses, when the poet is captured by the beauty and fragrance of the aristocratic breast of a rose blooming in the park. A hedge of green encircles the flower and strange multi colored blooms lift up their faces to reach its counte nance, but it smiles only at the clouds and birds. Horns, whistles and city clatter pass by, robbing the circle of 182 Its unblemished purity. But the rose, oblivious of the noise, stands out like a lone star, heady with fragrance as the sun sets. The soft, pale complexion of the rose reminds the poet of a woman. It was many years ago when It was still popular to play the piano, to arrange violets and geraniums In pitchers, and to adorn the house with pictures. She, with her simple dress of monastic grey, the angel of the broom, would pass among the golden dust of the bed rooms and patios that yielded to her industrious hands. As she sewed, the pedals of her machine, like the sound of a rapid train, would populate her room with cities and countrysides. Only in the afternoon would her stately head, somewhat mussed, recover once again its austere appearance with shell combs and golden hairpins. Around her, life was renewed like the seasons around the trees. New modes came, hair styles changed, braids were old-fashioned and lipstick became popular. New Venuses (young girls) appeared. But she (the angel in grey), Indifferent to alterations and changes, put her splendid old age outside of time. She persisted In her love for the past guarded In trunks and letters, for the 183 archaic youths with their curly mustaches and for the par ties that no one marked on calendars. She was doubled over amidst a cloud of old lace like a White feather on an out moded hat. All of this was the memory stirred by the lone rose In the park. The poet tells the rose that It, too, will die amid a faint perfume, shrouded in pale yellow that will fade like the satin dress of the beautiful girl that the rose recalls. Neither heaven nor earth esteemed the beauty of the rose— the sweet, ephemeral queen of a sumner day which is as short-lived as the rose's leaves and as languid as its fragrance. For the poet the rose is a divine spectacle of beauty— the more momentary it is, the purer. It shares its present history with the poet who tells it his past— separated moments in united eternities: As£ tambien joh rose! moriras entre un vago perfume, amortajada en tu amarillo palido que se Ira destifiendo como el traje de raso que peso de las fiestas al fondo de un armario. Nl la tierra nl el cielo tu hermosura apreciaron, dulce, af£mera reina de un d£a de verano, 184 breve como tus hojas, como tu aroma languldo. Mas fulste pare ml alma un dlvlno espectaculo de belleza, mas puro cuanto mas momentaneo. Me diste tu presenter 70 te dl ml pasado: jeternldades juntas! i moment os separados! (Final, pp. 275-279) The rose of the preceding poem, "Mujer y rose," re calls to the poet's mind the memory of a lovely woman, very possibly his own mother. The delicate flower is used again in the poem, "las rosas," to demonstrate the power of the rose. The poet says that all things are reflected in the mirror of the day. But if this mirror become clouded, that is, if it be obscured by the troubles that beset man, the potency of the roses, able to distill joy with their fra grance and beauty, clears not only the mirror but the morn ing as well: En el espejo del d£a se miran todas las cosas. Cuando el espejo se empana, con sus hojas tomblorosas limpian espejo y manana, las mas hermosas: 1 las rosas! (NN. p. 30) Universal beauty in nature, far surpassing man's Imi tation, is best illustrated by one of Maya's longer works, 185 "Rosa mecanlca." This poem, characterised by varied rhyme and meter, Is one of his most ambitious compositions. In this dialogued poem from Desoues del sllenclo six figures converse: Los Sllenclos and Los Ruldos, Rosa Mecanlca and Escarabajo Azul, Varo de Acero and Tallo de Hlerba. The antithetical choice the poet has made here Is quite evident. Los Sllenclos Introduce the poem by declaring that they are what is beautiful in song and love— the pauses. They claim that everything dies in the current of their being; that even the universe is a stream that flows into their vast ocean. They boast of being sons of a secret and having a mother who existed before the first night. When they acquired a voice, the black sphere dressed in gold, the constellations were bom in the sky, and swallows and songs appeared In the sea. They assert that they are the candid moment which precedes thought, when, in the mute shadow, the tremor of a bare phrase is enkindled. They say that God comes down In a circle of silence and in His presence man conceives thoughts. And in total muteness the mystery of the starry vault is deciphered. Los Sllenclos call themselves a goblet in which water 186 from the moon falls, and that every sad creatura of the human race has sated his age-old thirst with it. Beneath the sumner sun Los Silencios give life to the grain, or they are honey or dew on the flower. Into their invisible calyx silent death pours out its thick wine, and they soften the pillow of shadow (the tomb) where the glory of man, crowned with ice, sleeps. Los Silencios break their silence to tell of their prerogatives, and when they fall silent again, Rosa Mecanlca asks: — iQue metaffslcas estoy oyendo? Coro de domines hoy se reunio? (DPS, p. 244) She boasts of being a product of the great machine and describes herself as follows: De acero limpio me hicleron petalos, calls metallco tengo tamblen. Son mis plstilos cuerdas elasticas, y de la qufmlca broto mi miel. (DPS, p. 245) The Mechanical Rose does not wither in sumner, nor lose her fragrance when the wind blows. This geometric 187 £ lower of the £uture wee born in the depths of an oven. Neither water nor soil gave her her red coloring, nor does her chlorophyll need sunlight. She Is never worn as a fragile corsage on the soft shoulder of a beautiful girl, nor Is she ever preserved between the pages of a book. She Is never placed In a vase of pale glass nor does she grow beneath a damp cypress. Since she comes from a formula, she will never see a tear fall. She Is the abso lute before the ephemeral; the ecstatic eternal in the midst of vacillation. The lowly Blue Beetle, crammed In his hole, where he feeds on the residue of other Insects, has listened patiently to the rose justify her creation. He admits that he Is as dry as a seed tossed In the sun and wind; but as dark, and small, and ugly as he may be, he feels that he surpasses the mechanical rose, because he possesses life and movement. The fine colors, the brilliance, and the harmony of the steel rose traced by the mind of an archi tect are not worth an atom In comparison to the dark body of the beetle because, he says, ... a mi me rlgen vida y movimlento. (DPS, p. 248) 188 Although the Rose may live a thousand years and the Beetle perish, although her leaves are made of fine steel and the feelers of the Beetle are fractured by the breeze, and although the Beetle cannot endure the sumner and fears the winter, he is richer In his hole because he possesses life and movement. Neither the common man nor the sage puts a price on him. And even the peasant steps on him or sinks his hoe in him. And although he falls like dross from the sky, he is freer than the mechanical rose because life and move ment rule him. When the sun chooses, it can make the Beetle beauti ful. It is a sparkling ember or a round mirror where cities of wind are reflected. Sometimes he resembles the rose of the sky and, at others, an emerald mounted on silver. He is a mixture of beast and spirit. Both earth and air nourish him. He is life in the mud and vertigo in the sea, he shines in the star and in thought, and he dies in space and returns in time because life and movement control him. After the beetle has justified his existence Silence once again departs from its muteness to chide the vain, 189 vain senseless words that £all noisily, like drops in the profound depths of nothing. He asks the words, "Que sols / ... mas que humo leve de psvesa Inerte / o slgnos que, al pasar, traza la rnuerte?" He bids the harsh voices to hush, for, he exclaims: IEl caos trlunfa! iTodo es polvo y ruido! iCatarata que salta hacla el olvldo tendlendo, entre un rumor de agues y vldas, el iris de las lagrlmas perdldas! (DPS, pp. 250-251) Los Silencios claim that they hold the key to universal truth--the key which, violating treacherous locks, leads to the world of pure forms. The Vara de Acero is the next to vaunt his qualities. Addressing "madre arqultectura," he calls himself bone of her bones, the shaft that sustains her silent vault. The steel rod claims to have known the Noche de granito, noche de diamante, noche de carbon y noche de cuarzo .*. habltando la entrafia geologica, when he was but the dust of dissolved stars.The thought makes the Vara de Acero exclaim, "{Fantastica noche! ... iRecondite noche! ... {Sonambula noche!" He asks what has 7QPespues del silenclo. p. 251. 190 becoa* o£ the hard rocks. And ha answers his own query by explaining that a drop of water, traveling centuries, reached his volcanic bed like a diminished sun; and, sifted through a thousand years, the sound of rivers reached him. And then one day the irons (of cranes) ripped into the jaws of the earth breaking it up into blocks. The Vara de Acero describes this travesty in luminous phrases: Cuajose mi oscura nebulosa en fauces de fuego. Fui arroyo de brasas, hirviente cascade, rojo torbellino, flambula de llamas. (DPS, p. 252) The Vara de Acero boasts of being the mast of the machine, the sonorous stamen of the propeller, the shaft of a temple, the rose of the winds of speed, the axle that guides motors, the ring that attracts lightning and the virile chain that lifts mountains of rocks, and decorates clouds with porticoes and encloses the winds beneath cupo las from the time that man first violated the depths of the earth. The steel rod states, "Soy la nueva conciencia del hombre."71 In a triumphant salute, the Vara de Acero halls the gods of Calculus: 71Pesi>ues del silencio. p. 253 (Honor a los dloses del Calculo who descend from their Olympus, more beautiful than the rustic Apollo, father of the lyre and of song, que bajan, sentados en orbes de bronce, a tomar poseslon de la tierra donde glme la necla esperanza del hombre romantlco! (DPS, p. 253) When the Vara de Acero ends his soliloquy, the humble Tallo de Hlerba speaks up, telling of its lowly birth in sterile solitude, among the stones where the sun toasts the grey lichens. It lifts up its complaint— among the chorus of discordancy--in the name of nature. The Blade of Grass says that it is the index of light, as well as the tremulous thread with which God has woven the undulating carpet of the meadows. It has the privilege of crowning the brow of the high hill, and of adorning the shore of the river. When day dawns it opens up its leaves and receives the dew that descends to enchase Itself in the dark ring of earth. The humble Grass indicates the direction of the wind on the plains and of the April drizzle which streaks the bright countryside. Even imprisoned in bundles, while men rest from the labor of the harvest, the Grass tenaciously 192 perfumes the purple evening. The broad foot of the tanned laborer flattens it, but no sooner Is his boot withdrawn then the blades straighten up to the open sky. Gyrating with the hours, the vibrating antenna of the grass imprisons the solar music and the plain chant that night intones. Whether it be in the depths of the valley or on the tops of the mountains, the Grass, converted into a bonfire, leads the hunter or guides a ship like a star would do. The Grass continues his monologue, saying that it is the forest and also the clump that grows around the broken curbstone of a well. Despite universal ravage and destruc tion machines, its life, nourished by immortal energy, is renewed. Purer than a diamond star and stronger than a rock, the Grass is to live, marking time with its perpetual evolution. The Tallo de Hlerba reminds its" listeners that nothing remains of the glorious palaces and baths but the blade of grass--conqueror of history and arches. Its voice is the only one that survives from past languages, repeating the fable of man from walls and crevices. To the Steel Rod the Grass points out the fact that 193 the former could die, but death for the grass would be but a return of eternal reason toward primitive chaos. Grass lives in a unity (a continuation from death to life) and aspires to a form of intelligence because it is action that vivifies. It finishes its justification by telling the Vara de Acero: jTu eras solo la Fuerza! (DPS, pp. 253-255) With a clang, and a clash, and a clatter Los Ruidos introduce themselves into the dialogue of "Rosa mecanlca": — Con fatal armadura luciente, con un casco de plumes silbantes, y colgando de la aspera frente cascabeles de hierros sonantes, aquf estamos, con caja batiente, y al compas de los palos cantantes que uniforman la marcha potente de los asperos ruidos andantes. (DPS, p. 256) The Noises claim to be products of the times and of the brain of modern man, that new animal who, in dizzy leaps, pierces the heavens and applies spurs of iron to the wind. The Ruidos say of themselves that they are the con science of a recent age which carries the inheritance of infirm races, and drowns its sorrows in the noise of wheels, in the lights of taverns, in sensual songs and in 194 black music. They lament the loss of the harmony of soft music, of the nostalgic chords of the piano, of the shepherd's pipe that told the love affairs of the ruddy summer. They are the words of a new culture that dethrone the Holy Spirit and exchange song and writing for a language of iron and rock. Their voice, which augurs extermination, provokes an uproar, and they kill the pure construction of a discourse and the singer with a melodious mouth. Furthermore, Fuegos explosivos llegan a los libros, y domina el Ruido los santos retiros donde el sablo esquivo y el monje rafdo traen el infinito al concavo vldrio o al ojo del nlfio. (DPS, p. 258) The Noises admit that there is neither space in the ether, nor a mountain covered with oaks, nor a road for gotten in the world, nor a comer in the desert that does not suffer the wrathful echo of this battle that awakens man, and nails him to the infecund and fatal gyration of the dead machine. But they are but a reflection of life, the vast projects of man and of bestial acts. And although they fill the earth and heavens with armed gods and vol canic mountains they are not truly responsible. The Rosa Mecanlca who has listened to the dialogue of Los Sllenclos and Los Ruldos, of the Vara de Acero and the Tallo de Hierba, and of the Escarabajo Azul speaks out again to concede: — Flor de ml tiempo, esquema del futuro, Imagen conceblda en el cerebro de la etema deldad de labio 1 lustre, yo deje tras los moIdes fugltlvos en qua funde la vlda 8us creaclones para existlr sin la naturaleza, madre mortal de tomadlza frente y de senos caducos que emponzonan toda vlda naclente. (DPS, p. 259) Like Los Ruldos, the Rosa Mecanlca Is a flower of her time, an image conceived by man's brain. She has left behind the fleeting molds in which life fuses Its creations to exist without nature— the mortal mother that deserts her own and poisons with her worn out breasts all growing life. She Is to reign dispersed In space with the Noises, bearers of the audacious message that the forges of the anvils transmit, while the exhausted forests fall upon the sandy river beds, and the last voice of the final storm hastens to die In an unknown sea. 196 Rosa Mecanlca asks, "jQue cosa es la mendaz nature- 72 leaa / slno la rauerte? Her agitated breast Is as active as sepulchres and as unstable as the course of a river. She says that she does not change, but Is as young as a number and as constant as the rhythm of time and of the skies. No sooner has the Rosa Mecanlca ceased speaking than one can hear in the distance a dreadful clamor. An inter minable outcry rebounds against the dark horizon. Suddenly a thousand towers tumble down and as many buildings crash to the ground. The earth resembles a volcano adorned with thunderbolts. Nevertheless, among the dust of the ruins and human affliction, the heavens smile tranquilly. Amidst the ravage two voices are heard. The first is that of the Tallo de Hierba. He calls out: — Aquf estoy. El estrago tambien me sepulto bajo su ruina, pero un soplo de alre me ha devuelto la vlda. (DPS, p. 260) The lofty towers have fallen, never to rise again, yet the grass goes on more vigorously than before. And its 72Pespues del silenclo. p. 259. 197 life, renewed because It Is fertilised by the refuse and the bones of the ruins, Is exalted by the solitude and defended by the desert. The Blade of Grass bids the pure Silences to come, to aid the refulgent miracle of a world reborn In the verdure of a shoot. Everything commences now, and the earth's axis and the looms of the skies enter once again In facile movement. The vital chain entwines flowers and stars in its rings, and the harps from the abyss can be heard again. The uni verse is reborn and transformed into Its pristine purity, as the water of a lake is transformed before a beautiful countenance. With the wretched machines shattered, the wheel of the gods, which rewards labors and apportions love, begins to rotate again. And man rests, not in the motor that pierces the altitudes, but, in the swallow that announces the rain. The Blade of Grass that heats the palaces with its kindling in the winter and thatches the roofs of cottages in springtime says: Yo soy, 'alio florido, columns de esmeralda en que s us tent an palacios, el invlemo, case, la prlmavera. (DPS, p. 261) 198 Silence approaches and the moon rises enveloping the hills in a damp mist. The grass confidently goes to sleep In the knowledge that tomorrow the universe will burst from the white and blue pearl that his first shoots conceal: iPero vlene el Sllenclo! Mirad como la luna se levant a y en hunedos vapores las collnas empapa. Voy a dormlr. Manana brotara el unlverso de la perla blanca y azul, que ocultan mis dos hojas prlmeras. (DPS, pp. 261-262) Then from his humble hole crawls the cumbersome Blue Beetle who has withstood the havoc that ruined man-made artefacts and machinery. In his placid manner, he sings of all the creatures of nature that have beautified, nour ished or befriended him: A la luz que me eobellece he de center, mlentras el delo se abraza con el mar. Y al alre que me ailments bendeclre, en tanto que tlerra y fuego dlcen: Amen. Y celebrare a las agues que me dan, be jo los arboles verdes, tlerras en pac. Solo es grande tu callada creaclon, naturalesa que tlenes a Dios. Y, para acabar ml canto, te guarden El, y las ramas, slempre verdes, del laurel. CDPS. pp. 262-263) Science has made such advances in the years Inter vening the publication of "Rosa mecanlca" in 1938 and today, that it is interesting to conjecture what the poet would say to the noise and speed and power of modern inven tions and conveyances. Regardless of his antipathy for these ephemeral contrivances, his love and appreciation for the minute creatures of nature remain unchanged. With the insight of a great poet, he has discriminated between the evanescent beauty, utility and strength of modern produc tions and the simple but unfading workmanship of nature. The themes of universal relevance evidence the broad compass and depth of Maya's mind. As a young man, he leaned toward the classical mythological subjects. As the years progressed, he turned toward the philosophical prob lems of love and life and death. The themes of beauty and nature, which have been the source of Inspiration of lyrists down the ages, have attracted Maya and comprise 200 a large portion of his poetry. Themes alone cannot give a poet the right to fame, but the fact that a poet Is arrested by enduring truths and has attempted to immortalize them is a proof that he is not confined by the limits of his country nor of his era, but that he possesses a breadth of vision that lends expansion to his work. CHAPTER IV THE NATIONAL QUALITY OF MAYA’S POETRY Colombia and Colombians In the previous chapter, the discussion o£ the uni versality of the themes in the poetry of Maya demonstrated that a representative number of poems were devoted to topics that have been the source of lyrical compositions for centuries. The purpose of the present chapter will be to single out those qualities that are precisely Maya's. Included in this category will be the poems that are set in the provincial site of Maya's birthplace, Popayan, those that reveal nostalgia for his family and things of the past. T. S. Eliot, an outstanding poet and critic of the twentieth century, says in the chapter on the social function or poetry that "real poetry survives not only a change of popular opinion but the complete extinction of 201 202 Interest in the Issues with which the poet wee passionately concerned.”* He goes on to say that besides the task o£ giving pleasure there is always the communication of some new experi ence, or some fresh understanding of the familiar, or the expression of something we have experienced but have no words for, Which enlarges our consciousness or refines our sensibility.2 Finally, Eliot says that "poetry differs from every other art in having a value for the people of the poet's race and 3 language, which it can have for no other." It is this point that I should like to develop in the following sub division concerning the national qualities of Maya's lyric ism in opposition to his universality. Geoaranhv of Colombia In order to appreciate the influence the valley of * 6 Puben plays in Maya's poetry, one should read the *T. S. Eliot, On Poetry and Poets (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Cudahy, 1957), p. 6. 2Ibid.. pp. 6-7. 3Ibid.. p. 7. ^This is the name given to the valley in which the birthplace of Maya, Popayan, is situated. 203 description given by the author of Ponavan. eluded procar*: ... le cordillere occidental, de flencos escarpedos y elevaclon regular, lo clerra por un lado y, por el otro, la derivaclon mas encumbrada de los Andes, que se llama la Cordillera Central. La falda de esta presents palsa- jes variados, muchas colinas, mesetas, hondonadas y vallecltos de dlversas formas ... El piano del valle es de unas ocho 1 eguas de longltud por unas sals de an- chura; en el fondo se levantan colledos deslguales; todo esta adomado de irboles llenos de floras y cargados de frut as, y el r£o Cauca desciende al valle ... El verde de las praderas tiene clarldades de luz y tonos dlferen- tes; la tlerra exhale olor de prodiglosa feeundidad; la brlsa es suave, y el delo despejado se cubre con fre- cuencla de nubarrones dens os que orlglnan tremendas descargas electrlcas y que aluobran el espaclo con fogo- nazos acompazlados de truenos sucesivos. El eco de los que pasan se confunde con el nuevo tronar, y forma el ruldo solemne y sostenida orquestacion dantesca ... * Throughout the course of Maya's poetry, there are many references to "my valley" and "my mountains." There is a feeling of open spaciousness in his frequent use of "espa- cios." Besides the numerous appearances of the "r£os," river is used in a metaphorical sense when, for example, the poet speaks of the "r£o de mi poes£a." The fields of grass color Maya's poetry, and the fragrance of trees and flowers is dispersed throughout the verses of his poems. Maya's attraction to the natural feature of Popayan “ *Luis Martfnez Delgado (Bogota: Editorial Kelly, 1959), pp. 16-17. 204 in particular and Colombia in general la not llsltad to any specific period of his life. An examination of hla six books of poetry reveals many occasions when he refers to his "valle materno," to his "prefarldo paisa je," his "monte," his "rlco horlzonte," his "daro enclnar." In the first poem from La vlda en la sombre. "Credo," which has been mentioned before, when the poet professes his belief In the Muses, he calls them the "caras Musas de ml valle materno.In the same poem he speaks lovingly of the "campos de esmeralda, / la sagrada collna, / el arbol familiar ... " and of "el ague campeslna." In the poem that follows, "La vlda," the poet calls the silent life, "fuente entre rosales" whose "corrlente oclosa / se eclara de rose / si en [au] espejo acaso se mlra el amor."^ Speaking In the first person, the poet says, "Yo soy el ague asul de la aontaSa." It Is a gentle stream that the poet describes In this poem, "La vos del agua," because he says: ... no llevo nl espumas de coraje nl al c eminent a ml crlatal angana ’ P. 9. P. 11. 205 No mo desbordo con ruglenta iiSa nl a vastos mares andaraso al vlaje; solo coplo loa tonos dal palaaja y *6lo huartos ml corrlanta bafta. Y humllda y an sllenclo, ml daatlno as sar buena y cordial; sar agua pura a traves da la hiarba dal casilno. (Vida, p. 13) The water has dascandad from the thickets of the mountains, and in its unruffled surface It mirrors the colors of the countryside. In Its humble, silent passing It quenches the thirst of the orchards and the grass by the side of the road. One of the questions that the poet puts to the wander ing Ulysses of "Desconocido" betrays his concern at having left behind a sonorous river: £No dejaste un r£o sonoro qua Interna dlafanamente entre los arboles de oro su corrlente? (Vlda. p. 15) In the poem, "Yo te 1 levers a ml valle," the poet tells the Muse five times that he will take her to his valley. In this early poem from La vlda en la sombre, the poet tells her that she will see bright spring retouch the floral covering of the fields in a soft gold and bright Iridescence: 206 Veras la clara priaavera aobre los campoa ratocar con oro suave y nacar dlafano su lava naanto floreal. (Vlda. p. 24) Sha will saa the light as it pauses, like a shepherd, to rest whan the flute starts descending the hill at twilight: Veras la lus que se detlene, como un pastor, a descanaar cuando la flauta va dejando la collna crepuscular. (Vlda. p. 24) He will take the Muse to his valley so that she can listen to the supplication of the Angelus from a peaceful spot on the hillside: Yo te llevare a mi valle para que escuchec, en la pas de los collados, la plegaria de la campana angelical. (Vida, p. 24) Certainly Maya's love for the valley of Puben makes him exclaim in "Vespero": IOh fells inocencia de la tarda tranqulla! Todo: el valle y el rio y la granja y la esqulla cabe en ti, como en una carlSosa puplla. (Vida, p. 27) Likewise, In two bucolic sonnets, "Agreste" and "Pas toral” from La vlda en la sombra. the poet's love for the "campo flel" and "valle fells” inspires their creation. In the former the lover says to his beloved that it is not 207 in th« noisy city Where there is so ouch sedness end deceit, but in the feithful countryside, where the fields are crowned with popples each year, that they shell love one another: Mo en la cludad ruidosa que amontona tanta trlstesa y tanto desengefio, sino en el campo flel, donde cede ano la tlerra de amapolas se corona. Allf nos amaramos ... (Vida. p. 40) "Pastoral" reveals the insight of one who has wit nessed the colorful sunset from the peaceful valley of Popayan. From the distant crags of the cordlllera the flute of an Indian shepherd can be heard as the first star appears in the serene blue sky: La tarda en lunbres de arrebol se inmola y deja en la collna un fugitive temblor, como el carm£n de un Prlmitlvo que la fas de la Vlrgen arrebola. El humo asul del cabanal tremola sobre el valle fells de esmalte vivo, y debajo de un sauce pensativo esta volcada la carreta sola. Huye el ultimo lampo de violate por el cenlt. Desde el lejano rlsco llora una flauta su amoclon secrete. La estrella nace en el asul sereno, y ya toda la tarde es un aprisco donde florece la humildad del hano. (Vida, p. 4b) 208 Again in the poem "La escondlda sends," the poet apeaks of the days of peace and silence in the town which lay beneath the protection of a soft hill. Their window looked out on a valley, and the morning would come In through It, poorly clad In her peasant dress, bringing the flowers which she had picked at the shore of the river or In the meadow. Hemos vlvldo algunos d£as de pas dlchosa baSados de sllenclo, de brlsa rumorosa y de sol. Breves d£as, al parecer lejanos, en que fulmos mas hombres y fulmos mas crlstlanos. El pueblo esta al amparo de una suave collna. Nuestra ventana daba al valle. La manana entraba, mal ceSlda la tunica aldeana, llevando en el reaaso las floras que coglera a la orllla del rlo o sobre la pradera. (Vida, pp. 78-79) The women of the area are tall, like strong rustic Miner- vas: Las mujeres son altas. En sus formas divlnas hay esplendor de fuertes Mlnervas canpeslnas. (Vlda, p. 79) In the final stanzas the poet expresses his desire to build a home In this sweet land among the soft tremor of the olive trees, to have a window that looks out over the 209 distant labor of the hoe and the plow, and to follow the current of a river from Its origin. He would like to purify himself from the dark city, and to hide his destiny in this green isle in silence and peace, like grass that grows and covers over a road: He all£ la dulce tlerra para vlvlr. Yo qulero alsar all£ un umbral, dormir entre el ligero temblor de los olivos. Tener una ventana por donde mire slempre la faena lejana de la hoz y el arado. Llevar a mi albedrfo, desde su fresco origen, la corriente de un r£o, y hacer un puente para que pose la corriente como una clora idee por una belle frente. Qulero purlflcorme de le eluded oscura en ese seludoble plelogo de verdure, y en silenclo y en pee ocultor ml destlno, r como cuando la yerba crece y borra un camlno. (Vida, p. 80) In his ode "A la manana" the poet thanks the morning for many things, and among them is the serene valley of light in which his love is lost, like a little bit of hay, in the bright extension of a green field: Gracias por el sereno valle de lux en que ml amor se plerde, como la hoja porvula del heno en la clara extension de un csmpo verde. (21^g, p. 93) 210 The valley, the hills, the mountain top and the spaces all figure in the poem, "La ascension." In the poet's attempt to reach the sun, he leaves behind the valley and the softness of the morning hills for the rugged moun tain peaks. The air becomes rarlfied. Space opens up around his temples. Just one more step and he will be in the realm where everything becomes light, hushed in incon solable Immensity: Ta me abrasas, joh sol! Atras se queda el valle con su flauta monotone, los senderos ocultos en la hierba y las floras de la madrugada. No hay las morbideces de las colinas matinales slno el aspero plco y las quiebras enjutas que parecen los ceftos de la tierra. El aire se enrarece. El espacio se abre, en c£rculos de fuego, en tomo de mis sienes. Ya me abrasas, ioh sol!' 211 Un paso mas, un paso mas, qua arrlba tods la vlda sa haca lux, callando an asa Inconsolable lnmansldad. (Coros. pp. 120-121) Although it is not the prayer of the poet, In the "Oracion del joven arcade' 1 the young man begs that death let him wander at will over the hills where the grass grows, offering the unsuspecting beauty of Its flowers, the seraphic blue of the morning, and to let him cut the reeds for his ingenious tunes along the fertile shore of the rivers: Muy antes que te abras ancha puerta de bronce, ... deja, deja, que dlvague al asar por los collados donde crecen las hlerbas ofreciendo la gracia inesperada de sus flores al seraflco asul de la maflana. D^ja que en la rlbera fart11 de los arroyos vaya cortando la menuda caSa para ensayar, con lablo melodioso, ingenues armonlas matlnales. (Coros. p. 128) As the poet beholds the arrival of dawn, his mountain Is black/ contrasting with the spectacle which fills the spaces with a serene splendor, and which Inflames the space like the thundering flight of an irate angel. Once again the poet makes reference to space when in the last verses 212 of "Hlmno a 1* aurora praaantida" ha await* tha dawn with open arm* lika a man standing on a promontory to consult tha stars of tha saa. Ha knows ha will racaiva from dawn har tranquil liberty, har sarana dominion over space and her song of light in tha abyss: Aurora presentIda tras da ml noche. Aurora qua ta clemes sobre mi negro monte Vas llenando al espaclo da un resplandor sereno El soplo da tus alas va inflamando al espaclo como al fulm£neo vuelo da un arcangel en colera ... Con los brazos abiartos y fljo an la desnuda lontananza, cosio al ho*d>ra qua suba a un promontorlo a consultar la estrella de los maras, yo ta espero, oh aurora, qua me daras tu libartad tranqulla, tu sarano dominlo dal espaclo y tu canto da luz an al abismo. (Coros. pp. 142-145) Evan though tha poem, "Las alas," which has bean dis cussed earlier, has little to do with rustic scenes, g passages ware quoted in which tha poet speaks of tha g Coros. pp. 151-155 213 amphitheatre of hills, of a rlvor that novas tha wings of a windmill, and of a smoky vail ay. Tha poat also usas tha tarn metaphorically hara where ha speaks of tha ”r£o da came" as ha does also in "Alma plana" in which ha says that life beats against us Ilka a river that drags along a flower garden as it overflows: Oh, s£; la vlda bate contra tl como un r£o qua arrastra una florasta, desbordado. (Coros, p. 138) Maya speaks of fertile hills and broad rivers and compares his grandparents' home to the beauty of a temple o erected on a hill. When the six companions in the poem, "Bajo el ala de la victoria," shake hands before going into battle, the poet says that they shook hands, sealing the sky of their infancy as the mountains of their land do: Al daraos la mano cerrsmos el cielo de nuestra infancia como las montaSas de la tlerra nativa. (Coros. p. 175) The first scene in Desoues del is on the top of a mountain. In "La crucifixion del poeta" the man 9Coroe. pp. 161, 171, 173. 214 begin* the dialogue saying: --Hemos llegado a la tostada cunbre del smite. Solo el trueno domlna estas alturas silanelosas. (DPS, p. 187) The conception of space, height, and vast horlsons which frequently occur in Maya's poetry cones in one short stance as the poet of the poem cries out: — La luz, ila luz divine! {El espaclo! {La altura! iEl horisonte! Ya estoy mas cerca de tu fee radioes, ioh sol! (DPS, p. 187) The grass, which Delgado Martfnez describes in his passage about Popayan, with its varying tones and shades of color is greeted by the poet in "La mujer sobre el ebano”: --Buena hierba, yo te saludo en la manana que cierne a traves de sus dedos de crlstal la arena de oro depositada en los cauces celestes. Saludo tu estlrpe numerosa que predlca por tods la tlerra la vlrtud de las , semi lias, y ha tornado posesion del valle y del monte a nombre de la luz eternamente creadora. (DPS, p. 222) The blade of grass plays a leading role in the drama of "Rosa mecanlca” which has been discussed earlier. In fact, one hundred nineteen verses are devoted to the two monologues spoken by the "tallo de hierba." The sonnet entitled "Hierba,” which was included in 215 the section on the universality of the theses of Hays Is e selutetlon to this Mtribu sin defensa” which knows how to "vengar la secular ofensa” of the plow and the peasant's foot.10 Mountains and rivers again appear In the picturesque scene that Is depicted In the "Elegfa de las lamparas." Long shadows move across the fields as the sun begins to set, like women In mourning who lament the old age of dawn. And the mountains cross their hands (in prayer), and all the rivers are a tear: Sobre el campo muerto dames enlutadas lban lamentando la vejes del alba. Tenlan los montes las manos cruzadas, y todos los r£os eran una lagrima. (Final, p. 280) When the poet retells the legend of "El Cristo de las sguas," It was a river that was the historian and chroni cler of the event. It was the river that deposited the truthful data of which it was the witness on the wings of the wind. It was in the "aeno cristallno" of the Guadala jara River of Colombia, which flowed past the town of Buga lua. pp. 340-341. 216 "vestldo de noble espuna" and "laaantando la soledad da au camlno," that Christ appeared to an Indian. The poet speaks of the river as a "crlstal" and an "espejo," and of the nearby "valle fee undo” and the "l£nlte tranqullo" of the "cordlllera." Although the main Issue of the poem Is the miracle of Buga, the poet's dwelling on the physical features of the region demonstrate his predilection for these perspectives even though It Is not his native valley of Popayan.^ There are only a few Instances In Tlemno de lua that the poet refers to these natural phenomena. Besides the grass, which Is the topic of "Hierba," he speaks of the "ablsmos del espaclo," of the "collna acostuobrada," and of 12 the "montes de verdor ligero." Havegaclon nocturne being more extensive numerically contains many poems which reflect the love that Maya has for the surrounding countryside of Colombia. When he asks life from the various Inanimate creatures, the "fuente de la monteHa" Is among them. He goes to the "montsSas y 11Flnal. pp. 298-299. 12Lua. pp. 317, 319, 344. 217 llanuras external" to ask them for what they' possess of immortality. In ordar to contrast his own ha approachas tha vaatast phenomena. In a gayar mood In "Salmo" ha goas to tha mountains and tails than to rejoice for thair stupandous haight, for thalr age, and for thair beauty. Tha poet descends to tha valley in tha poem "La bus- queda," where ha finds tha face that ha had searched for and been denied, painted on each petal of a lily. In tha ode that ha sings to tha rivers, which was mentioned earlier, he calls them tha "fuentes benefices" and tha 14 "perennes fuentes." In tha same book, Naveaacion nocturne, in tha request that tha poet makes to his friends, he asks that whan he dies they place a book upon his breast, a book which speaks of his only passion: tha earth, with its waters and its rocks, the abundance of its crops, its black mountains of pines and its golden valleys of oats.^ This one passage substantiates tha idea that has bean developed in this section that Maya is captured by tha charm of tha earth 13N& PP- 12, 33, 57. 14WI, pp. 79, 105. 15"Racado a mis amigos," Nil, p. 154. 218 as ha knows It In Popayan. This attraction of tha poat to tha geographical feature of tha valley of Fuben lands to his poetry a distinctive quality. ygfliy I * * * f l o p * Tha poet*s hone, and family, and relatives are still more personal and Intimate to him than his cherished countryside. The passages which follow will reveal the Intensity of the emotion that memories of these themes evoke. It Is Interesting to note that when Maya writes about his family It Is usually In a reminiscent and nostalgic mood in Which he takes his reader back many years to meet his mother, or he will recall a dear one after his death. That Is the case In the poem, "Mujer y rose” from Final de y otras canclones. when the rose recalls the sweet, pale countenance of a woman, as the poet says, "Hace ya de esto muchos anos." The poet writes with such warmth and feeling as he describes this "arcangel de la escoba" whose description Is given on pages 181 and 182 of the previous chapter, that one can not help but feel that he Is speaking of his mother. 219 The poet asks a waning vigil light that flickers before the sweet Virgin of Murillo on the landing the whereabouts of the little old men with the snow white hair, the virile mind and the simple heart, who used to spend his nights over ancient msnuscripts In the then strong llgjht that the lcmp gave. The poet knows that he has died, for surely the gentlemen he describes Is his father. "Murio,M he reminds the lamp which today evokes the deceased Chris tian better than it illumines the celestial figure of Mary. In this sonnet, "A un fanal, the poet delineates with few words the spiritual, mental and physical features of a man whom he admired greatly. In a very joyful spirit the poet sketches for us a delightful picture of his grandmother in the big old house In the country. They would visit her In the spring, with the roses gaily invading the balcony, the sun filling every corner and the church bells greeting them. Crystal glasses, white china, a delightful aroma from a golden drink, refreshing water, ripe fruit, friendly chatter, new clothes smelling of camphor are the memories that pour *^Lu». p. 329. 220 forth as tha poat recalls the Claras maffanas da abrll, cuando al aundo astaba an flor. Mafianas qua amaba tanto an al vlejo caseron da la provine la. Mafianas da campanas y da sol, y da rosalas alagraa antrando por al baleon. La abuala nos reclbfa an al ampllo corrador con su dalantal da lino y su cofla da crespon. Cala an hllos dalgados al agua dal surtldor. Claras wafianas da abrll, cuando al mundo as tab a 17 an flor. 7 As was mentioned earlier, the poat Is looking back as ha depicts this scene of a childhood activity that delighted him. "Fleles difuntos," "v£ctlmas santas,” "sombras carfsi- mas” are terms that tha poat uses whan ha speaks of his departed ancestors In tha poem, "A los abuelos difuntos.” Amid the sorrow that he felt, ha kept choosing words for composing his poems at tha foot of each tomb. Tha memory of these beloved dead was so great that It Inspired him 18 with new creations. This Is tha extant of tha poems that are definitely dedicated to tha msmory of Maya*s relatives. Ha does men tion them again but they do not form tha core of tha poem. 17"El mundo an flor,” Vida, pp. 80-82. 18Lu*. p. 335. 221 In several, Nay« ipctks of "la caaa patema," "la mansion nocturaa," and "domua aurea." Comparing and con trasting thasa thraa poems, It Is Interacting to nota that In all thraa tha poat mentions "armas"— a "biasAn da pladra" In "La casa patema"; "una crus” In "La mansion nocturna"; in "Dooms Auraa" tha arms are not heraldic 10 devices but weapons for settling disputes. Patios or corridors appear In all thraa poems, with a "brocal" or "poso" in two. The roofs are covered with "hledra" or "vldas" and "hlerba saludable" edg'ss tha patio of one and perfumes tha other. Cypress, oak, pine, cedars are the trees that shade "la casa patema" and "domus auraa." In both of these the poet ends with a tribute to his mother. The poet eulogises hi* mother In "La casa patema" as he does in the longer poem, "Domus auraa." In the latter he calls her the flower of her family, the womb of her people, the palm of her race and the root of the earth. The seven virtues crown her like towers that defend a citadel. She enlivens things with the same cry of jubi lee with which she gave her children life. Wholesome 19,,La casa patema," Vi<ja. p. 22; "La mansion noc tuma," Lus. p. 335; "Domus aurea," Coros. pp. 168-173. 222 merriment encircles her in e golden light es if an angel 20 stood behind her Inflaming the atmosphere. Two sonnets from Tiamoo de lug reveal two moods of the poet. At the poet's "Retorao” to the "case familiar, ablerta / como el campo" with the morning so refulgent that each window is a smile of God and each door a portico of heaven, he passes through the garden filled with light, by the dancing fountain and the walls that have a human ex pression, into the library. He is met by portraits, the silver brow of his mother, the big chair, and the deserted parlor. As he walks, the echo of voices, of steps, of children's cries, of prayers and of the rusty lock resounds 21 as if it were an echo from his father's grave. It is night-time in the sonnet, ”E1 grillo," when the poet returns to the "viejos corredores" of his house. The vocabulary that the poet utilises, "sombras de antlguos moredores," "cansado seHor£o," "esplendor sombrfo,” "calla- dos aurtldores," and "rulnas del hogar dealer to" lend a feeling of sadness to the effete scene. But the sound of a cricket, a new guest in the ivy, who sings of the ruins ^Coros. pp. 172-173 21Lus. p. 323. 223 of the deserted hearth, taking possession of every atone, jolts the poet into disputing with the singer the ownership of the house. It is as though the thought of an intruder taking over siakes the poet rally to the defense of the 22 deteriorating home of his ancestors. The passing pilgrims or travelers on sunny mornings or breezy afternoons are invited in by the poet to take a tour of the "caseron" guarded by a pine at the main en trance and protected by vines at the sides. As they enter the shady foyer of "La mansion abandonada," lit by an old lamp, the poet notices the "cuadro borroso" hanging "entre un castillo qua ... levantaron las aranas que viven en un rincon." Scenes such as this and the overgrown patio that attracts a battalion of bees reveal the utter decay of the home that formerly was furnished with shining buffets, with chairs of fine workmanship and a library now covered with dust. Withered flowers, dried-up fruit, hardened candy are other items that the poet uses to express the abandonment that has invaded the big old house. He continues his tour 22Luz. p. 331. 224 out to tha orchard, which has dried up. In the garden only a spongy cabbage opposes the abandonment with its hardy green leaves under which a few tenacious blades of grass look for protection, dreaming of the refreshing shore of a consoling river. The earth which once responded to the blow of a spade lies in hard clumps petrified by time, and the pebbles in the ditch, alone or in piles, have forgotten that there exists such a thing as water. As night falls the poet returns within, where each timorous corner harbors an evoking echo and the doors swing back and forth as in a sinister cyclone. The poet can not help calling out: Aqu£ estoy! iSalld, vosotros, los muertos! Tu, padre trabajador, hermano abnegado, madre sepultada en el dolor! {Levantate de la tlerra, pasada generacion, y alsaremos esta casa con indomable valor! (Ng, pp. 165-166) The poet rises to a pitch of emotion as the memories of these evocative scenes cause him to bid his industrious father, his self- sacrificing brother and his mother, who suffered so much, to rise from the earth so that they can rebuild their home. Ho answer comes to his plea. Every thing is restored to its calmness of before, and only 225 23 the gnawing of time continues its incessant labors. Five additional poems give a description of the in terior of Maya's house and of the furnishings in it.2^ A little bird is our guide as he takes us through the dining room, the library, the bedrooms and the kitchen filled with an "alre humoso que enbalsaman / las especies arooaticaa."25 The poet himself describes the pieces that have deco rated his room for thirty years--the unravelled rug at the foot of the bed, the old clock on the bureau, the chair of cretonne in the corner, the faded almanacs and the mirror that reflects the vast out-of-doors, the work-table and paper flowers covered with dust and cobwebs. As the poet looks on these old familiar things, he finds them beauti ful, pure and splendid, and he gives each a new name as Adam In the garden of paradise. In the final verses he sighs in relief: 23NN, pp. 163-166. 2^"E1 huesped canoro," Final, pp. 267-272. "Habitual espectaculo, ” NN, pp. 54-55. "La almohada," Lug, p. 328. "Eleg£a de las limparas," Final, pp. 279-287. "La elegfa de los pianos," £& p. 104. 25Final. pp. 267-272 226 jCamo re torn* 1* niSez ereedore de yes en yes, el corez&i ceneedo! (NN. p. 55) One item of the poet's room to which he devotes e sonnet is his pillow. His "almoheda confident®" which — prepares him for the dream of the next life and from which the poet expects to see the last outline of this world is described in words that defy translation: Ceniza por el suelo amontonada donde tlembla el rescoldo de mi vlda; nube qua, a la tlnlebla sometlda, se hace trono de luz en la alborada. Pedestal de la escala inacabada por donde baja el sueHo 'hasta la vide; ala sobre el torrente suspendida, tempano de la noche constelada. (Luz. p. 328) The poet, speaking of the days when all the rooms and chambers were furnished with many lamps, describes for his readers in warm accents the charm that spread through the house as "la madre y la hermana / encend£an lampar&s / en toda la casa." The very rhythm of the lines takes on the pirouetting motion as the night with its broad skirt of ruffled cloth dances on every lamp shade: Con falda redonda de tela rizada bailaba la noche en cede pantails. (ElBAL P- 280) 227 The lamp in the parlor diffused a fragrance of oranges that lent it an atmosphere of orchards. Its light, shining on the false locks of the little old ladies, enveloped them in an iridescent halo. The broadcloth lamp in the bedroom resembled a guardian angel poised on chests, bureaus and bedsteads. What a disappointment when these genial lamps were replaced by electric lights ("negros lnventos")! The poet does not like their "flrme y seco / fulgor de dia mante / en garras de acero," and he longs for the nights when that "luz de hlelo" fails, and the oil lamps return 26 with their lovely charm and fragrance. As the piano is extolled In "La eleg£a de los pianos," the poet takes the opportunity to describe the days when its music filled the house and the young girl with golden tresses and red lips who caused the noble grandparents to smile down from their stations on the walls. Maya had already moved to Bogota when La vide en la sombre was published with the sonnet, "Ciudad lejana," in which he reveals a longing for his "Canin lejana." He says, "Te adoro a la dlstancla, / y busco en el celoso 26Pte«l. PP. 279-287. 228 conf£n, ... tus torres qut st yerguen venclendo la 11a- mira." How ha mlaaas Popayan's fragrant straats! And how urgant whan ha bags her, "Rescatame un racuardo no Years later tha poat dedicates two poems to Popayan— one in a lighter vain, "Elegfa dal barrio viejo," from Final ... and "A una cludad" in Navagacion noctuma. In tha former ha laments tha arrival of "hombres feos, / con maquinas sordas" who pull down tha walls to make way for buildings "da csmentos," and for "ventanas cuadredaa, para- donas rectos," and "confusos / hllos dal telefono." The poat bemoans tha lack of any flower or birds in tha "barrio 28 nuevo / con frlaldad paraj a / da circo geomatrlco." Tha poat is more serious and encompassing in tha more extensive poem, "A una eluded," in which ha first speaks of its architecture— tha stones, tha arches and walls. Passing through its abandoned straats tha poat takas his reader out to tha fertile fields sat in tha midst of moun tains and rivers. Ha speaks of tha alliance that Popayin 27Vida. pp. 26-27. 28Flnal. pp. 291-297. 229 made with the storm, end of the lightning that streeked the skies es e confirmation of its oath. He tells of the mingling of "patrlclos y pastores," of "la sangre del prfa- tlno aborlgen" and "la castellana," of "la gola del hidalgo aventurero" and "el collar del Cacique tacltumo." The crops that laden the tables, the occupation of the people, their religion, the shrines, the festival and dances, the cemetery where their dead are laid to rest all form a part of this tribute to Popayan. But the poem is not just a paean. The poet beholds today the broken arches, the ruined cupolas, the niches where only spiders find asylum, and the columns fallen in the places. He bids the city to rise up and call on its ancient founders. There is silence, until "salts / de un taplado corral un csballero / cuyo perfll ... espanta al miedo." It is Don Quijote (who according to legend was burled in Popayan) who calls for men with outstanding virtue: T&nese golvo la gressnte y mfnlma genericion! Renuevese la estirpe, y qua varones de vlrtud exlmia respondan: ifIrmas! Qffl, p. 231) Although the poet acknowledges the qualities of Popayan, he is not Immune to pointing out its defects, and waits 230 patiently for the arrival of the "nuevo Aquiles de los plea veloces" to reatore to tha aging city Its pristine 29 beauty. Before I complete this section which deals of poems that reveal Maya's love for Colombia, for Its geographical riches, for his city and for his family there are three poems that merit inclusion. In the poem, "El Cristo de las agues," Maya recounts the miracle that occurred over three hundred years ago In the waters of the Guadalajara River in Colombia. An Indian woman, washing at the shores of the river, Is rewarded for her generous act of keeping a man from going to prison by putting up bail with money she had saved to buy a crucifix. As she thinks of the many years it will take to accumulate such a treasure again, a cruci fix washes up on the sand. Delighted, the Indian takes it home and lovingly guards it safely in an old box. It Is not long before she hears knocking from the chest which she opens. To her dismay she finds that the "Cristo" has grown. The prodigy is published abroad, and the towns people, in order to pay homage, build a small shrine. 29Pp. 221-231. 231 Finally, it is enshrined In a huge temple to tha joy o£ tha £alth£ul and tha sorrow of tha humble Indian.^ "Vera” Is a tribute to tha women of Colombia, for In this poem the poet tells of his having traveled to foreign shores and walked beneath the shelter of strange porticoes, but he found his "Vera" among his own people, Industrious and patient. Sad and wandering, he traversed the world, through deserts and plains. He crossed many seas, visited many palaces and counted a hundred cathedrals. Egypt, Northern Spain, Italy, Greece, the Holy Land. Neverthe less, he found his "Vera" in his ... propio natfo: florido el lenguaje, sereno el paisaje, fecunda la vega, laborloso el r£o. (Vtffc. PP. 70-73) The last poem that will be mentioned in this section is the one entitled "La tierra” from Navagacion nocturne in which the poet writes of the "tierra de los padres, man wo / terruno donde todo es casi etemo." His love and his awe can be seen in this short phrase. This land still guards the secrets of the Flood, and seeds that await 30Ua*l. PP. 298-314 232 the decree o£ God live In its bosom. This is e "tierra germinal," which broad paths cross, which exchanges its patriarchal countenance (of winter) for that of a graceful 31 youth of spring. More than twenty poems just studied reveal an innate love of the poet for his native land. He expresses gentle tenderness for and a sincere appreciation of the natural beauty of Colombia— its mountains, rivers and the country side that is redolent of peace and harmony in the bucolic poems that Maya dedicates to these subjects. He loves his people who are patient and industrious, and who excel any he has seen in foreign fields. Despite his love for his native city, Popayan, he honestly faces its decadence and longs for its renewal. In the preceding pages the discussion has dwelt on Maya's predilection for the geographical features of the Valley of Puben, and the family and home in that setting. The reason this is extraordinary is that Maya has spent the greater part of his life in the capital city of Bogota. Despite the many years he has lived away from his birth place, one is aware of the nostalgia he feels for this 3lPp. 51-52. 233 region. In order to eppreclete fully the admiration that Maya dlepleys for the extraordinary beauty of hie native land and the love and affection that he has for hie family and people, one needs to know them first-hand. What might appear to be an exaggeration is a faithful representation of a verdant varied land and of warm, cordial people. CHAPTER V MAYA'S GREATEST WORKS Coros dal mediodfa When Coroe del medlodfa reached the hands of the pub lic in 1928, it evoked a great interest among the critics as the numerous articles about it attest. The reason that it attracted the attention of its readers is that Maya displays a magnificent handling of imagery as he develops certain definite concepts that give the book a cohesive quality that is noteworthy in this anthology. Furthermore, he sustains a tone that is consonant with his thoughts, and he develops his own style, breaking from classical meters and rhymes, to strengthen the feeling of liberty and lack of constraint that characterize these poems. An examination of the nineteen poems contained in this book reveals four main ideas. The first is the relation ship of man to the earth in the notion of sowing, germina tion (in the darkness of night) and harvest (with the 234 235 coning of day or dawn). The second, is nan's desire to ascend; the third, death; and the fourth, rebirth. The only poem of Coros del mediodfa that does not seen to fit into these groupings is one mentioned previously— "Domus auraa."1 There are seven poens that are related in a direct way with the first idea of sowing, germination, and fructifica tion. The first, "Interior,” sets the stage for the germinal activity of night (or darkness). The poet de scribes the brilliance of day at sunset. The light wanes, the hills in the distance grow dark and night falls. But within "se encendleron, lentes, las lamparas de plata." So as the darkness covers the earth the activity goes on 9 in the "interior." This is an example of the interplay of the figure of darkness and the silent activity repre sented by night that Maya utilises throughout Coros del Bldl94il- In "Tierra" the poet describes the anonymous sower who has sown his grain and has "clavado su fe, tal como 1P. 168. ^Coros del mediodfa. pp. 117-118. un dardo, / en al rl26n oscuro de la gleba." Peace deacends from above and everything grows silent because the great miracle of life beats in the furrow. The uni verse attends the silent transformation, subterranean forces tend the seed, and the sun feeds it through the stalk of the flower. The sower, having said his prayer and offered a nuptial ring to the "virgen morena" (the earth), leaves his work with firm faith that the earth will yield her fruit in due season. The sower displays utmost trust in the ultimate outcome of his tilling of the soil. Maya represents this with the phrase, "Lejos arde / la lucecilla familiar que aguarda ... el invencible esp£rltu del hombre."^ The poet progresses from the concept of seeds of matter to seeds of Inspiration in "Semillas en la noche." Only the man who meditates beneath the mute night-lamp, with his windows thrown wide open upon the fields, wit nesses the "slenbra," the "germlnar oculto," and the "gran gestaclon nocturne." The poet relates the germination of the field with that of his spiritual faculties. These % Coros. pp. 118-119* 237 seeds fall, as though a If tad through tha branchas of trees, and only ha who waits in tha shadows will pick them up and sow than in his spirit. Tha thinker who gathers these seeds at night and whose prophetic lips reveal great truths and great hopes and, as a result, is nocked by man, will always be imitated by other great men who will keep picking 4 up the seeds that fall at night. The process that goes on in a physical way in the poem, "Tierra," when the farmer sows the seed which germi nates In the darkness of the soil, is transferred to "Semillas en la noche," to a mental process. There is the same sowing, the hidden germination and the great nocturnal gestation followed by the fructification of the grain or the thought. The idea that night is the time for inspiration is repeated in "Canto del hombre cautivo." He tells us that his dreams grow beneath the kind light of his lamp. The entire universe is reduced to a ring that encircles his brow. Then his "nocturno pensamiento se hace conciencia universal." Remote voices sing within him, and dawns, 4 Coros. pp. 121-123. 238 whose light would purify seraphim, spring up in his spirit. Then the poet compares the fertilisation of his spirit to a field which bursts forth, after being watered by an over flowing well.^ In this poem the lamp is to the poet as the sun is to the seed. The warmth of the two causes the seed to germinate. Once again In "El noctumo del alba" the poet de scribes the creative fever that flows through his fingers like a cosmic force at night. His room resembles an oven, and he himself sings like the Babylonian youths in the midst of the flames. Rings of words entwine their images around his exhausted brow. But he is so overwhelmed by the force of the inspiration that his fingers are paralyzed by five rings forged in this sinister oven and his feet feel like the traveler's whose feet are pinched by tight sandals on the red hot sand of the beach at noon. How distant the bells of Dawn! This exclamation of the poet takes on great significance when one sees what follows. Overcome by the fever of creation and unable to respond to its promptings, the poet is dragged by the 5Coros. pp. 164-168. 239 black cirelas of night down to tha depths of tha earth. Alone with his soul as guide on this dark journey he descends to the mansion of despair. Tha rebel angels peer at him with cold stares. A vast river with mute water flows below a bridge of white stone, and wandering shadows take on reality beneath the faint light that sifts through the evil vault. And suddenly in the heights the bells of dawn sound. The poet awakens (not from sleep, but from his vision), with trembling hands on the blank page (which represent his inability to respond to the inspiration) and he beholds changing colors through the window pane, while the warrior angel whose wings brought him up from the depths of the night smiles.** Here night is the time for the fructification of the seeds of inspiration, but the impact is so great that the poet, powerless to its breathing, falls into the pit of despair. But the salviflc powers of dawn rescue him and once again he is capable of corresponding with the Muse. The poem that follows, "En las prlmeras horas," 6Coro». pp. 130-132. 240 repeats the idee of the vivifying power of the "eurore.” "Todo te eenctlfice e eee serial de luz ... ve e llegar el Rey" (the tun). The night light, Which susteined man during the dark, can be extinguished now because the sun has dispelled the darkness and there is no further need for artificial light. Hope returns with the dawn, and man will possess all the fruits of the earth, material and Intellectual.* The seed is hidden in the darkness of the earth. The germinating process, aided by the alimentation of the soil, quietly continues until the fruit bursts forth in its good time. The spiritual germination of man is expressed in "Hlmno a la aurora presentlda" with 'the metaphor Aurora presentlda tras de ml noche. (Coros. p. 142) This spiritual fructification takes place after suffering "multiple agonla." Night represents the time of his agony. But at dawn, the poet tells us, ... me despojo ya de mi vestidura, toda empapada en el sudor nocturno, 7 Coros. pp. 132-134. 241 y en cuyos negros pllegues se novum las larvas del pec ado, para quedar desnudo, y reclblrte, plena, vasta y total, aurora presentlda. (Coros. p. 143) Night represents, with Its darkness, the pall that sin casts over the soul of man; dawn, the removal of these raiments, and a fructification of the spiritual. The poet offers his body, formed from the dark lime of human rivers, to the dawn, to be purified in Its light. The beat of the wings of dawn Inflame the sky; Its hands open up paths of gold In the blue; its brow pierces the dark zone. The poet patiently awaits the dawn for he realizes that it will give him its "libertad tranqulla," Its "sereno domlnio del espacio," and Its "canto de luz en el abismo."** Maya'8 construction of his metaphors from the simple sowing, where man is so dependent on the earth, to the gradual ascent through the realm of Intelligence into that of the spirit, leaves one overwhelmed by the poet's vision and power to transmit these Ideas into words. As he 8 Coros. pp. 142-145. 242 progresses from the simpler stage to the more complex, there is a gradual progression in time with the interplay o£ night and down, darkness and light. Once man reaches the spiritual plain, Maya develops another idea which is eminent in Coros del mediodfa. This is the desire o£ man to attain a higher goal. Five poems, "La ascension," "Alma plena," "Inviteeion a navegar," "Las alas," "Capitan de veinte afios," evolve this idea o£ aspiration, o£ rising or of climbing to a loftier end. Man says in the opening words of the first poem, "Ya me abrasas, oh sol!" Finally, he is burned by the sun which represents the heights he seeks. To emphasise the struggle that man has exerted to reach this summit the poet says, "Toda mi vide es un empuje / para subir mas cerca / de ti." He has left behind the valley with its monotonous flute, its paths hidden in the grass, and its flowers that open at dawn. There are no more mellow hills, but harsh peaks and austere fissures. After this tremen dous effort, and as a proof of his having gained the top, his mantle is ripped to shreds by the wind. The air be comes rarifled. Only thistles lift their bristled faces as he passes. In an effort to keep going he urges himself, 243 "Un puo mas, un paso mas,” for at tha plimacla Ufa turns into light, and grows sllant In tha Inconsolabla tinmen - Tha poat doas not dascriba tha man who has attalnad graat heights in "Alma plana," but ha incitas him to risa, whan ha bids his own soul: Elevate, alma m£a, an una vasta aspiracion. Daspoja da la niabla sutil da tu tristasa la vision intarior. Dasnuda pronto tu cuarpo da los humados harapos con qua vistiolo la piedad cansada. Arroja la carata tragica con qua pasas por la vida, (Coros. p. 136) This ascant requires tha soul to break with a sinful life, and tha poat prompts him to this action when ha bids: Rompe las vastiduras nagras con qua padiste piadad para tus goces, ... (Coros. p. 136) In racompanse, life prepares for man a ring made from tha gold of all tha promisas that tha future holds.^ "Invitacion a navagar" combines the dasIra of man to 9"La ascension," Coros. pp. 120-121. ^Coros. pp. 134-138. 244 break with the routine end the monotonous, and to set out for the "mil caminos del espaeio." The poet sighs and repeats his yearning in the stance: Cuando, cuando llegara el die en que me digs: es neceaario navegar. Allsta una nave que tenga un tlmon y un palo para colgar la vela nomade que ha de perderse en el mar ancho. (Coros. pp. 138 and 140) His ascent, rather than vertical (if one can say it), is horisontal as he searches for liberty in the vast sea. For the poet, this freedom is release from "el compas del verso clasico." For each man, it would be liberation from the chains that bind him, whatever they might be, from pursuing his goal. Again, the idea of the ascent of man (or of his in ability to rise when he has lost the wings that lift him up) is symbolized in the poem, "Las alas," the balancing element in man's life and a figure of his rising above the terrestrial. Without these wings man totters through the world like a laborer returning from the grape festival. In the black night the owner calls for his wings, but, not finding them, he fuses, step by step, with the great nocturnal chaos: 245 • • • • • • • • • • • • clamo por mis dos alas. No las ancuantro v solo, arranta y abstrafdo, voy como fund lend one, paso a paso, an al gran caos noctuno. CCoros. pp. 151-155) Man*s daslra to ascand into tha great altitude of space is repeated in tha poet's appeal to tha "Capitan da valnta afios," whan, four times, ha bags, "Llevame an tu nave ligara.” Nothing equals his divine machine, Mpro- vlsta / da su multiple corazon resonanta, / avido da la gloria dal clalo / y conquistador lmpetuoso da las zones azules." They will fly through tha morning "purlficados an la luz.M Thera will be neither time nor limit to their joy and all things will be known in their unity "dasda al relno dal sol." Perhaps they will fall into tha sea, after piercing tha last sky, after passing through tha farthest space, disturbing tha cosmic silence by tha noise of tha mechanical wings. Nevertheless, tha poet reiterates man's desire to climb far above the terrestrial when he ends, "Capitan da velnte aSos, / llevame an tu nave ligara."11' The poet utilises a modern invention, the plane, to ^Coros. pp. 180-184 246 Illustrate again man's wish to relinquish the ties o£ earth in order to mount into e realm that naturally does not belong to him, but to which he can be lifted by ex terior aid. As a fitting sequence to this ascent of man to the highest spots of the heavens is the following subject of death--the third among the four of Coroa del mediodfa. In the first poem in this section, "La muerte del heroe," Maya reveals his idea of a hero which is bound up with the idea of the purifying powers of dawn. He de scribes his body as a "casto cuerpo" from which shone "el vago / fulgor de un alabastro / lleno de vino diafano." His youth, "Intacta y pura / ... dorabase a manera / de un fruto en una rama." He bathed in "la lumbre meridiana," and the "claridad pon£a / un cfrculo de fuego / en tomo de sue sienes vigorosas ... " The vast expanse of rocks was his isolated dwelling which disciplined his inner vision. The sun appeared there "limpio como un escudo / abendonado al pie de una columna," and the hero learned the "diafana ansenanza / de claridad qua el astro / vert£a en su conclencia primitive." The poet says that the hero grew in grace beneath the great eye of the sun. This may be taken in two ways. 247 Either the tun nourlshee hie physical eel£ and the hero grows in exterior stature; or the sun can represent a spiritual grace which Increases interiorly. When the hero is wounded in his side by a sudden dart, his passing from the material to the spiritual plane is so harmonious that the "tlerra / no lo supo, ni lo supleron los hombres / encorvados sobre su faena / bajo la maid 1c ion antigua." The hero, unencumbered by material things, puri fied by the sun, passes smoothly from the temporal to the 12 eternal kingdom. The Arcadian youth in his prayer begs of death to give him time, before it opens its doors to him, to enjoy the world and its pleasure--its natural beauty, its songs and dances, and a woman. When he has tasted of all the world has to offer, he tells death to close its doors over his sterile shadow (for he realises that life sated with pleasure produces nothing) and over the phantom of terras- 13 trial love (which is so ephemeral). The poet communes easily with the dead who for him *2Coros. pp. 136-164. ^"Oraclon del joven arcade," Coros. pp. 128-130. 248 arc "alempre vivoa." Ha lovaa than and admlraa tham. To oa amo, yo oa admlro. Thalr spirit vtvlftaa hla human faculties; hia youth feels attractad to thalr £orti£lad laland. Ha haa a praaantlmant of thalr praaanca whan they raat "an la prlmara rama dal d£a” and at night "an tomo da [au] maaa noctuma." Rathar than being repulaad by faar of tha dead, ha begs, Muertoa, aatad conmlgo. llavadme con voaotroa a la comarca extrana, al subterraneo palaclo • donda imparaia an al tlempo con vuaatraa dladamaa de luceros. Tha poet'a love for tha dead, In fact, la ao great that ha calls, "Hiarame, joh muerte!" Ha commanda death to coma while ha la young; to break tha red propeller of hla ambltloua heart In rapid flight; to paralyse hla arma which dip tha oar in tha golden watara of time; to tie hia feat that are eplattered with tha blood of tha carnal branch; to extinguish tha rhythm of hla arteriea whose blow wounda hia aara, on nlghta of lnaomnia, with tha nolaa of ^"A loa muertoa," Coroa. pp. 125-127. 249 subterranean water*; to bind hi* eye* like a child'*; and to give him Into the arm* of the nurse who nourishes the dried root* of the trees. For with death he will be able to see the variety of hi* life, the familiar faces and the golden Image of field* that flower still, beneath other •kies lost In time and memory.^ After death what awaits man? What will It be like when man lives again In another more beautiful world? Rebirth is the final Idea and perfect culmination of what precedes. The "Canto del hombre nuevo" tells us that this renas cence will take place beneath the nuptial beauty of a mom- ing when spring rains sifting through the branches of the trees will have swept clean the valleys. Aromatic fra grances will diffuse a heavenly Inebriation through the bright atmosphere. And man will rise again. His purified blood will flow through his veins and his heart will pulsate to the power ful rhythm of the divine propeller. The traces of Insomnia will be erased from his wrinkled brow. 15"Alla lejos," Coros. pp. 123-125 250 He will rite Again with hla brow no longer enmeshed with deep furrows, hut with tha wiaa tana ion o£ Immortal haada which liva tha atamal Ufa of ailant idaaa. A plaaaant youthfulnass will dlffuaa ita vital braath through hla body. Naither hia body, nor hla memory will conaerve an lota of terreatrlal aorrow or of human bittemeaa. At each dawn ha will direct hia prayer to tha tremu- loua houra that precede it. Proa tret a before tha primitive bonfire (of dawn), ha will sing to tha aun: ]0h, padre luminoao! iOh dioa dal fuago! daavanaca pronto al funebre fantaama da mi vida paaada. Has qua aa borren laa huallaa da mia plea aobra la tlarra antlgua an qua mia brasoa trabajaron y aa curvo mi aapalda bajo al paao da todoa loa pecadoa da la raca. (Coroa. p. 150) Thia idea of rebirth ia found alao in "Bajo al ala da la victoria," in which tha poet re-enacts tha battle between tha forcea of good and evil, symbolised in tha poem by six companlona and tha "anamlgoa imbarbaa." Tha atory ia told in tha firat paraon for tha flrat one hundred aavantaan varaaa, but whan tha poet interjects three varaaa in tha third paraon, ha tranamita tha idea of a rebirth 251 after tha terrific struggle that the young men have suf fered: Iban cayendo loe compsKeros y crlspaban las manos. Una sonrlaa coronaba su suefto ... Pero loe muartoa volvfan del lnflemo con el puSo en llamas. (Coros. p. 177) After the Interpolation in the third person, the poet returns to the first person and relates the victory over the "pequeSos barbaros." Then the men rest from their frightful struggle. As the sun tranquilly sets, and the smell of blood, and the pride of triumph, and the shouts are nothing more than a memory, Victory appears. She wears on her brow the light of the world, as the "compa- fieros" sing a war hymn, joining their heads beneath her -i»g.16 Once again light is a figure of triumph when Victory wears it as her only jewel. Previously it was the light of dawn. In this poem it is the light at sunset that is the sign of triumph over the forces of evil or over the struggles that beset men. ^Coroa. pp. 174-180 Pfiasft-ftfL f ttfftgfr 252 The other collection of Maya's poetry which exempli fies notable qualities is Dffpqff. Four of the six poems that the anthology contains have already been discussed.^ In order to make a study more in depth than in breadth of the tremendous ability that Maya demonstrates here as elsewhere, one of the remaining two will be exam ined here. The poem, "Las alegres companeras," is composed of three hundred sixty one verses and, like the other poems in Desnues del silenclo. is written in dialogue form. There are six characters: El hombre, Primera companera, Segunda compaSera, Tercera companera, Cuarta companera, and the Coro. Besides being written in dialogue form, the poem is allegorical in nature, as will be seen as the poem unfolds. The four "companeras" present themselves in turn to the poet. The first is Power; the second, Lust; the third, Religion; and the fourth, Fertility. I7"La crucifixion del poeta," pp. 24, 29, 32, 213; "La pledra de David," pp. 103-107, 146, /1A7; "La mujer sobre el ebano," pp. 126-130; "Rosa mecanlca," pp. IBS- 199. 253 The first "compaHera" addresses tha poet, calling him an “hombre ciego" who lives upon the "tlerra host11 como la sombre / de un sol que llumlnara otras esferas.“ She lays before him her offering. As she does, the poet uses terminology that expresses the power that she wishes to couminicate to the poet. "Senor£o“ and “imperlo absoluto" are two gifts she presents with the “corona de estrellas“ that she places on his brow. She puts “Fuerza" Into his “punos" (not Into his gentle open hand), as night puts Its flashes Into the “clegas puplias del ablsmo.“ She has called the poet a blind man; now she places strength In his hand such as night sends Its lightning Into the blind pupils of the abyss. She says, “Soy poder ... para que vaya tu esperanza / a conqulstar las tlerras prometIdas." Again the poet puts In her mouth the words, power and conquer, to reinforce the strength that she Is supposed to be able to bestow upon the poet. “Soy la domlnadora, la que vence / toda opresion." She Is a ruler that conquers oppression. If the poet takes her he will feel the hero in himself again with his first vigor and his cosmic eyes. Volveras a la fuenta orlglnarla dal valor, donda pulan aua accudoa lot imberbes guarraroa dal esp£ritu, y qua an lugar da las astrallas castas solo copla la luz da los acaros. (DDS, p. 208) He will grow young again a£ter drinking £rom tha pristine fountain of valor which mirrors, instead of chaste stars, the light of the shields that the beardless warriors polish in her waters. Brotaran de tu ser, con vivo impulso, nuevos deseos de coroner tu alma de un c£rculo de nubes pansativas. (DDS. p. 208) He will be impelled with new desires to compete even with the gods who dwell in tha clouds. With tha power that she gives him, his interior dreams will sound like a forest germinating in the night, and his song will fly from the earth with the virile impulse in which is mingled the harsh mechanism of rhythms and the ecologlc confusion of voices. Perhaps she, Power, will offer him a son to restore the decadent flower of his lineage.18 The poet listens to the promises made by Power whom 255 ha calls « "muJar sn cuyos ssnos / no •• acendro la lacha aatama / slno al aaparo vino qua eubriaga a los dloses." Sha has navar fait tha joy of mat amity, but has only offarad blttar wins to Inabrlata tha gods. Ha achoas har promlsas as ha reminds har: Tu ma convldas a la faana herolca, al tarrlbla ajarclclo dal trlunfo, a la conqulsta da la tlarra Ofracas ravalarma la Imagan da ml sueno, coplada an al agua tarrena o an la potanta mitologfa da las nubas. Qularas qua aprlslona la asfara dal canto, cuya orbit* ascapa a mis ojos como la trayactorla da un cometa. (DDS. pp. 209-210) Sha does not know that tha root of power has dried up In his wood>, and that his hand holds only dead ashes. He rejects all that sha has to offer him, and tails har rather to go to tha "conquistador qua aflla / sobre la tlarra el acero da su violencia": A mi, la crlatura humana hecha da came doc 11 y da tarrastra mis aria, y aamejante a un arroyo qua conduce al polvo y las hojas da una florasta. (DDS. p. 210) Ha prefers tha human being made of docile flash and of human misery, who knows defeat, and who Is Ilka a gentle stream that carries off dust and petals, not Ilka tha 256 powerful river with which Power comperes herself. With Power rejected, there steads before the poet e women with "palidas mejfiles" end "ojos cargedos de nos talgia." This is Lust whose "came ... se he lie tode macerade / en un vino de mirra y de violetas." She says that there is no river of life that does not find its source in her, and she boasts of her conquests: Muchos murieron por mis senos presos en red de oro, y envolv£ mi came en Impalpable tunica de besos. Y ese que abandono la fertil vega, buscando el arenal, fue porque un d£a puso en mis manos su esperanza ciega. ... iCuantos murieron ahorcados de placer sobre mi flanco! Como el ave en la tierra de las eras, las garras del insomnio se han hundido en la concava asul de mis ojeras. Y al pie de la pantalla agonizante con la daga del sol he cercenado ceda d£a la testa de un amante. (DDS. p. 211) "Take me," she comnands the poet, for with just one . drop of her impure blood, he will be able to destroy a world. And finally she blatantly and boldly suggests: Sobre mi frente luce la demencia, y acaso pueda cireunder de imagenes el final de tu regia decadencia. (DDS. p. 211) The poet (el hombre) reminds her that the sweat that bathes her in her feverish state has vilified her like 257 « once agile slave who now supports chains. He tells her that it is not she whom he searches for In the deserts and the valleys of the earth, slno a la dulce criatura, de bianco vestida, que tree el mansaje de la estrella y la enorme puresa del mar en el cerco breve de su frente, ssmejante a la luna nueva. Bajo el antiguo sol de sue ojos duerme entre llrios mi valle de inocencla, con arroyos paredis£acos que copian un orbe puro flotando en el alba prlmera. (DPS, p. 212) What a contrast the sweet creature with white raiment is! The tremendous accumulation of images that portray her purity is the exact opposite of the "boca siniestra, / casl negra y maidita como la aangre / que se compacts en el filo de una espada vleja" of Lust. He wants only the soft caress of the woman whose almond-white countenance betrays the glory of the morning sky. The next to stand before the poet to offer herself to him is Religion: --Mi veste diafana he lavado en un golfo de ague lustral para acudir a tu llamada, hombre nudo en la oscuridad, sobre cuya frente gravita la piedra de la eternidad. (DPS, p. 212) The third companion has prepared for her visit, hastening 258 to the cell of the mute men. The men le not mute In the tense thet he cennot beckon, but living In derlcneee he connot commune with the spirit. Over his heed hengs the stone of eternity, but until he comes out of the derlcness Into the life of grece his Inmortelity eveils nothing. Tut menos cergen les cedenes que solo pudo remecher, sobre le piedre del infierno, el negro ercengel Setenes. (DPS, p. 212) Without the lustrel weters of Beptism he Is weighted down with the cheins thet Seten weers in hell. Yo vengo, armada de ml lirio, tus fuertes hlerros e llmer y e despejerte el elme como una ventene frente el mar. (DDS. p. 212) She brings with her only e lily with which to file his bonds of Iron. Her powerful weters will cleense his soul c leering it of ell blemishes like e window looking out on the see. No escucheres centos de rnuerte ni hoods cempene sepulcrel, ni el coro de voces escleves detres del eredo tensz, slno, en doredes lejenies, el hlano de oro y de crlstel que enuncle le dere presencle de Dios en el vino y el pen. (DDS. p. 213) 259 Freed from tha shackles of sin, ha will hear no more daath dlrgaa; only tha glorious tonas of brilliant litanias and hymns of gold and crystal to announce tha praaanca of God on tha altar. From tha black tonas of "oscurldad, ” "inflerno," "negro arcangel," "cantos da muerte,” "campana sepulcral," that raprasant death, tha poet signifies a new life of grace with bright rays as "doradas lejan£as," "himno da oro y da cristal," and "clara prasencia." Yo forjare para tu esp£rltu al sonoro escudo radial qua refleja la fax da un martir antra los llrios dal altar. Y para qua entrea an mi reino — qua preside al arpa real— levantare sobra al ablsmo un puanta da lux teologal. (DDS. p. 213) Religion, whose only arms are a lily, promises to forge for him a shield, tha breastplate of grace whose brightness mirrors those who look in it. Har kingdom, which is un attainable from tha abyss of earth, will be reached by a bridge of theological light. Sha refers hare to tha bridge made between Heaven and earth by tha God-man Jesus Christ who, because ha was both divine and human, could span tha interminable chasm between tha two, and give man access to the former, raising him up to a level above his own. Despejare para tus ojos la oeulta y Candida bonded qua aliment a la llcma tremula de cada existencla mortal, y la armon£a que hay oculta en tanta palabra £ugaa que solo aclara su sentido bajo el slgno crepuscular. (DDS. p. 213) She will show him the kind, hidden acts that feed the flickering flsme of each mortal existence; that is, she will inspire him to perform kind acts for his fellow human beings. And she will reveal to him the unity of each fleeting word which is only clarified at twilight, when life comes to an end, and all hidden words and acts will be gathered together, and their efficacy will be seen. En la corriente de tu sangre que nutrio el campo y la ciudad, separare el fermento oscuro del rico globulo ancestral qua, del fondo de los sepulcros, te da sus floras de pled ad y empuja tu vlda hacia el tiempo como una hellce vital. (DDS. pp. 213-214) Using blood to represent life, she says that she will separate the evil from the good (the "fermento oscuro" and the "rico globulo ancestral"). She will teach him to be good, as the saints exemplified in their lives, for this 261 good will bo llko tho Impelling forco of o propeller. Renovere todee lee celulas de tu vleje plel Incepes de registrar el leve roce del esp£rltu matlnal, y te dar£ le cerne pure del pequeSo fruto en egree que uuestra le flor de su pulpa entre el eetuche vegetal* (DDS. p. 214) He will be renewed eo thet he will feel the least touch of the spirit. The "pequeHo fruto" thet she offers him refers to the wine which with bread Is transubstantiated In the Mass and offered to the faithful In Communion. Y, ye toe ado de ml grade, sobre la tlerra tu seres el hombre que vuelve a la vide como a la fuente original. (DDS. p. 214) Touched by all the graces that Religion offers him, he will be like a new man. The poet answers: — Oh compaffera, oh companera que vlenes con la lus como la alegr£a del campo cuando amplesan a desporter las hojas nuevas, lianas de ague como las barcas rotas. (DDS. p. 214) This Is an appropriate figure for the light of grace dispels the obscurity that Is an accompaniment of sin. Water and ships are closely allied to the Church, since 262 It ia called tha "bark of Patar," and It la through tha cleanaing water a of Baptiem that nan era reborn into tha Ufa of grace. In tha next four linaa tha poet again uaea worda that radiate brightness, "lus," "oro," "amber": Companera divine sobre cuya cabasa pone la lus un caaco da plata qua dejaf / no obstante, rodar al oro da las transaa cono al ambar qua fluya da la cortasa odor£fera. (DDS, p. 214) As proof of hla reverence of Religion he prostrates himself to pay har homage: Beso tu8 plea que la rosada prlmavera auale trabar con lazos de floras para dejarte aprlalonada en la baja tlarra como alondra que cae entre una sarsa f lor Ida. (DDS. p. 214) She, like the lark, ia wont to dwell in high places (Heaven), but he would like her imprisoned on earth, to enjoy her song, like that of the lark caught in the brambles. Beso tus manos qua solo se doblegen al peso de la vara de lirlos que anuncla el dorado tiempo de la promesa. (DPS, p. 215) The "vara de llrios" represents the purity of Religion, and the "dorado tiempo de la promesa" symbolises grace or Heaven. 263 Bato tu frente, elreuCdc dt luceros, da donde numan arroyos da lus sempiterna para lavar los oseuros caueaa da la nocha. (DDS. p. 215) Once again tha poet has tha contrast of light and darkness which are symbols of grace and sinf good and evil, Heaven and Hall. But ha explains: ... ofusca al resplandor da tus huellas a mis ojos vac£os da cielo, y hay damasiado polvo an mis plantas para hollar la blancura da tu ascala aerea, 2oh virgan melodica! an lo alto nacida del viantra impoluto da una astralla. (DPS, p. 215) The brightness is too much for his ayes which are not accustomed to the radiance of Heaven. His feet which have trod tha paths of earth are too dusty to tread on tha whiteness of har airy ladder, har "lus teologal" which will serve as a "puente" from earth to Heaven. A ml, la mujer apacible, qua an al numeroso ritmo da sus vanas muava su corason carnal alimentado da jugos tarrestras lo mismo qua una salva. (DPS, p. 215) Tha poet, unworthy to accept tha proposition of Religion, tells har what ha does want--a peaceful woman, a product of tha earth. Power, Lust, Religion have all offered themselves to 264 the poet. Tha fourth "coapaSira" tpptari and daacrlbaa harsalf: — Como dorado fruto qua aparaca an madio dal rameje, an la carcana huerta, da aaa manara raaplandaca ml aonroaado roatro da mans ana. (DDS. p. 215) Sha la not tha product of passion, but tha fruit of tha sun. All love came togather to craata har. Sha ia the product of unlveraal nuptiala. The fourth companion la Fertility. There la no doubt of thia when aha continues, aaylng: De abiertoa campoa donde craca al hano la honda humadad mi corason encierra, y hay qua buacar an mi profundo seno el origan dlvino da la tlarra. (DDS. p. 216) She goaa on to aay that aha holda tha myatarioua equilibrium of tha light. Har head has carried no other weight than that of daw brought by tha wind from the valley covered with greea. Har very body, dressed by tha sun, la a mallow autumn of aromas, and doves make their nest in har alllcy bosom every night. If sha hastens to tha golden fields to sink in tha brilliant waters, or if sha puts har ear to tha grass, har comnunlcation with tha earth is so great, that sha can feel tha distant tremor of tha hills 265 and tha sound of rsln for sway. "Aquf as toy," sha says. If tha poet's pulse grows weak or tha bow that his desire stretches should snap, her grace will give him tha ancient strength In the harsh con tact with the earth. She will Illumine his nights, not with the light of a weak lamp but with the lantern filled with vegetal oils. This way tha transparent flame, which Is as voluble and subtle as a woman, will put on the dreams of his brow the warm memory of sowing. When the mist of the distant rivers rises from the fertile dale, she will press the blue water of the first cloud next to his acute ear. In the nostalgic afternoon which leaves Its tremor of tranquil pastorals, Its muted anguish of old bells, and Its abandonment of faint foun tains, she will press to his ear, like a huge shell that contains the sea, the heart of the earth, eternally wounded and eternally young. In reply to Fertility, idiom the poet calls the daughter of air and of pure elements, conceived In the very side of matter, he tells her that she is not the one he looks for, although she Is "tan cerca de la gleba maternal, 266 tan carca / da la cuna de arcilla qua medo a la genta ... " It la not *she, who is at one and tha sane tine pregnantly heavy and joyfully a maiden, with the beauty of a branch that supports a cocoon and at the sane time a cluster where the light is transparent, whom he wants. He tells Fertility to look for the pure man with tanned hands and the soul of a farmer. Tampoco eras tu, angel feeundo, que no has cruzado nunca la region aerea porque eras el guard£an de los graneros, y nodriza del espfritu subterraneo que hace abundante la cosecha. (DDS p. 218) In an extensive choice of words and phrases--"dorado fruto," "hermana de los verdes vegetales,” "fruto univer sal," "abiertos campos donde crece el heno," ”profundo seno el origan dlvlno de la tierra," "equllibrlo misterioso de la luz," "cuerpo ... por el sol vestldo," "otono morbido de aromas," "roc£o," "aguas dlamantinas,” "el calldo recuerdo de la slembra," "fertll hondonada," "agua azul de la primera nube," "vagos manantiales"--the poet enhances his conception of Fertility, because these substances— earth, sunshine, rain, streams, and mature fruit--are essential to or the result of fertility. 267 The poet, after refusing the gifts of the fertile angel who has never crossed the lofty heights because she Is the guardian of the granaries and the nurse of the sub terranean spirit which makes the harvest abundant, an nounces the arrival of night laden with thunderbolts. Man Is surrounded by the solitude as lonely as the desert. He asks where the fountains are, and their music and their voices. He asks If they are dancing In the meadows or If the happy companions join their voices to the fountains. Since the poet has rejected Power, Passion, Religion and Fertility, there remains for him only one alternative-- the Muses. These are the "alegres companeras" whom he calls the "blanda legion" and the "voluptuoso ejerclto." He bids them, "Venld a mi. La noche esta ablerta.” In response to his call the "Coro" answers: Somos, si, 1as alegres compefteras y juntas como anlllos de una sola cadena te ofrecemos, hombre ef£mero, la fecunda unldad de nuestras vldas. (DDS. p. 218) Like rings of a single chain the happy companions offer to ephemeral man the fertile unity of their lives. They tell the poet that his life is short, that it reaches only so far as the movable circle of his shadow, and that the 268 gentle wind chat disturbs tha grass despoils him of his raiment. They continue reminding hla: Tu voz, caldeada por el santo esp£rltu, y medida en el rltmo de tu sangre, sube a golpear contra el eterno muro y^el tiempo la davuelve sin respuesta. Solo eras grande en la lnquletud, y solo tu desea de amar as infinito. (DDS. pp. 218-219) His voice, heated by the holy spirit (of inspiration) and measured by the rhythm of his heart-beat, rises to beat against the wall of eternity, and time returns it without an answer. Only anxiety brings out the greatness in him, and only his desire to love is Infinite. The Muses, the "alegres companeras," who offer them selves to short-lived man, emphasize his transitoriness and his inability to cope with the eternal when the poet compares his life to the movable circle of his shadow-- "Breve es tu relno: alcanza solamente / al cfrculo movible de tu sombre.” Likewise, "el viento que hace estremecer la hlerba / te despoja tamblen del manto rojo"— the wind that gently sways the grass Is strong enough to rob him of his life because of his weakness. They urge him: Naufraga [sic] en ese oceano de tormento! Hundete en ese golfo de belleza! (DDS. p. 219) 269 This ocean of torment end this eee of beeuty refer* to the anxiety of which the Mueee have spoken when they said that the poet was "grande en la lnquletud" only. This in quietude is the poet's yearning for the ability to respond to the promptings of inspiration. Fuara respire la insondable noche como un pueblo agitado por la fiebre, y el clelo en vlbraclon semeja el vientre de una mujer frenetics que danza. Envueltas en un c£rculo de fuego y llevadas del mismo torbellino, somos cede una la expresion distints del mismo etemo y breve sentimiento. (DDS. p. 219) Outside the fathomless night breathes like a town shaken by a fever, and the sky resembles the stomach of a frenzied dancer with its vibration. The Muses want the poet to know that the arrival of inspiration is imminent, and they come in the same tornado enveloped in a circle of fire, symbol of the breathing of their spirit. "Behold us," they say, "ready to offer you all the fullness of love." They offer the poet untamed life which flows from their hands, and rivers of universal knowledge. They offer him their side in which he may mold the Image which he weakly sees but which strongly animates the limbo of his dreams. From their mouths he may take the flavor 270 o£ tht vast ssrth. In the Musas' pulse beat ha can follow the ardor of distant hearts and the unanimous pulsation of races. With all the gifts that the Muses have to offer the poet, who., is anxious for the breath of their inspira tion, they urge him: T&sanos en la noche mllenarla qua pesa sobre tl como el desierto, y gusta en el sabor de nuestra sangre la calidad etema de la vida. (DPS, p. 219) This verse terminates the poem "Las alegres companeras," without the necessity of the poet's having to respond to the requests of the "Coro." Dissatisfied with or unworthy of the offerings of Power, Lust, Religion and Fertility, the poet cries out in the night for the fountains of inspiration so necessary to quench his Insatiable thirst for creating. When the "alegres companeras" appear and offer him their eternity for his Impermanence, their flame of genius, their waters of wisdom, and their pulsating rhythm, the poet's silence gives tacit approval of their offering and his acceptance of their assistance. A poet without inspiration is a sorry man, because the very material with which he creates is missing. The anguish that this causes is felt in this poem, when Maya 271 has "el hombre" rajact aaeh woman, who genuinely faala aha has what tha man yaams for. This daslra Is communl- catad also whan, In llnas 310-315, tha man asks longingly, ... &Donde astan las fuentes? ^Donde la musica? ^Donde sa oya la vos da alias? l,Estan dansando an los prados noctumos, o entremesclan sus bocas las alagras comps&eras ? (DPS, p. 218) Ha sansas tha prasance of Inspiration and yat ha cannot parcalva It. Maya molds each "companera" In her appropriate like ness, fortifying the appeal she makes to the man by an accumulation of attractive qualities. Each one sounds sincere In her representation of her advantages, and a man less acuta than a poet might succumb to her allurements. In this poem Maya displays an exquisite choice of figures and vocabulary, strengthening his Image by a selection of words that are related to the idea he is com municating. When Power speaks, for example, she mentions "lordship" and "absolute empire over tha water” as poten cies of man. She offers herself not as a gentle stream but as a river, that forceful power that runs mills, destroys cities, and wears away tha surface of age-old stones. 272 Another characteristic of Maya's that is found in "Las alsgras companeras," as wall as In many of his other poems, is his achievement with color, either per se or in contrast. An example of this is the passage, --Aqu£ estoy con mis palldas mejlllas y mis ojos cargados de nostalgia, como el campo en las tardes amarillas. (DPS, p. 210) Yellow afternoons are usually depressing because of the heat (the yellow hue radiated by the sun and the yellow of the grain grown dry in the oppressive simmer fever). This heat could well enervate, causing "palidas mejlllas," and be conducive to "nostalgia-filled" eyes. An example of contrast in color was indicated earlier in the passage (page 257) where "Religion" speaks. Mute man in the "oscurldad," "el negro arcangel," and even the lugubrious sounds of the "cantos de muerte" and the "cam- pana sepulcral" contrast effectively with "doradas lejan£as," "himno de oro y de cristal," "escudo radial que refleja," "llama tremula," and "signo crepuscular" to exemplify the opposing poles of good and evil, Heaven and Hell, grace and sin, saint and sinner. Maya varies the meter throughout the poem to fit the character of the speaker. Each "companera" and the "coro" 273 •peak in a eat meter although each la somewhat different from the other. This formal style Is more appropriate for these allegorical figures, whereas the man, harassed In his quest for the Muses, speaks in free verse which lends Itself to his troubled spirit. The rhythm glides, for the most part, throughout the poem and is consonant with the gracefulness of the women who play the major role. There are passages where the thought flows for eight verses, some eighty-eight syl lables, before coming to a complete pause as in the lines: Y acaso en una noche perfumada de cedro y de nostalgicas memories, como la alcoba de los reyes muertos, mi vlentre puro como el lirlo y fuerte como la roca donde nace el hlerro, se rompera para ofracerte un hijo que restsure con purpura divine la flor de tu linaje decadente. (DPS, p. 209) Because of the scope of "Las alegres compafferas" it affords an opportunity to judge Maya's skill in handling imagery, his choice of language, the aptness of the tone and his ability to sustain it, and the Intention of the poet and his efficacy in transmitting it to his audience. The primacy of the vocation of the poet and his depen dency on inspiration, a theme which appears frequently 274 throughout Maya's poetry, Is what seems to me to be the core o£ this poem. In it he drsmatises his struggle with the attractions o£ the material and the spiritual world and his rejection of them £or what, to him, was the most essential requisite £or his success as a poet— the col laboration of the Muses. Maya has contributed in a significant way to Colombian letters with Coros del medlodfa and Desoues del eilencio as the critics Caparroso and Carranza attest: Coros del mediodfa (1928) es, sin duda, uno de los con- juntos de poemas, redondamente, major logrados y mas 8lgnlflcatlvo8, de la poesfa colombiana. ^ ... Desoues del silenclo ... continue la llnea insigne de los anteriores [libros, La vlda en la sombre and Coros del mediod£a]. En el se hallan reunidos aquellos poemas en donde Maya desarrolla ideas de trascendencia universal con la maravillosa perlcia y la Insuperable maestrfa que caracteriza toda su faena llteraria. 0 These two books contain the greatest works of the poet. In them he reaches his apogee in poetic skill and depths of underotending and vision. The poems of later 19Carlos Arturo Caparroso, Ttnt Y (Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1962), p. 122. Eduardo Carranza, "Resena de Poesfa. por Rafael Maya," Revista de las Indies. VII (Agosto-Octubre, 1940), 151. years nevar rlsa to tha sublimity of thought and origi nality that ha displays in Coros dal wadiodia and Pesmias CHAPTER VI FORMAL STRUCTURE OF MAYA'S POETRY The purpose of Chapter III was to demonstrate Maya's choice of universal themes, a requisite of an exceptional poet. Chapter IV was devoted to topics and scenes closer to the experience of Maya as a Colombian, and Chapter V to an examination of Coros del mediodfa and one of the six poems of Desoues del silencio. These two books are con sidered to be the most outstanding and original of his compositions.1 The present chapter is to deal with the more formal matter of Maya's lyricism— the metrical structure of his poems, the figures of speech, the sensuous appeal, and the diction. These aspects support at one and the same time the vision of the poet to perceive universale and capture their immortality, and simultaneously to imprint the unique 1Caparroso, T*m v P* 122. 276 277 quality of his own character influenced by familiarity with Colombian history, geography and customs. Meters In Maya's first book of poetry, La vide en la sombre. the poet shows a predilection for sonnets— there are thirty-three. Twenty-one of these employ hendecasyllabic 2 lines; and the remaining Alexandrine. Although he uses various schemes, the majority (twenty-one) are ABBA, ABBA, CDC, EDE. After the sonnet, the silva is the most common form in this collection. In the fifteen that are interspersed throughout the book, all but two have free verse. These two are "Salmo" and "Marta y Marfa,"3 which are written 4 with perfect rhyme without a set scheme. In six poems the poet employs the Alexandrine verse 2 The "modemistas" led by Ruben Darfo were daring in their experimentation with set forms. One innovation was their lengthening of the line of the sonnet. 3Pp. 83-85 and 108-11A. ^Perfect rhyme or consonance means the repetition of both vowel and consonant, Imperfect rhyme or assonance means the repetition of the vowel in rhyming verses. 278 of fourteen syllables end in six, lines of nine syllables. There is usually assonance in the even verses of the latter. The former are mainly in couplets. The remaining eighteen poems from La vide en la sombre range from hexasyliable lines to verses of sixteen syllables. These Include hepta-, octa-, and hendeca- syliable verses. Four of the poems have mixed meter. All of these poems have either perfect rhyme or at least assonance. Three years intervene between the publication of La vidfl gn lg SQffibra and Cnrn? dgl m~Uod£a (1928). The poet has come from the penumbra into the light of noon, and although he is only thirty years old, his Midday Choirs (as it might be translated to English) reveal the thinking of a mature man who confronts life and gives his explana tion of it. There are only nineteen poems in Coros del medlodfa. The sonnet, so popular in the previous book, does not appear in this one. The silva predominates (there are six) among the poems of a set form. There are five other poems in which the lines of seven-eleven syllables combine with verses of varying length. "Inviteeion a navegar" is the 279 only poem in this collection with lines of nine syllables. Poems of mixed meter become more noticeable (there are six of from two to twenty - two-syllabled lines), and all but four are in free verse. Where there Is rhyme, It Is assonantal. Desoues del sllenclo (After Silence), which appeared ten years after Coros del mediodia. Is the least extensive of Maya's books of poetry (there are six dialogued poems In this collection), but what It lacks In number it com pensates for in length and depth. "La tnujer sobre el ebano," one of the poems from this collection, is the shortest with one hundred ninety-two verses. "La piedra de David" and "La crucifixion del poeta" have two hundred sixty-8even and two hundred eighty-two respectively. The longest of all Maya's poems is contained in Desoues del ailencio. "Rosa mecanica," comprised of five hundred seventy-two lines. The remaining two, "Las alegres com paneras" and "El espfritu del fuego" are also long poems with three hundred sixty-one and four hundred fifty-nine verses each. In five of the six poems the poet combines meters and rhymes, availing himself of varying schemes according 280 to the mood and character of tha one speaking. ”La piedra de David" la the only poem composed of one meter through* out with assonance in the even lines. "Rosa mecinica," by virtue of its length, lends Itself to a greater variety of meter and rhyme. The poet initi ates the poem with "Los sllenclos" speaking in couplets of eleven syllables. The first time the "Rosa mecanlca" speaks, it is in heptasyliable lines with assonance in the fourth and eighth verses; the second time, the poet employs free verse in hendecasyliable lines. The "escarabajo azul" also changes from hexasyllablc assonantal lines to octo syllabic lines alternating with verses of three, four and five syllables. The poet employs free verse and mixed meter for the "vara de acero." The "tallo de hierba" speaks in stanzas of alternating heptasyliable and hendeca- syllablc lines with assonance in the lines of seven syl lables. "Los ruidos" speak in stanzas of ten- and of six- syllabled lines with perfect rhyme in the former and assonance in the latter. Although the other four poems of Desoues del silencio have their distinctive meter and rhyme scheme, "Rosa mecanlca" illustrates the diversity that is found in just one poem. 281 The limited number of poems In Pea puss del silencio narrows the scope of the book. In the four poems that have already entered Into the corpus of this work, the poet has treated four distinct subjects. The solitude and rejection of the poet by the world is the theme of "La crucifixion del poeta." "La pledra de David" demonstrates the physical decadence which resulted from moral degeneration. The supremity of the simple things of creation over the tran sient creations of man forms the topic of "Rosa mecanlca." And the finality and acceptance of death is the main idea of "La mujer sobre el ebano." In the two poems that remain, "Las alegres companeras" and "El espfritu del fuego," Maya portrays the struggle of the poet in his decision to dedicate his pen to lyric poems rather than to epic, mystical or pastoral types. Maya departs from the idea of a definite time in the title of his fourth book, Final de rmumeM v otras can- clones. which was published with his first three books in the anthology, Poes£as (1944), and contains eleven poems. Two of the sonnets of the 1944 edition, "Soledad" and "Luna" are omitted from the Obra poetics of 1958. Of the nine poems in the more recent edition, four are in ballad 282 form which might account for tha title, Tha End of Ballada and Othar Sopg* (if tha poat vara to glva It a tltla In English). Thare are two elegies, "Eleg£a de las lamparas" and "Elag£a dal barrio vlejo," In which tha poat utilises haxasyliable lines In assonantal rhyme. The othar three poems each employ different forms— "Beatrix" Is a sonnet In Alexandrine line, "Mujer y rose" Is written in hepta- syllablc lines with assonance and "Media noche" combines verses of seven and eleven syllables without rhyme. Tienpo de lus. which has the unique quality of being Maya's only complete collection of sonnets, was first pub lished in 1951 containing fifty poems. "Vended," which appeared in this edition, was omitted from Obra poetic a. This book embraces almost as many themes as there are poems. Besides treating of love, nature, beauty, death, and poetry, the poet also elaborates ideas such as the Interior struggle of man resulting in calm, his need for God, the return of hope with spring, the fugacity of love and time, the blessing of isolation, and aspects of ex ternal and internal light. Navexacion nocturne continues in the same vein as Tismpo de lus with regard to the variety of themes. 283 Besides those mentioned in the previous paragraph, there is en emphasis on the egony end struggle of man as well as on his solitude end Isolation. The poet recalls past memories, speaks of visions and the spiritual shipwreck of man, and admires the simplicity of things In preference to adornment. There are no sonnets In this published collection of Maya's, but the most common forms are poems of octosyllabic form with assonance In the even verses, or in other terms, the YrTHTvr* (there are twenty-five), and poems of hepta- and hendecasyliable verses (there are twenty-three). The poet also shows preference for the hendecasyllablc line In thirteen poems. Seven times he combines lines of from four to nineteen syllables. The remaining thirty-three poesw Illustrate twenty-two different forms. In the exposition of Spanish verse forms In the chap- * # 5 ter, "Rltmos y generos poetlcos,” Antonio Montoro dis cusses strophes from couplets to the herolco. Maya employs almost all of these forms, with some variation, in ^Antonio Montoro Sanchis, Poetica eapagol* (Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gill, 1949), pp7 25$-2ol. 284 tha course of his poetic compositions. The couplet or "pareado" is usually e two-line strophe of perfect rhyme, although the lines can be paired without rhyme. There is no set length. A fragment from "Rosa mecanlca" where "Los Silencios" speak exemplify couplets with petfect rhyme: Nosotros, los Silencios, somos una copa en qua cae el ague de la luna, con qua ha saclado, en cuanta rasa existe, su sed de slglos la crlatura trlste. Nosotros, bajo el fuego del verano, le damos vida germinal al grano, y luego somos miel, o perla breve, cuando se hace la flor carcel de nleve. (DPS, p. 244) The above lines are hendecasyliable. "El huesped canoro," from Final de ▼ otras canctones, is com posed of octosyllabic couplets with as sonant a 1 rhyme. The first few verses will demonstrate how Maya has handled this: Parado sobre una teja picotea la rubla perla del alba. Despues su trino irrumpe en el amarillo rosal. El gorjeo le ensancha el corason escarlata 285 dondt 1« gloria del d£a revlenta en muslca fine. (Final, p. 267) Speaking of tercetoa Montoro says that there are many ways of constructing them.*’ An example of a tarceto with perfect rhyme la Maya's "Vespero" which was cited in a previous chapter (pages 164-167). Tercets always form the last two stansas of a sonnet* although the rhyme scheme varies. Though according to the author of Poet lea espa rto la. " ... un soneto. en cuanto a la poetica* no puede ser considerado 8oneto si carece de alguna de las reglas c las leas ... , "7 which Implies the rhyme scheme ABBA* ABBA, CDC, DCD. 4 Another example of a stanza with three lines is the «~yyfg tV h of Dante which, as has been already noted (page 64)* Maya employs in the poem, "A una copa antigua.” The terza rlma uses an Interlinking of the second line of a stanza with the first and third of the following stanza. It ends with a serventesio (a four-lined stanza of ABAB form) so that no verse is left without rhyme. The last two stanzas of "A una copa antigua" will demonstrate this form: 6P. 255 7Pp. 262 and 263. Vast ago da los tlempoa mas ramot os, yo te sabre guardar, copa exhumada, como ha guardado los altares rotos an donda fueras ya sacrl£lcada por el nombra divino qua trafa, sobra la mansa frente coronada, toda la lus con qua se anuncla al d£a. P- 89) Under tha classification of stansas with four versus are Included tha cuartata of octasyliable lines with tha abba rhyme scheme; and tha redondilla which differs only in tha rhyme scheme, abab. The cuarteto employs perfect rhyme in lines of eleven syllables in the same scheme as the cuartata; the redondilla has its counterpart in the serven- teaio which is a strophe of hendecasyliable verses. There are two additional strophes in this category that Montoro describes— the safico. one pentasyllable and three hende- casyllabic lines without rhyme; and the strophe of "Fran** cisco de la Torre" differing from the safico in the last g line which has seven rather than five syllables. It has already been remarked that Maya employs the serventeslo in conjunction with tercetos in the If Tiff flHff- He also uses the other forms of four-lined stanzas with Sfontoro, pp. 256-257. 287 some alteration in a fav eaaea. Tha yyflrtfVn the moat coomon form among the six just mentioned that Maya uses. In aver seventy hendeca- syliable sonnets Maya displays his skill in handling this form, as in the sonnet, "Tlampo de luz." Tlempo de lus, pero de luz sonada, dlstinta de esta claridad terrena qua los abisisos del espacio llena y enclende, en cade esplga, su alborada. Tlempo de luz, pero de luz velada al mortal qua, en la boveda serene, deaclfra el slgno de su Isrga pena, al nacer de los slglos decretada. Tlempo de luz, pero de luz divine, cuajada en horizontes interlores y qua otros be1los mundos ilumina. iOh luz de eternidad! blen diferente de esta luz qua es hermsna de las floras, porque sabe morir tan dulcemente. (luz. p. 317) The above sonnet illustrates both Maya's use of the cuar- teto and the most common form of terceto that he utilizes in his sonnets, CDC, EDE. It is in the cuartata that, among the stanzas of four lines, Maya shows the greatest variety. Ordinarily it consists of lines of eight syllables in a consonantal rhyme of abba. Like many of the modern poets, especially Ruben Darfo, Maya experiments with this form, usually 288 adhering to tha length of the lines, but deviating In the rhyme scheme, frequently employing assonance rather than consonance. The poem "Puentes," from Wsveeaclon nocturne is an example of an octosyllabic in the scheme of abab etc.: * De cosa a cosa hay tendidos sobre el abismo, all puantes qua trasm!ten vibraciones y mensajas diferantes, de modo qua el universo, renunciando a su condena de soledad, vibra todo como una inmensa colmena. Pasamos, entre esa musics, indolentes, distra£dos, no obstante qua cade note golpea nuestros ofdos, escuchando, casi atonitos, las pequafias pulsaciones con qua, en lugar de j untars e, se aislan los corasones. (UN. p. 47) The poem, "Desconocido," which has bean mentioned previously (page 60), is the closest approximation to the plan of a redondilla. except that Maya terminates each stansa with a varse of four rather than aight syllables: Frente de Ray ofendido, ojos da dlos taclturno, paso de heroe qua ha perdido su coturno. (Vida, p. 14) 289 Although Maya doaa not utilize Sapphic versa* fre quently, there is an example of this form in Navagaclon nocturne, which adheres not only to the meter but also to the lack of rhyme usually found in Sapphics. The first two stances of "Formas" will illustrate this construction: Oh, formas pur as de mi altiva mente, Inasibles fantasmas del deseo, fuera de espacio y tiempo, os engendraron mis soledades. Formas qua sois cristalinos vaaos donde un licor inmemorial se enderra, os dieron su virtud, para acendraros, mis soledades. CNN, p. 22) Equally infrequent among the poems of Maya is the rhyme named after Francisco de la Torre. A poem from Navegacion nocturne. "Suenos," resembles this form, al though Maya employs assonance in the even verses, rather than utilising free verse as is the case ordinarily: Cuando se acerca la sagrada noche, siempre sagrada para mi, y al sueno como a un sonoro abismo de s Irenes dulcemente me entrego, siempre me digo, con serene angustia, ipor donde, de tu mano, arcangel ciego vas a llevarme? qua pais extraffo, a qua lugar secreto? CNN, p. 147) Among the strophes of five verses, Maya does not conform to the exact form of the quintllla described by Q Montoro nor does he employ the lire. Instead of the usual line of eight syllables employed In the quintilla Maya uses lines of hendecasyllables in ’ ’ Canto a la bellesa." The first two stances demonstrate two rhyme schemes— ABABA and ABAAB: Mi canto, diosa de los ojos be1los que adoreron los hijos del sonoro pielago, te consagro. Yo, como ellos, te dl tamblen, en canestllla de oro, la ofrende juvenil de mis cabellos. Y desde entonces, ni la playa ajena, ni el mar que ofrece soledad y olvldo, nl el escollo en que canta la 8Irene, romper mi hlcieron la gentil cadena que circunda tu carmen florecido. (Vida, p. 95) Maya rarely uses the sextilla. a stance of six lines composed in diverse ways. In the poem, "Vera," from the collection, La vida en la sombre. Maya combines hexa-, deca- and dodecasyllabic verses in the scheme aaBccB as will be noted in the first strophe: En playa extranjera no te halle, mi Vera, ni al amparo de portico extrano, o Montoro, p. 258 aino entre ml gente que labra, paciente, la tierra qua ofrece su eaplga an al axfo. (Vida, p. 70) Tha poem, "Salmo," la composad of six stanzas of six varsas in which tha poat uaas assonance in tha even verses and all but tha last line are octosyllables. Tha last verse— alagraos!— has only four: A vosotras, las montanas, quiaro declr: alagraos! Salted como bestlas jovenes con las tastas enfloradas, y ante al atar sin fronteras, alegraos! CI2L p. 57) Strophes of seven verses are rare among the poems by Maya, and tha two that are found in his collections do not follow tha rules for saguidilla as described in Poetlea aspa&ola*■three lines of seven syllables and four, of five.10 In the first poem, "La vida," Maya combines hexa* and dodecasyliable lines in the order, abbcaaC; in the second, "La busquada," he mixes lines of three and nine syllables. "La vida" continues through nine strophes in the pattern of the first: ^Montoro, p. 260. 292 Vida atlaneloaa de d£a Igualea, — fuente antra roaalea— correa aln rueor. Tu eorrlaata ocloaa aa aclara da rosa •1 an tu eapajo acaso aa nlra al anor. (Vida, p. 10) In tha flva atansaa that canprlae "La buaqueda," tha only rhyna la tha accantad "a" in tha fifth and aevanth llnaa: To ta ha buacado an loa ablanoa, mas arrlba da laa eetrellaa, mas aba jo dal ocaano, traapaaando loa horlsontaa y aun mas, paro tu alanpra me nagaata tu fax. Haa un d£a me acerque a un llrlo qua crec£a an al fondo dal valla, y, cublerta da polan da oro, como de^una aacarcha da aatroa, y aun aaa, vl an cada petalo pintada tu fax. (ffl, pp. 78-79) Although one can find atansaa of eight varaaa In Maya'a poetry, none of than adharaa to tha exact conetruc tion of an octavllla or an octava raal. In tha aajority of thaea eight-lined etanxae Maya uaaa a rhyna of aeeonanca In tha even varaaa. Tha cloaaat approxlmatIon to tha sltdag In Maya'a poena la nSue3oeH from Maveaacion nocturne. Maya 293 Intersperses lines of four syllables among the octosyl lables and uses the rhyme scheme, abacadaded: Ay! ni yo mismo he cre£do en mis suenos, pero los sueHos ban sido la ocupacion de mi vide. Solo que los he tenido durante el d£a, desplerto, no cuando estaba dormido. b Y ahora advierto que el sueno fue jqulen creyera! mi realidad. Mundo cierto. (M> P- 37) It has already been mentioned that of all forms the sonnet appears more often than any other. There are thirty-three in La vida en la sombra. two in the first edition of Final de romances v otras canciones and fifty in the first edition of Ttempo de lug. Three others not pub lished in these collections were located. Of these eighty- eight sonnets the majority (seventy-six) are in hendeca- syliable lines and the remaining in Alexandrine. Seventy- two of the total are written in the rhyme schema, ABBA, ABBA, CDC, EDE. There are several examples of r<i|Miw»^Uos. and heroicos throughout the course of Maya's lyrical works. Anong the seven the three elegies, "La eleg£a de los pianos," "Elegla de las 294 lamparaa," and ”Eleg£a dal barrio via Jo,” employ thla form of hexasyliable varaaa with aaeonantal rhyna in tha avan lines. A fragment from "La eleg£a da los pianos” will exemplify this form: A la lus pr Inara da la asul maffana, qua, an calastaa ondaa, por al plso evanza, corro la cortlna da la oscura sala, y al piano me ofraca su dIvina fabrica de antiguaa blancuras y luces arcaicas. (NN, p. 100) The legend told in the poem, "El Cristo de las agues," is told completely in romance. This rhythm gives all five hundred one verses of the story a certain charm as the description of the city Where the miracle took place demon strates : Guadalajara de Buga era entonces una aldea de cortos anos. Tenfa pierna al alre, largae trenxas, y en las nubiles mejlllas dos amapolas bermejas. La f lecha del campanario descollaba entre la aelva como una lansa clavada en medio de las banderas. Por la mitad de laa calles flu£a la clara acequia, 295 antre el verdor aromatlco dal tomillo y da U manta. (tififtL P. 303) Many poems, not strictly silvas. but in which Maya mixes hapta- and handacasyllablc llnas can ba found throughout his works. Elavan from La vlda an la aonfera are in fraa versa, whlla six have rhyme, usually imperfect (sea page 277 for definition). Fraa versa is used again with the mixture of mater In eight poems from Coros dal mediodla. While six other poems from this collection, like wise in free verse, have lines of varying length. This occurs again in Despuaa del silencio. but the number of poems with seven-eleven-syllabled verses decreases to two, and the number of other meters in free verse to eight.^ The ratio in Nsvegaclon nocturne Is similar to that of La vlda en la sombre— there are fifteen poems of mixed lines of seven and eleven syllables and nine of the same meter in rhyme. The poem, "A1 pasar,” from Navegaclon nocturne is an example of a stanza of lines of seven and eleven syllables in free verse: ^Although there are only six poems in the book, Pespues del silencio. it should be kept in mind that the meters vary in all but one poem. 296 Como esqulfe flotante qut pai«, an iu vaivtn, frenta a la roca donda al naufrago aflrma su esperansa, criwlo todo da marlnos pa jar os y da plantas axoticas, aa£ has pasado fronts a m£, una tarda, mu jar dasconocida, navfo da perfumes qua va rompiendo la sumisa as puma con alta proa da labrada plata. Da cllmas remotfsimos 1lavas la atxtrana lus an las pupilas, y da tu sol septentrional, la vaga claridad dlfundlda por los hombros. Pasas, y tus cabellos contra al asul, ondsan como llamas. Entoncas yo lavanto la mono, a orlllas da ml dura roca, y dlgo adios a la vision alfgera qua corra a confundirsa con las nubes dal ultimo horlxonte. (M, p. 189) 1 o In two poams, "Salmo" and "Un dfa vendra la muerte," Maya employs the silva. mixing verses of seven and eleven syllables with perfect rhyme. This is the form that is also used in "Marta y Marfa" from the same collection, l£ j vlda en la sombre. Maya borrows from the Gospel story, embellishing it somewhat in this poem of one hundred ninety-nine verses. Although the hendecasyllablc line predominates, the interpolation of heptasyliable lines ful fills the requisites for the silva form, and the following 12Vida. pp. 83-85 and 51-52. 297 description will illustrate it: Pasabsn por la vara dal caad.no las tardas caravanas hacia Jarusalan. con la postrara lus qua hurtaban las cuspidas lajanas. Da los suaves collados, an polvoso trope1, a los rediles volvfan mans amenta los ganados. Nostalgices tonadas paatorilas atriataban al valla. Una gran calma sofoca al gacmlnar da los trigalas. Alla* sobra al poniente, hay una palma qua decora los ultlmos umbralas da la noche. El silencio sa confunde con al rumor da todo an esta hora; mas la mirada dal Senor difunde una benigna lus consoladora. (Vlda. pp. 113-114) The purpose of the preceding discussion on versifica tion was to illustrate Maya's versatility in handling a varied number of meters and rhymes which have been used by Spanish poets for centuries. But if his adherence to classical forms would tend to categorize him as a classic, from the time of his initiation as a poet in La vida en la sombra he experiments with fraa verse in lines of unequal length, as in the poem. "El d£a." whose final lines illus trate his attempt at this style: No desesperes an la noche. an la noche sin alas. con los pies trabados de hierro. an la noche qua mire a travas da los multiples ojos de su mascara. 298 > En la nocha qua clave las rojas agujas da sus pesadlllas an tu frante da nino. Ho dasasparas an la nocha, pues ya, como la vos da un arpa aostanlda por brasos angelicos, aacuchaa un grlto qua anuncla: iEl d£a! (Vlda. p. 105) In Coroa dal madiodla Maya'a departure from the discipline of rhymed versa la vary evident. Of the nineteen poems in this collection, fifteen are written in free versa, and although nine of these have a definite meter, the remaining six are of lines of varying length. The first twelve lines of "A los muertos" combine eight different lengths of verses: Muertos qua habitais al palacio subterraneo da bovedas sordas, y qua hund£s vuestras plantas en la tierra alimentada por las fuentes ocultas. Yo os amo, yo os admiro, con vuestras caballaras copiosas qua os cubren los hombros, libras dal fino acaro qua las cortaba como a la hiarba axcasiva da los jardines tarrestres. GefflEfflb p. 125) The tendency of the poet to use this form continues in Dasnuas dal silencio but it does not predominate. The poet only uses it four times throughout all the changes 299 that taka placa in thasa dlaloguad poems. Thare la ona poem, though, "La mu jar aobra al ebano," which employs fraa varsa and mixed mater throughout, and the first thirteen verses display a use of nine different length lines of from seven to fifteen syllables: — Yo ful engandrada en la noche, lejos de las rlberas de la lus. Soy clega porque la sombra horado mis pupllas para conservar en cuencas el ague qua 1loran las floras de la nube. HI sueno pesa sobre el mundo. De mis entraSas han nacldo las cludades. He curvo como el dorso de una bestla para estrechar, sobre el ague y sobre el vertigo, la amis tad salvaje de dos rocas. Tamblen guardo la estrella qua brota de ml flanco herido como se escape el relampago de su caja de ebano. (DPS, p. 220) These are the words of "La Pledra," but the other charac ters of the poem, "El," "La Sombre," and "La Hlerba" also converse in lines of varying length. In neither of the two books that follow does Maya employ free verse. Finil Hf F'lTHPTfT T otras canctones. as has already been pointed out, Is comprised mainly of familiar forms, rflfMITlTtf *nd romsnrlllos. Tflmmpn dy 1 yg with Its fifty sonnets, does not admit, of course, of any free forms. Of the one hundred one poems that comprise Mswaaaclon 300 flOgE^T"! • very small portion, four, exemplify this use of free verse with no set meter. "Clero de luna," which was mentioned earlier (page 175), comes within this cate gory. "Fe" and "Adelante" also do. ^ The poem, *'Ya se con jubllo," contains ten different length lines in its twenty verses: Ya se, ya se con jubilo qua esta idea, qua es mi gloria, y al mismo tiempo mi tortura, no fue concebida en mi cerebro por b£ mlsma, y extrana al mundo real que me clrcunda. Yo se que la engendraron los mismos seres que yo veo y que yo toco, y que ese arbol, ese guijarro, ese lucero, el insec to movil que me obseslona, y el grano de polen que hiere mi epidermis, lograron fecundar mi inteligencia y conducirle, de lo mfnimo a la vision del unlverso. jOh penssmiento mfo, que tamblen chupas de la tierra tu ssvia como la hierba y como los arboles, o a manera del tallo que solo lleva la corona de una flor, como un pr£nclpe! (HN, p. 73) From the discussion of the preceding pages, it is evident that Maya has written poetry in the most common of Spanish verses as well as in the more recent free verse. 13PP. 61 end 109-110. 301 Even whan ha braaka from tha ordinary ha la quite sedate, never experimenting with extreme forma. A atudy of the figures of speech in Maya's six books of poetry reveals that similes are by far the most numerous of the figures, outnumbering metaphors and personification in every book. This is understandable since the simile is less complicated than the metaphor. The use of personi fication is generally more limited, so it is not surprising to find this the case in Maya's works. It is significant that in Tiemno de luz. the collection of fifty sonnets, the number of specific figures of speech decreases. In many cases the final tercet gives the poem a distinctive element that in other poems would be contributed by the use of a specific Image. An example of this is seen in the poem, "El fruto," In which the poet repeats the advice of Horace, "Coge la flor esquiva de la hora," because life passes quickly. He goes on to say that his soul does not heed this counsel and does not aspire to the flower that perishes, 302 Slno a aquel fruto qua enrlquace y liana a qulen aupo aentir hanbra dlvina datda la vana plenltud tarrana. (Lua. p. 323) This ending comas as a surprise. The introduction is so materialistic that the contrast of the final tercet in which the poet speaks of the divine thirst for the fruit that enriches and fills eliminates the necessity of addi tional imagery. There is also an unexpected ending in the final tercet of the sonnet, "Nada," discussed previously on page 111. It would be impossible to include all the similes, metaphors and personification which are found throughout Maya's work, but a discussion of some of these should strengthen the justification for a study of Maya's poetry. In the poem, "Alma que lloras tanto," the poet advises the soul not to cry so much because in the bustle no one listens; everything withdraws from the soul's sorrow. Life dances around the somber shadow of the soul, and is crowned with red branches, extinguishing the melancholic song of the soul as its coral hymn of transparent voices fills the refreshing morning. Besides, La vida eata cargada de tumultuoso afan, como los puentes de la vasta galera en que se arrojan 303 colonies juveniles el encho mer de numerosos ruldos. (Vlda. p. 32) Life In Its tumultuous anxiety Is laden down like the bridges of a vast galley ship filled with noisy young passengers going to sea. The power of this linage Is to reinforce the Idea of life as a ship at sea. Youth, weighted down by Its own troubles, Is frequently Imper vious to the Inquietude of others. The force of the similes In "Los aftos que avanzan" Is that the accumulation of them gives the Idea of fleeting years: t • •• VQO * *• cual viajero que sube a una cumbre, se me anunclan estrellas propicias. Soy un emigrado por tierra hostiles donde niegan los pozos el agua. Y no obstante slento 2una plenitud! cual si todo el otono de un campo vlniera a mis manos, cual si fuera la vlda una lampara que ardlera en mi alcoba, cual si hubiera vlolado las areas del tesoro que guards la noche. (Yldjg, pp. 48-49) And there is nothing so transient as a "viajero," "otofio," "la vlda de una lampara," and a violated "tesoro." 304 The universal appeal of death as a mother approaching the bed of her sick son merits the inclusion of these lines from "Un d£a vendra la muerte": Un d£a vendra la muerte « • • • • • • • • • • • Y, plsando sin ruido, como una madre que se acerca al lecho del hijo enfermo, cerrara mis ojos y cruzara mis manos sobre el pecho. P> 51) The metaphors as well as the similes--"te vas como una brisa" and "te aspiro / como al viento"— of the sonnet, "Tu," transmit the airy feeling that an agile creature would effect. The choice of diction throughout the poem is light, evanescent and flowing, describing artistically the gracefulness of the woman who is the subject of the poem: Eres una cancion. Aire ligero ceraldo entre las floras y los nidos. Duermen, be jo tus pies, campos floridos, y es tu melena un r£o verdadero. Comiensa en tl mi vide. Eres mi enero que asoma en horlzontes presentidos; mi comarca de r£os conocldos, mi alta cons te lac ion de mar inero. For mis manos te vas como una brisa; envuelves un jard£n en un suspiro, y se abren marlposas en tu rise. Eres la sombre toda, ares la lumbre, y yo, elevando el corazon, te aaplro como al vlento que vlene de una cumbre. (Vlda, p. 53) The chiaroscuro of the following figure, the contrast between the darkness and the light, the gradual radiance that fills the obscurity of "Interior” make It very effec tive In this passage: La tarde se encendfa glorlosamente como un templo donde hublesen penetrado, con teas encendldas, los barbaros grenudos, enemlgos del oro de los techos y de las colgaduras cuyos pllegues depurpura revlsten el resplandor llturglco del cedro. (Coros. p. 117) The simile In "Hlmno a la aurora present Ida" rein forces the awe that overcomes one at the arrival of dawn whose brow pierces the darkness and sparkles in light when the poet says the dawn awakens like human brows that rise from oblivion and forge again a new world of winged truths and grave luminous thoughts: ... como las sienes humanas que despiertan del olvido y vuelven a forj arse un mundo nuevo de verdades aladas y graves pensamlentos luminosos. (C.9FQf, p. 1M) 306 Radiant currants flow from dawn's fertile breast, "como el ague que baja por los flancos / de un monte plateado de olivares." The mist of the valley rises "como un in- , 14 cienso / a velarte la fax." The opening lines of "Dornus aurea" compare the house under consideration to the houses of Israel, erected on palm blocks--"Como las casas de Israel, / levantadas en troncos de palmeras." Immediately, a sturdy, vigorous building looms up in the mind. Describing its intrinsic qualities the poet says, Eres fuerte como las tablas de cedro con que fueron vest Idas tus puertas. Eres buena como las piedras del mo lino, que descansan en la tarde del sabado. Eres justa como tus agues natives que se reparten en vertientes iguales. Y eres ancha como tus campos que transforman en impalpables ondas de alre puro el temblor de la hierba amarilla. (Coros. pp. 168-169) Keeping the figure within the scope of the natural setting the poet continues, 14 Coros, p. 145 307 Um faja da piadra ta cliia, y apareces como un hombre qua anvualva sue rlSonaa an la pial da laa cabraa uontaraces. (Coros. p. 169) The "Piadra” in the poem, "La mu jar aobre al ebano,” who talla that ha waa conceived far from the light, who ia blind because the shadow pierced his pupils to store the rain water in his socket, appropriately states, . guardo la estrella que brota de mi flanco herido como se escape el relampago de su caja de ebano. (DPS, p. 220) In the same poem "El” in answering, "Piedra” greets him, — Buena piedra, yo te saludo en la que tiembla sobre el mundo como un gran puente de zafiro. (DPS, p. 221) The blue sky, which stretches across the world in the early hours of dawn, is like a bridge spanning the space. In the sonnet, ”Todo paso, ” the fugacity of a love is emphasized by the figure of a bird whose fleeting shadow crosses the firmament. It is also compared to the memory of a dream of a sunnier night on a hard bed. Two homey similes project the poet's sentiments in 15Vlda. p. 37. hit "Elegfa del barrio viejo”: v Oh mi dulee barrio — cal blanca, asul cielo— vaatido en el die como un marinero. (Eiasl, p. 292) The surrounding area* unlike the sailor-suit blue and White of the town itself, was a pleasant green and yellow when Sunday used to descend like a gilded rider from the arid hills with a green hat and a lapel adorned with clover: Bajaba el domingo como aureo jinete los arldos cerros, de verde sombrero, la solapa ornada con floras de trebol. (Final, p. 293) How appropriately the poet describes Sunday again In the sonnet, "Domingo"! Bells ring, people with missal in hand head for church, and all the harmonious tones make the city a celestial hymn and the fields a friendly con versation. Like the sacrificial lamb one humbles himself before the mystery and moves his clay heart like a fragile thurible: Domingo de mlsal y campanula. Frente al sol qua ilumina el campanario es la eluded como celeste hlmnario, y el campo como platica sencllla. 309 Como un cordero virginal se humilla ml ser, anta al misterlo necesarlo, y muevo, como fragll lncensarlo, sobre al alcar ml corazon arc111a. (Lua. p. 334) Whan tha poet reminds us In the poem "Soledad," how things desert us in tha middle of the road, he compares their flight to either evanescent phantoms or transitory substances. These are the examples he gives: Nos van dejando las cosas a la mltad del camino. Unas pasan como sombras que, al prolongarse, se qulebran, y otras, las mas, desparecen al punto, en el aire mismo, como vapor mananero que se condensa en la hlerba. Nos van dejando las cosas como huespedes ingratos que entran, mlran, curios ean, y al fin, como los fantasmas, ganan la calle y se pierden. ( m P. 15) As similes and metaphors Interplay throughout Maya's compositions, It Is impossible, at times, to quote a pas sage without having the two. The previous examples demon strate his use of the simile. Where they appear in the following section they are considered secondary to the metaphors, and, therefore, will not be commented upon. By their very nature metaphors are more effective than 310 similes because there Is subtle suggestion rather than out right comparison. The likeness implied In the £igure Is not so specific and limited as a simile, and, thus, the imagery can be richer and more complex. "Exhortacion," a poem that was mentioned earlier In conjunction with the poetic ideas of Maya (page 32), reminds man not to run after applause, because success Is transitory and ... Un d£a llegara, Dios lo sabe, en que calgas tamblen, como la ollva, en el surco matemo. Preparate con dulce reslgnaclon para el celeste trance, Tu, en cambio, habras hallado la lus perpetua y el amor eterao, y una gran pas, Inalterable y honda, en el tlbio regaso de la noche. (Sid*, P- 35) The grave is called a maternal furrow in this trope because the earth cradles the dead man in Its bosom. Death is a celestial peril because It brings with it the great un known (which is the "trance**) and heavenly rest (which is the "celestial"). The peaceful, bucolic poem, "Pastoral," which de scribes the languid scene at the end of the day, culaiinates In a timely metaphor. The last violet refulgence hurries 311 from the senith. From a dletant crag a flute mourns Its secret sorrow. A star Is bom In the serene blue and ... ya toda la tarda es un aprlsco doxide florece la humildad del heno. (Vida, P. 43) Another eclogic poem, "La escondida sends," in which the poet delineates the beauty of the countryside, contains a metaphor that is uniquely Maya's because the figure is so closely allied to the rustic life which is so attractive to the poet. Describing the arrival of morning the poet writes: . .. La manana entraba, mal ceSida la tunica aldeana, llevando en el regazo las floras que cogiera a la orilla del rlo o sobre la pradera. (Vida, p. 79) A nostalgic mood permeates the sonnet, "Todo paso," in which the poet again illustrates his skill in choosing words or phrases that suggest the rapidity of the transient moment. It is a powerful contrast that the poet makes when he says that yesterday she was his life— the light of the past, the support of the future, the rudder of the soul, and the binding of the wound— and today she is only the msmory of a dream: 312 ... hast a ayer, no mas, fulate la vlda, luz^del paaado, apoyo dal futuro, timon del alma y venda de la herlda. (Vlda. p. 37) Golden rays of the sun, first a trumpet, then a tremu lous sword, and lastly a gllden ecstasy announce In sound or movement the Imminence of dawn In the spectacular meta phors from "Hlmno a la aurora presentlda," Ya llegas, ya te anuncla la trompeta de oro. Ya llegas, ya te anuncla la espada temblorosa que asoma entre la brisa taladrando el corazon lngrato de la tlerra. Ya llegas, ya te anuncla el extasis dorado que abre el parpado grls del horlzonte. (Coros. pp. 142-143) The eyes of "La mujer sobre el ebano," are delineated for us by "La sombre" as It speaks to "La piedra." Shadow calls her eyes tenderness of velvet with languid flashes of dampness and flame, a fiery, black furnace, and a dark night of shiny satin beaten by a shower of tears: iSus ojos! Mollcie de terciopelo con relampagos perez os os de humedad y de llama. Morbido inflemo donde ard£a tu esp£rltu, en combustion de aromas, Honda noche de raso luctuoso, bat Ida por un clerzo de lagrlmas, entre la parpadeante agon£a de las estrellas desnudas. (DPS, p. 223) 313 Tha "Sllenclos” of tha poem, "Rosa mac an ic a," spaaklng of themselves, say that thay ara containers that catch the water from tha moon, and honey whan it Is formed in tha calyx of a flower. Whan Is there greater silence than the moment In which the mute rays of the moon rain upon the earth and the delicate pearl Is distilled In the heart of the blossom? This Is the concept that the poet communi cates In the following passage: Noaotros, los Silencios, somos una copa en que cae el ague de la luna, y luego somos miel, o perla breve, cuando se hace la flor carcel de nleve. (DPS, p. 244) Maya describes the woman*s smile when he writes: Apareclo la Venus nuava, a orillas del baSo, con delgades de antilope y aglllded de galgo. Su rise de ascua y nleve --Inflemo momentaneo— enrlqueclo la noche de Inedltos pecados. (Final. p. 277) The pearls and rubles that adorn her are called snow and scarlet: Los prendedores la ba&an en lumbre de asules piedras. Hay nleve sobre sue hoibbros y hay carmln en sue orejas. (Final, p. 288) 314 Tha post's cholcs of images in "Ego" to convoy the idoa of a fickle and evil woman is vary fitting. Cunning, serpentine, sinuous, venomous--these are the adjectives that describe her soul. He says that not even the rxytho- logical Proteus changed as she did: N1 el^mitologlco Proteo cambio como tu. Pantera, o arroyo de fugaa serpenteo, pampano de aarcillos sinuosos, flor de carnales avideces, ra£z de jugos venenosos ... No fuiste la mlsrna dos voces. ( M> P- H7) The entire poem, "Infiemo” is a metaphor. The poet calls hell a black door forged by the bronze of night. Within lies a vast, evil citadel sealed by a maleficent bar and innumerable locks. A notice written In fire on its purple seal tells all to leave hope behind in order to be saved the trouble of leaving it at the entrance to the sinister dwelling: Esta es la negra puerta, forjada con el bronce de la noche. Hacla adentro se extiende la vasta ciudadele maldita. De la puerta penden muchoa candados, y una barra malefica tan solo se retire cuando penetra un alma. Tlene un sello de purpura y una leyenda Impress con fuego, donde se hace una horrible advertencla. No dice, como antes: "Dejad toda esperanza los que aqu£ entrals,” slno, con duras letras: 315 Vonid tin esperanza; no tendrels al trabajo da dajarla a la antrada da aata mansion sInlettra. (NN. p. 140) It is impossible, in tha scope of a paper that does not dwell entirely on the study of metaphors, to do justice to this aspect of Maya's work. Possibly, some future student will be able to devote a complete study to this facet of his poetry. The selection made here was based on a cross-section of his six books to give as broad a choice as possible. In the previous chapter in the section on Desnues del silencio (page 252), the examination of the poem, "Las alegres companeras," presented a splendid example of per sonification throughout the entire poem in the persons of Power, Passion, Religion and Fertility who, as women, dis played their attraction to the "hombre." In a much simpler poem, "De mas alia," the twilight hour has eyes and voice with which it looks at and speaks to the poet from the windowpane to which it has approached: La tarda, con su clara transparencla, ha venido al crlstal de mi ventana y me mire con ojos de inocencia como miran los ojos de una hermana. 316 iHora crepuscular da confldencia! tu tlanas una vos, queues vos humans, y aunqua habla mas alia da la axlstancla •laapra sa ascucha al corason careana. (Vlda. p. 17) Through tha parson of tha afternoon, comas tha voica of a raal human balng whose claar and familiar voica calls to tha poet from tha beyond. Hence tha efficacy of personi fying tha "hora crepuscular." Tha future is never certain, and tha poet in tha advice to his soul in tha poem, "No as paras, alma m£a," tails It not to expect anything because perhaps the silent sphinx (death or tha tomb stone) even now prepares her triangle of shadow: proyecte ahora la callada asfInge su triangulo da sombre. (Vida, p. 29) Tha sphinx, guardian of tha silent desert for centuries, always ready for unexpected events, is a well-chosen symbol for mute death who patiently awaits the propitious moment. Death is personified again in the poem, "Alla lejos," which is discussed on page 125 in conjunction with the theme of death. The verbs--wound, come, bresfe, paralyse, tie, extinguish, bind--lend force to the action of Death. Much of the charm of "Aquella manana" is due to the 317 personification that tha post achieves in his treatment of the atmosphere: ... La lus re£a en la boca de los lirios. Por el suefio del estanque pasaban rostros de nlfios. el vlento andaba casando corozones femenlnos. El cielo, contra las pledros, romp£a copes de vidrlo. Escuche lo que dec£a la abeja al vetusto pino; el canto de las violetas debajo del sauce t£mido y el mensaje de las navies a las floras del domingo Cuando la sombre prendio cohetes y farollllos en el barrio de los pobres y en la case de los ricos, todo estabe lleno, lleno de amor, condones y gritos. (Final, pp. 273-274) The furtive caress of the undulating zephyr which kisses the roses, like a lover, causes the petal to fall at dawn. This sly action of the wind sets the petal in motion until it is lost in the horizon: Ca£ste [petalo] del rosal a la furtive caricia con que el ceflro ondulante 318 besa a las rotas, como buan amanta qua una desden a condlclon lasclva. It It fiva o'clock in the morning and tha poet awaits tha advent of dawn. Tha mystic charm is so great that tha poet bestows on tha hour tha divine power of forgiving and eradicating all the faults of the earth: Tal as el cielo en esta hora pura en qua el pardon solemne de la noche._ borra todas las culpas de la tierra. The skill of bestowing on an inanimate object attri butes and powers that belong to persons without making it prosaic is a talent that Maya demonstrates in his poetry. This quality lends the poem a reality that enhances the message of the poem. Sensory Appeal A poet, a man with a sensitive soul, is aware of all of the faculties of the human body and their ability to convey, through diverse channels, those unforgettable moments that the artist is clever enough to capture and hold on paper. Every concept reaches the mind by means l**"Petalo y alba," Lus. p. 326. ^"Frente al amanecer," NN, p. 127. 319 of the itniu— tight, hearing, small, taste, touch— and, although thaaa may not ba quite so refined as tha more intellectual images, they deserve a legitimate place in the study of a poet's work. A country like Colombia that is located in a tropic zone naturally has flora and fauna in a vivid splash of color. The sunrises and sunsets, the varying tones of green in the extensive plains and valleys, and the azure of the sky Invaded by fleecy white or threatening grey clouds certainly influence Maya in the brilliant strokes of color that he paints in his poetry. This was seen in the contrasting black and gold of "Las alegres coupaHeras" in which the antithesis vivifies the force of the opposing poles of sin and grace, good and evil. Maya does not use color for the startling effect it may produce, but he reinforces the thought he is convey ing. To transmit the idea of the amiability and warm heartedness of a "rayo de sol," the poet uses this term itself eight times throughout the poem, "Rayo del sol," qualifying it twice as "rayo amable." To support the idea of its brightness, he uses the verbs "aclarar," "purifi- car," and "abrasar"; the adjectives "aureo," "rutila," 320 "luminoso," and "rubia"; and tha noun "asplendor." The sixty-nine verses o£ the poem reflect the brilliance of the The delicate description of the beauty of the new world to which man will rise again in a vigorous and ever** lasting youth is enhanced by the choice that Maya makes in "Canto del hombre nuevo" when the speaker depicts for us this paradise. A tremor like the "palldo temblor de los almendros" diffuses its "rosea opalescencia" through the "clelo bianco." The atmosphere takes on a golden hue as long "hilos azules" stripe the ether and open up like "golfos ceruleos" to gather the "agues impetuosaa de la lu*."19 "El esp£rltu del fuego," which is the only poem from Desnues del silencio that has not been mentioned pre viously, Illustrates again the amazing choice of color that Maya makes to reinforce his ideas. This spirit of fire represents the fever of inspiration, and the words nearly singe with their heat. "Carro de fuego," "esferas doradas," "llamas de oro," "rutila sombre," "llama solar, sunshine 18 19 Coroa. p. 149 321 •1 ubicua voluntad del lncendio / y el perpedeo de le lena," "quema [elc] mis huesos en tu azul candela, / tree** pasa [elc] mle entraSas con tu llaxna," "espiral flam£gera," "calldas voces," "rojaa trompetas," "rojo inflemo" "fgneo fantaama," "escarlata," "grana," "noche del homo," do not exhauat the lmagee that Maya givee to fortify the concept of Ineplratlon. Blue le the tone uaed In the sonnet> "Aaul," becauee thle "asul de lae nochee de verano / tan hondamente 1lanto provoca." There le a sadness in the blue. It Invokes eternal shadows and makes the struggle with death useless. The blue contains so much "dolor humano" that It puts the soul In peril of abandonment. But this blue Is a divine act of beauty because in its very silence it joins the proximity of heaven to the tremendous solitude of the abyss of earth. The poet uses blue here in a double sense. The color itself is melancholic and puts one in a sad mood. But the blue sky of a Sumner evening serves also as a 20 bridge from time to eternity. "Inflemo," a poem discussed in the section on 20Lus. pp. 345-346 322 metaphor (page 314) exhibits the poet's use of black to illustrate the lugubrious thought of hell. Not only the color Itself but the vocabulary— "maldita," "malefica," "horrible," "slnlestra"--augment this dreadful image. Musical instruments— flutes, "zamponas," "caracoles," drums, trumpets, pianos, harps— ; the elements--the wind, the sea, the rain, the lakes and rivers— ; the plants— the wheat, the blades of grass, the leaves of the trees— ; the animals, birds and insects— flies, crickets, bees--; people— voices, choruses, sailors— ; onomatopoetlc sounds-- crackling, murmuring, buzzing, honking, whistling— ; bells, echoes, shouts, thunder; all these sounds well up in the sonorous strains of Maya's lyrics. The lack of sound— silence--is often a welcome relief and Maya frequently employs this technique as a complement of a peaceful atmosphere— a pensive brow drops dark silent thoughts, a ray of sunshine sinks in the silence of a pristine river, and tall hills stretch silently around the area. Protection, peace, pensiveness--these are the accom paniments of silence. One of the most effective use of sound in Maya's poetry is the section in "Rosa mecanica" spoken by "Los Ruidos." Silence has spoken end quietly withdraws to view the ef£ect of his words. Then "Los Ruidos" begin, end, as a perfect example of the chaotic noises of modem day activity, progress and entertainment, according to Maya, Is the clamor, din and uproar that crashes upon the harmonious atmosphere: avanzamos con choque de espadas, con clamor de campanas herIdas, con angustla de voces ahogadas y crujido de torres vencldas. SQiaos la conclencla [que] ahoga su pena en ruido de ruedas, luces de tabema, canclones venereas y musics negra. Armonlas de musicas lentas, anorantes acordes del piano, larga flauta de svena que cuentas los amores del rublo verano, jtodo ha muerto! ... Ruldosos metales atruenan las calles, timbres pertlnaces crusan las cludades, fantastlcos cables atan clelo y mares, y negros alambres la rlsa nos traen de clelos d1stantes. (DPS, pp. 256-257) 324 Lika the resonant beat of the drun that echoes re peatedly, the repetition of the line, "jdonde suena ese tambor?" pulsates in the air, imitating the repetitive rhythm of a drum Which is the purpose of "Tambor." These sounds augur destruction and bring fear to the one who hears them. "Ese son," that "funebre ritmo" redoubles the "infinite tortura del corazon." After each strophe the chorus repeats, Ahora, que es media noche, ^donde suena ese tambor? (NN, p. 169) Does it announce the rebellion of a tribe, the gathering of armies on vast plains, the disturbance of the seas, the approach of the forest, the universal victory of a traitor, the explosion of arsenals in Moscow, New York, England or Japan? The poet demands the cessation of the noise because his heart can take no more. The passages where the poet utilizes sound to convey the varying moods have not been exhausted— the peaceful time at sunset with the flute's melancholic song drifting from the hillside, or the heat of noon when the fly beats against the wlndowpane, or the power of nature when the thunder lets loose its dreadful shout, the homeliness of 325 the cricket's chirp as it sings on the hearth, the com forting sound of the bells as they echo through the town calling the faithful to worship. These sounds reinforce the mood of the poems and are an essential adjunct to them. In the description Martfnez Delgado gives of the valley of Puben (see page 202) he says that the earth ex hales an aroma of prodigious fecundity. This prodigality has definitely left an Impact on Maya whose appeal to the olfactory sense comes mainly from the earth, the plants, the flowers and the grass. One becomes almost heady from the fragrance of the jasmine, heliotrope, vanilla and rose. The tepid hay, the thyme, the cedar, the flower gardens and the aromatic bushes also add their distinctive perfume to the poems. Maya's love for the earth is keenly recognised be cause of his many references to it and the lovely odor it exhales. "La tierra, como cope que perfuma," "prospero olor de la gleba," "surco fragante," "los fertile* senos de la tierra / exhalen su vigor infatigable," "la dulce tierra que perfuma," and "una pura / fragancla de cerros" give an idea of the various ways Maya refers to the earth's lovely fragrance. > 326 The odors of roses end gress ere the two most commonly mentioned aromas that appear throughout the text. The following phrases exemplify his use: "aroma ^de las rosas / que lleva entre su seno la maSana," "tu seno aristocra tic o / icomo perfuma! rose, / abierto sobre el prado,” "Asi tambien ioh rose! / moriras entre un vago / per fume ... " "hierbas aromaticas," "fragantes rosas ... ," "el olor de las hierbas saludables," and "hierbas / aro matic as." These delightful aromas are borne on the breeze and are carried about the night like a perfume. "Iba la brisa con su leve peso / de noctumos aromas ... ," "el mismo viento ... transporta aromas," "un viento perfumado en que 21 yerra precoz anunc'io del otono triste." Maya does not limit himself to the use of the fra grance of out-of-doors to enrich the beauty of his poetry. He also speaks of the delicious "aroma de la rub is cola- cion." Its "aromatlco vapor” is like the "vaho de la tierra que el arado removlo." He takes us through the house to the bedroom which contains "rlcos psnos" which 2lVlda. PP» 16 and 23j p. 273. 327 hi* grandmother "sahumo / con llturglcos Inclenao* y yerbaa da buen olor." The delicate fragrance of the flower* and field*, the delidoue flavor promised by the delightful aromas, the damask* redolent of perfume, resins, spices, lamps of orange blossoms--all of these aromas appeal to our sense of smell and enhance the feeling that the poet has in jected in his poetry. What effect do the senses of taste and touch have on a poem? Their use is somewhat less than those already mentioned throughout Maya's poetry but nevertheless effec tive. The poet, speaking to his life which lets its bitter ness filter through, refers to life as "r£os amargos," and 4 as a "senda dura," over which man walks with a "dura sandalia." In the same vein he speaks of "la amargura de nuestra fas." But not all of life is harsh and bitter. In the poem, "A loa poetas primitives" the poet says that the "mundo era una dulce maravllla" and "dulce la faena / , ,.23 rural ... 22, , E1 mundo en flor," Vida, pp. 81-82. 23Vlda. p. 101. 328 Ha alto mentions the "suaves collados" and the "r£os de dulzura," whose softness contrasts with the "lecho duro" and the "lecho de piedra," and the "duros riscos" where the "viento se afila." All of these phrases lend a mellow ness or a harshness that supports the feeling and tone being conveyed by the poet. The briskness of salt air, the sweetness of honey, refreshing water, succulent fruit, as well as bitter herbs and tart beverages, do more than decorate Maya's poetry. On one hand they invigorate, refresh, satiate, and on the other they repel and offend, and in this way they uphold the tone of the poems. A poet must not force his ideas. The tone that he maintains must be authentic, and consonant with the con tent of the poem. The exterior elements must corroborate the poet's sentiments, and only insofar as they do so, do they have value. I believe that Maya's handling of the images that appeal to taste and touch have been moderate, that he has avoided an excess, especially in those of taste, and that their inclusion is only Incidental to the meaning of the poem. Diction and Syntax 329 A good poet hes the gift of finding the right word to expreee an emotion. Finding the perfect word end putting it into a rhythmical pattern is part of the skill that the poet displays in his artistry. Besides words themselves, there are techniques that one utilizes to add a special quality to the total picture. Repetition of the same phrases emphasizes, imitates, attracts; a series of ques tions surprises, raises doubts; an antithetical expression jolts, shocks. In this section I should like to illustrate the appropriate choice of words that the poet makes, his purpose in using anaphora, repetitions and questions. The poet'8 use of alliteration and onomatopoeia, the few cases of pleonasm, synecdoche and paranomasia belong in this section and will terminate this chapter on the formal structure of his poetry. "Aquf," the "ciudad glacial" which is the poet's pre ferred place for the desolations of his soul, the frigid esplanade for communing with the dead, the desertplace for coosunlcating with his extinguished stars is a striking example of the poet's ability to create images by his choice of language that convey the isolation, the cold 330 and tha abandonment of a soul. In thla poem, "Aquf," the glacial city la surrounded by "neblines," " perennes nubes," and "tempestades vagas." Its "tardes callglnosas" and Its "mananas grlses" accompany Its frustrated symphony of thunder. High hills, like craggy walls, making the city Inaccessible, encircle It, and the fearful sun, "como soldado sin escudo," struggles wearily to scale them. Only the towers of this ancient city, "cenidas de su humedad cuatemaria," stand out to convoke phantoms of Ice to the sound of plaintive bells. In the poem, "Pan," the poet at the end of six stanzas repeats, "Mirad lo que he salvado: este trozo de pan."^ This simple sustenance contrasts with the disaster, the simmer fire, the fury of nature, cosmic eruptions, the tumult of the populace and the poet's own sorrow which he describes herein. What Is essential to the discussion at hand Is his selection of vocabulary. When he speaks of the disaster of "agues locas" he calls them in powerful language 24"Aqu£," M> PP« 17-18 25HH, pp. 156-160. 331 "ruglentes torbellinos en sonoras voraglnes," "romplentes qua dascuajan vivas montanas," "feroces olaadas turblas qua dashacen las rocas mllanarlaa.H He tails the "fuego estival" that It carries In Its "entraSas el Inflemo" and that Its "llamas" soften pebbles and change solid granite Into oil. The "furla increible del granlzo" is discharged In the countryside, and raises "fortalezas erizadas de agu- Jas," which cut like a diamond the ephemeral Illusion of the verdure. When he describes the smoke and ashes vomited by volcanoes and chimneys, he mentions the "polvo lncesante," the "escoria que arroja de los homos / la combustion de oscuros mlnerales," and the "lluvla de dardos / Invisibles." The "punos" uplifted to announce the fall of the temple, the "encrespada ira," and the "ague de venganza," and the "blasfemla insolita" which rises from the human abyss transmit the Idea of the "popular tumulto" that this stanza describes. Speaking of his own sorrow, the poet tells of the anguish that falls upon him, of the "pavor constante" which lances Its well-aimed dagger toward the void, of the 332 "miedo cotldlano al no aar." By tha cholea of hla language the poet creates the feeling of chaos, disaster, unbearable heat, upheaval of nan and the agony of his soul; all of these contrast tremendously with the Invitation: Mired lo que he salvado: este trozo de pan. van, comamos en paz. QjW. pp. 156-160) In the same collection, In the poem, "Canclones," by use of the rhythm and of his preference for phrases as “hondo mareo," “agues fantastlcas ... rodando," “sensaclon de vertigo,” “vueltas que daban / los arboles del paseo,” and the following stanzas: Ballaban todos los muros y un horlzonte maleflco bajaba y sub£a, slgulendo la ondulacIon de los techos. Olas redondas hac£a de la calle el pavimento, que, en slnuosa perspective, se metfa clelo adentro the poet creates a sensation of circular movement which he calls a "mundo nuevo / donde el furor de las curves / me expllcaba el movlmlento."2^ PP* 24-25. 333 The steady passage of Che year*, en urgent need, loneliness— "Ten solo yo me encontraba / con el corazon vac£o"— the marching approach of disaster, a constant search rewarded, joy--"alegraos--and the inescapable approach of death— "no es mas, no es mas, que el golpe del monotono / martillo en la oscuridad"— are the concepts and emotions that the poet portrays in his repetitive verses. Six times in the "himno a la aurora present Ida" he repeats the two lines, "Aurora presentIda / tras de mi noche," and in doing so he underlines the joy of witnessing this new day after the darkness of the seemingly inter- 27 minable night. In his use of anaphora in the sonnet, "Solo contigo," the poet emphasizes the truth that he wants to be only with her all the time. Notice the profusion of the word, "cuando," in the first quartet: Solo contigo; cuando el cielo dora tu faz, cuando la tarde reaplandece, cuando la noche, como el tlempo, crece, y cuando vualve a aparecer la aurora. (Vida, p. 59) One feels that the poet has a great concern for her 27 Coros. p. 142. 334 whose "Candida voz" ha hears in the infinite nostalgia of the rosumtic night when with a series of interrogations he asks: iQua^palsaja cobijas, oh mi cielo perdido? iQuien persigue tu sombre, de tus besos en pos? £R£es entre las mieses del verano florido o te acechan las nieves de un otono precoz?28 By having recourse to the interrogation in "La cruci fixion del poeta," the poet conveys the disgust and in sistence of the woman Who plies the poet with questions, — iNo me miras sun? ... ... jDonde estan los parientes ; ? 6I)onde estan tus hermanos ... . . ; ? iQuien ha tra£do el ungUento . ; ; ? £Ponde estan las legiones de esp£ritus con que contsbes en los aabitos de la tierra, y los guerreros de luz qua defend£an la entrada de tu para£so cerrado? (DPS, p. 195) The anxiety of the poet in "Las alegres compareras" is felt in the series of questions: 0 0 .y iDonde estan las fuentes? £Ponde la musica? £Ponde se oye la voz de ellas? £Estan danzando en los prados nocturnos, o entremezclan sus bocas las alegres compaHeras? (DPS, p. 218) 28"Confidencia," Vida, p. 55 335 The fear, the doubt, the wonderment, the curiosity of the "Mago" in the poem "El espCritu del fuego," is expressed in the accumulation of questions. A strange individual has Invaded his laboratory, and the wise-man asks: — Dl iquien eres, oh ser misterioso ? Dt: jquien eres? ^Acaso el celoso personaje, de negro vestido, que custodia un amor silencioso en la camara oscura del alma? jO el fantasma de aquel d£a ocioso cuyas luces y sombras cupieron en la curva de un labio goloso? ^Eres, sino, la rutila sombra de una noche con traje medroso . . . . # ? ^Eres halito fino, escapado de un sepulcro ... ? ^Te has fugado del libro doliente ? There are twenty-eight more verses in which the poet con tinues to have the wise man ply the intruder with ques tions, and this figure is used very successfully here. There is no doubt that in some aspects of Maya's poetry he definitely adheres to the precepts of classi cism— its themes, its figures and its construction. One of the manifestations of the latter is his use of parallel constructions. This tendency is found to some degree in all of his books, but the poem that illustrates the beauty 336 of this constructive figure is "Domus aurea." Speaking of the land on which the ancestral home rests he lovingly says, Tierra para el pan, tierra para el humo, tierra para los bueyes, and in correlative phrases he continues, [tierra] donde se fabrlcan los homos de arc ilia, [tierra] donde se queman las maderas olorosas, [tierra] donde se labran los arados resonantes. In the section on simile, when this same poem was dis cussed, the examples also illustrate parallelism— you are strong as the planks of cedar, you are good as the mill stones, you are just as your native waters, you are broad as your fields. In the same poem, describing the smoking eaves, the poet mentions the bees who take refuge beneath them in their hives where ... la amargura de la tierra y el dolor del canto err ante y el peso de las alas abrumadas de polvo are converted into infinite sweetness. This too illus trates the use of parallelism that abounds in "Domus ^ ft aurea. The roads that lead to and away from the solid home stead preach its vida £ecundaf prospers hacienda, senclllez desnuda 337 Thaae sane roada alng of ita (the house's) life, strong and gay como un caaco de acero donde ae mece una pluma languida, o como tua arados en cuya reja amanecen los pajaros, o como la frente de tua hombrea que, al aallr de la noche, ae cubren de gloria como el cielo del alba. This is not the extent of the poet's use of parallelism in this poem. Inside the house, in the chamber of robust artistry, junto al lecho de pabeHones oscuros, sobre el eatrado donde arden los braaeros, frente a las imagenea piadosas, o en medio de los espejoa antiguos, aits the woman whose very gesture Imparts wisdom. This woman, his mother, ia la flor de tu aangre, la entrana de tu pueblo, la palma de tu raza, la ra£z de tu tierra, oh, "domus aurea. A noun modified by an adjectival prepositional phrase, 2^Coroa. pp. 168>172. 338 a noun modified by an adjective, an adverbial clause, an adverbial prepositional phrase are the varied constructions which the poet uses in the beautiful examples of parallel ism just cited. On many occasions the meaning of a poem is enriched by the port's use of oxymoron and antithesis. A few examples of the former are the following: "mudos ecos," "silenclo evocador," "dulce deaden," "constants [constant, in the sense of firm or steadfast] vaiven," "aspera ter- nura," and "esplendor siniestro." Antithesis is more common than the use of oxymoron in Maya's work. The contradictory force of the two figures lends power to the thought the poet is expressing. The illusiveness and the improbability of ever attaining those "Ojos lejanos" in the poem of the same title is the feel ing that one receives in the antithetical expressions of living for what one dies for and hoping for what is most deceiving: Ojos lejanos que en mi afan espero ojos que un soplo de tristesa empana, sols a m£ como el ultimo lucero sobre el tranquilo asul de una montafia. No mo mlruttli y en silenclo os quiero: dulce desden que e le iluslon no dene* He eprendido e vivir por lo que muero, como e esperer por lo que mes me engene. fVld*. P. 73) The etemel brightness end the perpetuel light of the sters in contrest with the fugitive thought conceived on earth, end their serene rhythm end concordent music es opposed to the terrestriel chaos end insene confusion of humen souls is the most ettrective feature of the poem "A les estrellas": iQue puede un pensemiento fugltivo, engendredo en le tierra, contre le eterae derided que os bene, contre el silenclo puro en que irredien perpetues vuestres luces? Sols el ritmo sereno, le muslce ecordede sobre el trestomo terrenel y sobre le loce confusion de nuestres elmes. (Vida, p. 103) The juxteposition of opposing terms es "aauata" end "terse / placider," "honde celme" end "sordes tempestades," "se fregue" end "confiense muda," "soplo suave" end "estros falaces," "suave gesto" end "finel rtiine," betrey the hidden scheme in the intimete celm, the perfect order, the sudden silence, the plecid eletlon in the serene beetitude of the poem, "Media noche": IComo aeusta le terse plecides de este noche! Hey un trenquilo resplendor en el cielo, une celme ten £ntima en le altura, un orden ten perfeeto en les estrelles, un silenclo ten sublto en les nubes y une elacion ten pleclde en el elre, que no es poslble que ten honde celme nl ten serene beetltud cobljen les sordes tempestades de le tlerre. Algo se fregue en la estrellede elture contre nosotros. Le engeHose boveda nos qulere cestiger; pero antes deje que el hombre duenna en le confienze muda de su destlno, bajo el soplo suave de los astros falaces. iDeepertemos! que esta luna redonda que pasea de cumbre en cumbre, y los luceros tibios que palpitan desnudos en la noche, y el mismo viento que transports aromas de una cludad a otra ciudad, anuncian con suave gesto, la final rtiina de un mundo en que murieron, para el hombre, oraclones y lagrlmas a un tlempo. (Final, pp. 272-273) Time which Is so relative, which flies by when one wishes to relish the company of an intimate friend, or which stands still during suffering or the approach of long-expected event, is the topic of the sonnet, "Oh tlempo!" By means of antithetical expressions the poet produces this illusive effect: Oh tlempo! oh tlempo! el corazon te siente pero no te perclbe mi sentido. Debajo de mis pies corres sin ruldo, pero golpeas con furor mi frente. 341 ^Avanu o ritroctdt tu corriente? jVas al racuardo? jCorre# al olvldo? Ta qulero ratener, mat ya te has ido, qularo olvidarte, pero eat as presente. Hundlr atamldadas as tu gloria. Tu soplo mats. Tu virtud lnvanta. Fabula ares a la par qua historla. Tu paso antra los astros se desliza, y dal clalo y la tierra nos das cuenta escrlblendo con polvo y con cenlea. (Uu. pp. 342-343) In a few Instances the poet makes use of alliteration to e££ect the sound o£ the wind In one case, the sound o£ water In several and the awakening of dawn In the poem, "En las primeras horas," when the world begins to stir and the breeze blows softly over the earth and the birds begin to sing. It is the profusion of esses in the first stanza that effects this sweet, soft sound that rises toward the heavens: Este suave temblor, Este misterio, esta vision, es ta vaga visluobre de candor, este dulce comienzo de oracion; este vasto rumor que sale del nocturao corazon; esta tremula voz, esta brlsa despierta y este olor; esta clara canclon que sube hacia los cielos, como Dios; este apaclble son de flauta cristalina y caracol; esta vaga ambidon de libertad, este calor 342 qua nos Hogs *1 esp£rltu, to don do slmpat£a universal, $Que son, oh hermano? ... (Corot. p. 332) Tho chaotic disorder of the tempest, the rudq earth quakes, the vibration of the burning atmosphere, the hurricanes, the coursing of the rivers, the absurd sound that resembles the mooing of decapitated oxen, the golden strokes that flagellate the backs of the clouds--a tremen dous tempest is heard in the abundance of multiple vibrants 30 in the poem, "Tempestad." In the first fifty-five verses there are over twenty words with initial r or double rr: rudas, torridos, tierra, barrlda, retroceder, r£os, torres, barre, rumor, horror, reflejos, retoma, arrancando, ritmo, arrinconas, rotas, raudos, ruina, relampagos, ronda, region, horrldo, terrene. These words, in addition to the phrases that the poet has utilised, simulate the unmis takable noise of a deafening storm. Besides the more common tropes that Maya uses through out his work and that have been exemplified in the fore going, there are also cases of irony, such as the line in "Olvldo," "Al fin me has olvldado, {Qua suave y hondo 30NN, pp. 143-146. 343 olvido!"3^ In the poem "Le muerte de Adonis" there is the very classleal pleonasm In the verse, "besame con el beso 32 de tus lablos." An example of synedoche, and one that aptly describes the subject, Is the line In "El esp£rltu del fuego," in which the wise man announces the arrival of the lithe chorus: " ... ^que escucho? Es el llviano coro / que vuelve. Son los agiles tobillos!"33 In the classical vein of describing the brow and breasts of a woman, and as an example of paronomasia Is the reference the poet makes to the "Primera companera" of her "imperio de tus sienes / y de tus senos que guardan su flor per fect a." 34 This terminates the exposition of the formal structure of Maya's poetry. It is evident that the poet is in com mand of the Instruments of poetic construction, and that they support him in expressing his inner sentiments and feeling, or in capturing an exterior experience and Immor talizing it. 31Vida. p. 42. 32Ibid.. p. 75. 33PPS. p. 241. 34 "Las alegres companeras," DPS, p. 210. CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION The elm of this dissertation has been a critical analysis of Rafael Maya's poetry in order to introduce it to the student of Latin American literature as a body of lyrical works deserving of thorough study. In examining Maya*8 poetry I have taken into consideration his own poetic theories. I have analysed chronologically his six poetic collections— La vida en la sombre. Coros del medio- d£&, Despues del silenclo. Final de v otras can- ciones. Tiemoo de lux, and Navegacion nocturne--with regard to content and have concluded with a study of his style. The progression from his initial work of La vida en la sombra. where Maya adheres to the classical forms, is noteworthy in Coros del mediod£a and Destmes del silenclo. In La vida en la sombra the inspiration of the muse and the Imitation of the classical poets, with a definite tinge of Colombian color, serves as an introduction of the poet 344 Co his readers. Here Is a writer who handles words with care and perfection. Every syllable is counted and every rhyme is studied. The poet has not dared to break with tradition. He is still bound by the fetters of a formal style. The spontaneity of later works and the freedom of form characteristic of Coros del madiodla and Daanuaa dal ailancio are lacking in La vide an la sombre. One would say that the poet is actually living his life in the penumbra awaiting the propitious moment to emerge into the full sunshine of midday. T?'* universality requisite for good poetry is found more In the themes employed by Maya than in the forms, although in La vida en la sombre one does find a variety of forms--couplets, tercets, quatrains, silvas. and son nets. The subject of his poetry ranges from the sublime themes of life and death, love and beauty to the homey topics of family and birthplace. He treats each theme with an appropriate delicacy, understanding, pathos or feeling as the aiood of each work requires it. It is in Coros del madlodfa and Desnues del ailancio. though, that Pillement's prophecy with regard to Maya's originality and extraordinary facility comes to fruition. 346 Here the poet is dering. He breeke with deeeleel forme end trenecends the commonplace as his poetry becomes more philosophical. The poems, at first reading, might appear somewhat deeper than his earlier ones but possibly not more than that unless one were to pause to plumb and reflect the richness of thought and expression with which he creates his "obras maestras." In Coffoy dpi ffigdjodfa there is a definite relationship between man and the earth (the soil). By paralleling the germination of a seed to the spirit of man, the poet describes the process of growth and maturation of his spiritual faculties. Again there is this idea developed in the analogy between the faith man sets in the earth's annual yield and the spiritual faith of man. The poet also uses this similarity in comparing the invisible growth of the seed in the darkness of night when the sun's warm rays no longer warm the womb that protects it to the nurturing of the seeds of inspiration. Maya's aptness of imagery and expression has the ability to lift one from the mundane to the sublime. One ascends with him to be seared by the sun and simultaneously purified. It expresses his own desire to transcend the 347 earthly existence in order to attain a loftier eminence. The ascent is two-fold: the poet aspires to the perfect heights of poetry and to the elevation of the truly spiritual man. Maya expresses in his poems of Coros del mediodfa the eternal aspirations of man who, no matter how low he may degrade himself, possesses that innate tendency to grasp for something higher. Desnues del silencio is unique among Maya's books of poetry because his style is a combined poetic-dramatic one. The poem, "Rosa tnecanica," illustrates the technique that Maya uses in this collection to dramatize, in this par ticular poem, the evanescence of the materialistic con trasted to the permanence of the creatures of nature. The haughtiness and superiority of man-made objects, like the artificial rose and the steel rod, contrast strikingly with the humility and self-effacement of the beetles and the bledes of grass. The poet transmits these feelings by the language and tone that he employs and thereby excori ates those men who find their complete satisfaction in material creatures which have never been able to survive the simple creations of God. The poet had a message to relay in his period "after 348 silence," end this he did in an exceptional way in the six dialogued poems in Desoues del silencio. Man's struggle with his conscience, his ultimate choice of right or wrong, his interior wrestling to avoid the attractive and to accept the more difficult— these dally combats enacted in the poems of his third book give force to the Impact that Maya succeeds in instilling into these powerful dramas. Maya's second and third books of poetry, Coros del medlodfa and Desmies del silencio. demonstrate the greatest creative power of the poet. The length of the poems, of course, lends Itself to a greater flexibility and variety but, by the same token, to maintain the elevated tone throughout is a skill that requires the pen of a skillful poet. Maya reaches his apogee in the two aforementioned books. Poems of their caliber defy repetition, and the poet never attains the heights of their beauty and quality in his later works. i yi Q T f f v otras canciones contains poems of traditional form— especially the ballad— but the prosaic topics prevent this book from approximating the quality of the tyo previous works. Maya's subsequent book, Tiempo de lux, is unique in the fact that it is made up of fifty sonnets. The title 349 of the anthology la fitting as the entire collection Is permeated with light and brilliance. There are many poems which approach the greatness of some of his earlier works by their ethereal delicacy. Just as the world becomes brighter at the moment between daylight and twilight, Maya's poetic production shines with the resplendent re flection of this small book. Penumbra, noon-day sun, sunset and evening are the progressive periods of Maya's poetic life. How appropriate that the book published in 1958 be entitled Navegacion nocturne! The poet had begun his career nearly forty years earlier. Maturity and experience grew with the inevitable passing of time. Every man's life is fraught with joys and sorrows, and surely Maya was no different. The flam- bouyancy of youth mellowed into the wisdom of maturity, and this gradual transformation is reflected in the work that was so closely allied to his personality--his poetry. In Navegacion noctuma the poet no longer needs to preach to mankind nor chastise him. He can look back now on the past and placidly await death. It is evident that this thought is never too far removed from the poet, since it is the subject of many of the poems of this collection. Master of poetic form, the poet gives free reign to his pen end delights with the originality and variety of the poems. Maya is eclectic and independent. Like the artisan of any trade, he begins by imitating the masters. When he has acquired the facility of a truly great man, he casts aside the yoke of tradition and experiments with less confining forms. He reaches the apex of his career and then his production returns to a more sedate tone. A dedi cated poet to the core, he never abandons this vocation, and even in the evening of his life he shares with mankind the deep thoughts that he so aptly expresses in poetry. APPENDIX APPENDIX Rafael Maya is a prose writer, as well as a poet, who is esteeBied for his critical judgments of literary works. Since the corpus of this dissertation revolved around his lyric compositions, his prose works fell outside the scope of this study. As a source for those who are interested in examining his prose, there is a list appended here, in chronological order, of his essays and short stories in book form. Many of these appeared as articles in reviews and were given as conferences and later compiled in sepa rate volumes. Some essays that appeared only in periodi cals are listed in the bibliography. There are many critics who have written about Maya's works— especially his poetry--whose comments did not have relevance for this particular study, but these references have also been in cluded in the bibliography as an aid to those who might make a further study of Maya's works. # 352 353 El r Inc on da I— 4i ”l jfftr > T*- Bogota: Ed lc lone 8 Colombia, 1927. A collection of ahort stories end poems In prose, permeated with a feeling of nostalgia and character ised by sketches In color and Imagery. De Silva a Rivera. Bogota: Universldad, 1929. A critical analysis of the lyrical works of two of the greatest Colombian poets, Jose Asuncion Silva and Jose Eustasio Rivera In which Maya evidences Insight in the lucid discussion of these writers. dml hnmfrr* v da la tiagr*. Bogota: Casa Edi torial Santafe, 1934. Primer volumen. Essays which deal with well-known Colombian writers including Baldomero Sanln Cano, Guillermo Valencia and Porflrio Barba Jacob. Alabangas del honbre v de la tierra. Bogota: Editorial Voluntad, 1941. Segundo volumen. Conferences delivered by Maya in various parts of Colombia. Conslderaciones crlticas sobre la literature Colombians. Bogota: Llbreria Voluntad, 1944. A penetrating analysis of the literature of Colombia in which Maya indicates Its weaknesses as well as Its salient qualities. El rincon de las Bogota: Llbreria Voluntad, 1945. Segunda edicion. Short stories and prose poems that stress the exquisite evanescence of love and life illustrated with the charming drawings of Ignacio Gomes Jara- mlllo. 354 lorn trmm fmAnm da Don Qullote. Bogota: Instituto Caro y Cuervo, 1947. An elaboration of a topic handled by hundreds of writers but imprinted with the peculiar stamp of Maya. Dlaertacion aofrra Goethe. Bogota: Prensas del Mlnlsterlo de Educaclon National, 1949. A concise study of the German poet. r.a rmta* pnm«n«--tca an Colombia. Botota: Editorial Kelly, 1954. An anthology of the most representative romantic poets of Colombia. de aver v retratos de hov. Bogota: Editorial Kelly, 1954. Critical essays of contemporary writers as well as chroniclers and poets of the colonial period and writers of the nineteenth century. VWTif de aver v retratos de hoy. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1958. A second edition, augmented, Including articles that had appeared in the review founded and directed by Maya, Bolfvar. his prologues of books published by the Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos and addresses given by the poet. Los or£aenes del modernismo en Colombia. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1961. A thorough study of one of the most interesting periods in the history of Colombian literature. De oerfil v de frente. Call: Blblloteca de la Universidad del Valle, 1965. A collection of sixteen essays that deal mainly with Colombian authors. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources Books Maya, Rafael. Alabanzas dal hombra v da la tiarra. Bogota: Casa Editorial Santafe, 1934. ___________ • Alabanzas del honibre y de la tierra. Vol. II. Bogota: Editorial Voluntad, [1941]. ___________ * Conslderacionfs crfticas sobre la litera- tura Colombians. Bogota: Libreria Voluntad, 1944. ___________ . Coros del medlodfa. Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1928. ___________• Despues del silencio! Poemas dialogados. Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1938. ___________ • Dlsertacion sobye Goethe. Bogota: Prensas del Mlnl8terio de Education Naclonal, 1949. ___________ . Elogios. Bogota: Unlversldad, 1929. Estmpas de aver v retratos de hov. Bogota: Editorial Kelly, 1954. (Blblloteca de Autores Coloubianofu No. 80.) __________ • aver ▼ retratos de hov. 2a ed. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1958. 356 357 Maya, Rafael. La musa r«n*nfcie« en Colombia. Bogota: Editorial Kelly, 1954. (Blblloteca de Autores Colomblanos, No. 79.) ____________. Navegacion nocturne. Bogota: Librerla Voluntad, 1958. . Obra poet lea. 3a ed. aumentada con Tlempo de lua. Bogota: Editorial Iquelma, 1951. (Biblio- teca Popular de Culture Colomblana.) ____________• Qbra poatjea: La vide en la sombre. Coros dal madiodla. Deapuea del silencio. Final d? v otraa canciones. Tiempo de luz. 5a ed. Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958. (Blblloteca de Autores Colom- ' bianos, No. 111.) ______________ Lpg orlgfflVff. dgj. msdernigpo gn Cglfifflkta- Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1961. (Blblloteca de Autores Contemporaneos, No. 2.) _______• De nerfil v de frente. Cali: Blblloteca de la Unlversldad del Valle, 1965. ______ • Poesl^: La vida en la 8onibra> Coros del madiodla, Pespues del silencio. Bogota: Librerla Voluntad, 1940. ______ _• 1f t ggpferg, gojTVg. madiodla, Flnfl de mp»yv>^ » otras canciones. 2a ed. Bogota: Librerla Voluntad, 1944. _______. El r Inc on de las - Bogota: Edi- ciones Colombia, 1927* . El rlncon de le« - Cuentos y poemas en pros a. 2a ed. Bogota: Librerla Voluntad, 1945. _______ . Tiempo de luz. Bogota: Edlciones Esplral, 1951. t 358 Maya, Rafael. Lot tree mnflPT Don Quilote. Bogota: Inatltuto Caro y Cuervo, 1947. (Separata de Thaaaurua. Boletin del Inatltuto Caro y Cuervo, Tomo II, Noa. 1, 2 y 3, 1947.) ___________ . Loa tree mundoa de Don Quilota. v otroa enaavoa. Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1952. (Blblloteca de Autorea Colooblanoa, Mb. 1.) ___________ • La vlda en la a ombre. Bogota: Cromoa, 1925. Artlclea and Prologues Maya, Rafael. "Antonio Gomez Reatrepo," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 9 (Mayo, 1952), pp. 713-722. ___________ • "Antonio Llanos," Repertorlo Americano (San Jose), XXVIII (1934), 88 and 95. . "Aspectos del Romanticismo en Colombia," Reviata de la Unlveraidad del Cauca (Popayan), No. 2 (Enero-Febrero, 1944), pp. 49-64. ___________ . "Aspectos del Romantic ismo en Colombia, ” Reviata (Mexico), VIII (Noviembre, 1944), 275-289. ___________ . "La Bolivarlada," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 15 (Dlclembre, 1955), pp. 1030-1031. ___________ . "Camilo Torres," Bolivar (Bogota), II (Febrero, 1952), 225-234. . "Capitulo de un estudio aobre Guillermo Valencia," Reviata de las Indies (Bogota), XXIV (Junlo, 1945), 323-336. ___________ . "Carta al senor Ministro de Educacion Naclonal," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 45 (Dlclembre, 1955), pp. 837-838. 359 Maya, Rafaal. "Castellanos y Ercllla," Revlsts da las Indies (Bogota), IX (Abril, 1941), 153-164. . "Celebracion da la flasta patria," Bol£var (Bogota), I (Septlembre, 195,1), 547-548. "Contestaclon da don Rafaal Maya al dis- (Bogota), XII (1950-1955), 14-21. . "Crftica sobra quince autores colomblanos,” in Ruben H. Arango, Mi literature. Medellfn: Imprenta Dapartamental, 1949* _______. "Dal arte slmbolista al arte mecanico," Anuarlo da la Academia Colombiana (Bogota), XII (1950-1955), 317-328. _______. "Discurso an la celebracion del 127° anlver- sario da la Unlversldad dal Cauca," Bolfvar (Bogota), Mo. 35 (Septienbra-Dlciembre, 1954), pp. 991-1018. _______» "Discurso para inaugurar la faria del libro," Noticias da Colombia (Bogota), No. 58 (Septlembre 19, 1951), pp. 24-29. . "Disertacion sobra Goethe," Suplemento, Revists da las Indies (Bogota), XXXV (Octubre- Diciembre, 1949), 3-32. » "Don Aurelio Mart£nez Mutls," Anuarlo de la Colombiana (Bogota), XII (1950-1955), 419-422. . "Dos palabras sobra Luis B. Ramos," Esniral (Bogota), VI (Abril, 1955), 10-11, 18. . "Elogio a don Marco Fidel Suarez," Anuarlo da la AcsAamif Colombiana (Bogota), XII (Marzo- Agosto, 1955), 222-234. y. "Elogio a don Marco Fidel Suarez," Bolfvar (Bogota), No. 39 (Marzo-Agosto, 1955), pp. 673-692. 360 Maya, Rafaal. "Elogio da Guillermo Valencia," Raviata IbaroaaaricaM (Mexico), VIII (Mayo, 1944), 9-20. . "En elogio da loa fund adore®," Anmrio da la Academia Colombian* (Bogota), XII (1950-1955), 287-297. ------------. "En torno a Ruben Dario," Boletln da la AaaAmm-im Colombiana (Bogota), XI (Enaro-Marzo, 1960), 31-36. _______• * "Ensayo sobra los ultimo® aHos dal slglo XVII," Raviata da la Unlversldad dal Cauca (Popayan), No. 3 (Marzo-Abrll, 1944), pp. 5-20. ____________. "Evocscion de San Francisco da Asls," Reviata de las Indies (Bogota), XXXVII (Septlembre- Octubre, 1950), Suplemento. "Francis en la literature colombiana," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 20 (Mayo-Julio, 1953), pp. 841- 856. ___________. "Francisco Jose de Caldas," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 7 (Marzo, 1952), pp. 427-432. - "Function of books; excerpt from Alabanzas del hombre v de la tierra." Bulletin of the Pan- Al"tTi?ln (Washington, D.C.), LXXX (March, 1946), 148-150. . "Garcia Lorca," Revista de las Indies (Bogota), I (Marzo, 1937), 26-28. . "Guillermo Valencia," Unlversldad Catolica Bolivariapa (Medellin), III (Febraro-Marzo, 1939), vil. (Cuadarnillos de poasla colombiana, No. 1.) ___________• "Hernando Dominguez Csmargo," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 8 (Abril, 1952), pp. 639-644. _______ "Homenaje a la Unlversldad de Popayan, en el 127° aniversario de su fundaclon," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 34 (Novianibre-Dlclembre, 1954), pp. 991-1018. 361 Maya, Rafael. "Las 'Homilies' de Carrasquilla," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 14 (Novieubre, 1952), pp. 759-762. ___________ . igleala, la Eucaristla y la cul- tura; oraclon pronunclada durante las ceremonies del II Congreso Eucarlstico Naclonal," Boletln Cultural v Bibliografico (Bogota), Agosto, 1958. ___________ . "La Influencla de Francla en las letras colomblanas," El Javerlano (Bogota), IV (Enero- Febrero, 1954), 57-62. ___________ . "La Interferencla de los generos en la lite rature Colombians," Reviata de las Indies (Bogota), VII (Septlembre, 1940), 161-168. ___________ . "Jorge Isaacs," Unlversldad Catollca Boli var lana [pontlflclal (Medellin), XXIII (Abril-Julio, 1959), 2 pp. (Cuademlllos de poesla colombiana, No. 61.) . "Jorge Isaacs y la Realldad de su Esplrltu," Revlsta Iherojmift^ygiig (Mexico), X (Novlembre, 1945), 59-81. ___________ • "Jorge Isaacs y la realldad esplrltual de su vlda," Revlsta Colealo Rosario (Bogota), XXXII (Prlmavera, 1937), 175-202. ___________ . "Jose Eusebio Caro," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 17 (Marzo, 1953), pp. 257-270. ___________ . "Jose Eustasio Rivera," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 41 (Julio, 1955), pp. 5-18. . "Jose Joaquin Casas," Boletln de la Academia Colombiana (Bogota), VI (Enero-Marzo, 1956), 11-17. . "Jos! Joaquin Ortiz," Unlversldad Catollca Bollvarlana [pontlflcial (Medellin), XXIII (Sep- tlembre, 1958 - Marzo, 1959), Introduce ion. (Cuademlllos de poesla colombiana, No. 60.) 362 Maya, Rafaal. "Jose Manual Groot," Bolivar (Bogota), II (Junto, 1952), 1033-1040. ___________ , . "Joaa Santos Chocano, ” Anumrlo da la Aca demia nnlnnhiana Am U Lenxua (Bogota), IX (1941- 1942), 267-276. ____________. "Joaa UnaHa Barnal," El Pais (Call), Suplemento litarario, 5 da Agosto da 1951, p. 6. . "El joven llorado," Repertory *"»**-».cano (San Joaa), XXXII (Jullo-Dlclambra, 1936), 23. ____________. "Juana de Ibarbourou," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 19 (Mayo, 1953), pp. 629-636. ____________. "La lecclon da Salamanca," Bolfvar (Bogota), No. 25 (Septlembre-Dlclembre, 1953), pp. 689-698. ________"El llbro, te8timonlo de la cultura," Bolivar (Bogota), I (Septlembre, 1951), 542-547. ____________. "El llbro, te8tlmonio da la cultura," El Slalo (Bogota), Agoato 29, 1951, p. 1. ____________. "La Uteratura colonial: Alvarez de Velasco y Zorrllla," Reviata dal Colagio Mavor da Nueatra Safiora dal Rosario (Bogota), No. 436 (Marzo, 1955), pp. 69-73. ____________. "Lula Vargas Tejada," Bolivar (Bogota), II (Mayo, 1952), 853-860. . "La Madra Castillo," Bolivar (Bogota), I (Septlembre, 1951), 557-559. . "Manual del Socorro Rodriguez," Bolivar (Bogota), I (Octubre, 1951), 783-785. . "Marco Fidel Suarez, clasico da America," fijyittl (Mexico), VI (Fabraro, 1943), 23-39. 363 Maya, Rafael. "Las memorlas de Posada Gutierrez/' El Slttlo (Bogota), Dicienbre 2, 1951, p. 1. ___________ . "Nueva Interpretacion de Becquer," Revista del Colettio Mayor de Nuestra Sefiora del Rosario (Bogota), XXXIV (Abril-Mayo, 1939), 329-330. ___________ . "Oracion aManizales," Popayan (Popayan), Nos• 230-231 (Octubre-Noviembre, 1951), pp. 771-774. ___________. "La poesla de Guillermo Valencia," Bolivar (Bogota), II (Junlo, 1952), 951-970. ___________ . "La poesla de Jose Joaqu£n Casas," Bol£var (Bogota), II (Pebrero, 1952), 115-124. ___________ . "El poeta filosofo, Jose Eusebio Caro," El Sittlo (Bogota), Dlclembre 30, 1951, pp. 1-2. ___________. "Uh poeta filosofo," Revlsta Javerlana (Bogota), XXIII (Febrero-Junto, 1945), 137-150. . "Poetas nuevos, ^revolucionarios ... o re- vo It os os?" Boletln de la Academia Colombiana (Bogota), IX (Julio-Septiembre, 1959), 293-294. ; ________ . "Por los fundadores," Bol£var (Bogota), No. 12 (Mayo-Agosto, 1952), pp. 207-222. ___________ . "Porfirio Barba Jacob," Universidad Catollca Bolivar tana [pontlficial (Medellin), IV (Febrero- Marzo, 1940). (Cuademlllos de poesfa colombiana, No. 4.) ___________ . "Rafael Pon&o,” Bolivar (Bogota), No. 11 (Julio, 1952), pp. 47-68. ___________ . "Prologo," in Jose Marla Arboleda Llorente, Vida del Ilustrlsiao^segor Manuel Jose llosquera Arzoblspo Am Santa Pa de Bogota. Bogota: Mlnisterio de Educacion Naclonal, 1956. 2 vols. (Blblloteca de Autores Colomblanos, Vols. 108 and 109.) 364 Maya, Rafaal. "Prologo," In Guillermo Camacho Carricosa, Critlca historlea. Bogota: Ministerio de Educscion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 125.) ____________. "Prologo," In Jos£ Eusebio Caro, Antoloefa: verso v prosa. Bogota: Ministerio de Educscion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 148.) . "Prologo," in Jose Eusebio Caro, Eacrltoa f llosof lcos. Bogota: Ministerio de Educ scion Naclonal, 1954. (Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos, Vol. 78.) ____________. "Prologo," In Tomas Carrasquilla, La mar- quesa de Yolombo. 3a ed. Buenos Aires: W. M. Jackson, 1957. ______ ____ "Prologo; La poes£a de Jose Joaqu£n Casas," in Jose Joaqu£n Casas Castaneda, Antoloela poetics. Bogota: Ministerio de Educscion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 151.) ____________• "Prologo; Cronicas de Ibanez," in Cronlcas de Bogota. 4 vols. Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1951. ________9 "Prologo," In Fernando Galvls Salazar, Jose Eusebio Caro. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1955. da ^ Car^OS Garc^a ^qda, Poesla ^ "Prologo; Biografla del autor," In Antonio Gomez Restrepo, Or sc lone« Bogota: Ministerio de Educacion Naclonal, 1952. (Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos, Vol. 9.) ____________. "Prologo," in Jose Manuel Groot, Historis T VVidry da coiy ^ y Bogota: Ministerio de Educacion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 131.) ____________. "Prologo; La obra de LondoSo," in Coraelio Hispano, Victor M. LondoBo. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1937. 365 Maya, Rafaal. "Prologo," in Hugo Lindo. Varia poesla. San Salvador: Mlnlatarlo de Educacion, 1961. . "Prologo; El llbro^de Angel Montoya," in Alberto Angel Montoya^ Leccion de poesla (Antologla para mi hlto). Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1951. ___________ . "Prologo," in Rafael Ortiz Gonzalez, Angola* de piedra. Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1958. (Blblloteca de Autores Contemporaneos.) ___________ . "Prologo," in Andres Pardo Tovar, Voces-y cantos de America: Vinetas de Jose M. Pomaredo. Bogota: Editorial Stylo, 1945. _______"Prologo," in Rafael Pombo, Antologla poetica. Bogota: Editorial ABC, 1952. (Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos, No. 10.) . "Prologo; Esta^obra," in Joaquin Posada Gutierrez, Memories historico-pollticas. 6 vols. Bogota: Ministerio de Educacion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vols. 137- 142.) "Prologo," in Romulo Renteria Triana, ortografla castellana. Bogota: Editorial "Nuevo Mundo," 1951. ___________ . "Prologo," in Jose Marla Rivas Groot, Novelas v cuentos. Bogota: Ministerio de Educacion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 126.) ___________ . "Prologo; Estudio sobre los sonetos de Rivera," in Jose Eustaslo Rivera, Tierra de promision. Bogota: Imprenta Naclonal, 1955. ___________ . "Prologo," in Jos£ Asuncion Silva, Obra complete. Bogota: Ministerio de Educ acion Naclonal, 1956. (Blblloteca de Autores Colombianos, No. 99.) 366 May*, Rafael. "Prologo," In Carlos Arturo Torres, Estudios varios♦ Bogota:-Ministerio de Educacion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 128.) __________. "Prologo," In Jose Umana Bernal, Poesla. Bogota: Ministerio de Educ acion Naclonal, 1951. (Blblloteca Popular de Cultura Colombiana, Vol. 130.) ____________. "Prologo; A propostto de este llbro," In Rene Uribe Ferrer, Modernismo v poesla. Medellin: Imprenta Departamental de Antloquia, 1962. (La Ter- tulia, Vol. 5.) ____________. "Prologo; Estudio prelimlnar," In Versos de Guillermo Valencia. Victor M. Londono, Comelio Hlsoano. Max Grillo. Bogota: Ediciones Colombia, 1925. ____________. "Rafael Uribe Uribe," Boletfn de la Academia Colombiana (Bogota), IX (Abril-Junlo, 1959), 150-160. __________. "Significacion de un pacto de cultura," Boletln dq ) , f l Aygd^mla Colombiana (Bogota), X (1960), 246. __________. "Significacion de un pacto de cultura," Boletln de Ayylynia Venezolana de la Lengua (Caracas), Nos. 106-107 (Abril-Diciembre, 1960), pp. 41-46. . "Sobre Candidatures," Boletln Hg ig Colombiana (Bogota), V (1951), 177-179. _______"Sobre Guillermo Valencia," Revista de America (Bogota), II (Abrll-Junio, 1945), 56-68. ____________. "Tomas Carrasquilla," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 16 (Enero, 1953), pp. 231-236. ____________. "Tomas Carrasquilla," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 13 (Septlembre, 1952), pp. 439-461. 367 Maya, Rafael. "La traduce ion francesa de El moro. da Marroquin," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 40 (Marco-Agosto, 1955), pp. 921-930. ___________ . "Una traduceion francesa— Version de Claude Couffon," Bolivar (Bogota), No. 40 (Marzo- Ago*to, 1945), pp. 963-966. ___________ . "Los tres mundos de Don Quijote," Revlsta Javeriana (Bogota), XXVIII (Octubre, 1947), 228-243. . "Los tres mundos de Don Quijote," in Eduardo Caballero Calderon (ed.), Cervantes en Colombia. Madrid: Patronato del IV Centenarlo de Cervantes, 1948, pp. 383-419. ___________ . "Vida, muerte y resurreccion de una eluded," in Juan Bautista Jaramillo Meza (comp.), El libro de oro de Manizales. Bogota: Prensas de Ministerio de Educacion, 1951, pp. 99-119. . "Vida, muerte y resurreccion de una ciudad," El libro da oro de Manizales. Manizales: Imprenta del Departamento, 1939• _______ "Vislta del profesor, Mayor J. G. Thulin," Bolivar (Bogota), I (Septlembre, 1951), 547. Poems from Anthologies and Periodicals "En las prlmeras horas," "Bajo el ale de la victoria," in Dario Achury Valenzuela (comp.), El libro de los poetaa. Bogota: Tipografia "Colon," 1937, pp. 39-41, 43-50. "En las prlmeras horas," "La espina," "La mansion abandona- da," "Recado a mis amigos," "Sangre," in Francisco Aguilera (comp.), Lada* of Genres and topics to the q^ing 1" hv miflrrg fr— Library of Congress Archives of Hispanic Literature on tana. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress Reference Department, 1962. "Inviteeion a navegar," "El nocturao del alba," In Glnes da Albareda y Francisco Garfias, An to log la de la poesla h.typi^9MfTr^rinl- Madrid: Blblloteca nueva, 1957, pp. 483-487. "De mas alia," "Seramos trlstes," "Olvldo," "En las prime- ras^horas," "La Pledra de David" (fragmento) In Ruben H. Arango, Ml literature. Medellin: Imprenta Departamental, 1949, pp. 327-332. "Un dla vendra la muerte," "Elnocturno del alba," In Roberto Arrazola (Selecclon, prologo y notes de), Antoloala poetlca de Colombia. Buenos Aires: Editorial Colombia, [1943], pp. 258-260. "Domus Anrea," In Atenea (Chile), No. 9 (Noviembre, 1927), pp. 330-334. "La voz del ague," In Ataneo de Honduras. Ill, 1065. "Rosa entre rosas," In Alberto Baeza Flores, Antologfa de la poesla hlsnanoamerlcana. Buenos Aires: Edlclones Tlrso, 1959, pp. 141-142. "Salmo," "Gratia plena," "Canto del hombre nuevo," In Hermana Margarita de Belen, La poesla religiose granadlno-colonbiana (Tesis de grado). Bogota: Pontlficla Unlversldad Javeriana, I960, pp. 240- 241. "Retomo," "El esclavo," "Flor y poema," "Odlsea," "El fruto," "Tiempo de luz," "Ciudad lejana," "La case paterna," "La voz," "Olvldo," in Boletln Cultural v Blbliografico (Bogota), IV (Abril, 1961), 313-317. "La crucifixion del poeta," "La pledra de David," "Las alegres companeras," "Ruben Dario," "Mujer y rose," "Volver a verte," "Ciudad lejana," "Olvldo," "La voz del ague," "Alma mla," in Jose Ignacio Bustamante, T-g P^fffja en Ponavan. Popayan: Editorial Unlversldad del Cauca, 1954, pp. 280-304. 369 "1* escondida senda," In Eduardo Caballero Calderon (Selecclon y nocae de), Loe pelorey p^rflf At ms lores poo tea colombianos. Caracas: n.p., 1952, pp. 20-21. "Azul," In Jorge Campos, Antoloaia Hispano-amerlcana. Madrid: Edlctones Pegaso, 1950, p. 494. "Seremos trlstes," "Alla lejos," ”Inviteeion a navegar,w "Elegfa del barrio viejo,” In Carlos Arturo Capa- rroso (escogio y comento), Antoloala lirlca. 3a ed. Bogota: Librerla y Editorial Horizonte, 1945, pp. 243-249. "Seremos trlstes," "Alla lejos," "En las prlmeras horas," "InvItacion a navegar," in Carlos Arturo Caparroso (escogio y comento), Poesla colombiana. Bogota: Librerla editorial, La gran Colombia, 1942, pp. 160- 164. "Fatum," "De mas alia," in Cromos (Bogota). "La mujer sobre el ebano," "Elegla de las lamparas,” in fStMda-moB del Noticiario colombiano (San Jose de Costa Rica), No. 5 (1939). ("Clnco grandes poetas colombianos.") "Alla lejos," ("Au loin lk-bas," translated by Claude Cou££on], in Federico De On Is (cholx, introduction et,notes de), Antholoaie de la poesie ibero- Hftna. Paris: Les Editions Nagel, 1956, pp. 242-243. "Capltan de velnte afios," in Federico De On£s, Antoloa£a de la ooes£a eaoaflola e (1882-1932). New York: Las Americas Publishing Company, 1961, pp. 1013-1016. "Seremos trlstes," "Tu," "En las prlmeras horas," "Alma plena," "Invitacion a navegar," In Los Editores, Indice de la PO««£« en Calnmhi*. 1946, pp. 104-112. 370 "La caaa paterna," "Todo pa*o/' "Amor sin amor," "Tu y la noche," In Arturo Escobar Uribe (Notas biografica de), Nuevo Parnaao Colombiano. 2a ed. Bogota: Edlciones Mundial, 1954, pp. 285-286. "Alla lejos" ("Far over yonder," translated by R. H[ays]>, in Dudley Fitts, Anthology of Contemporary Latin - American Poetry. Norfolk, Conn.: Nee Directions Book, 1942, pp. 442-445. "La Vida," "Mi verso," "Yo te llevare a mi valle," "Cuando lleguen los barbaros," "Interior," "Tlerra," "Domus aurea," "Hlmno a la aurora presentIda," "Alla lejos," in Carlos Garcia Freda, An to log la da llricos colom- bianos. 2 vols. Bogota: Imprenta Neclonal, 1936, II, 366. "Unica," "Fatum," "La case paterna," in Carlos Garcia Freda (selecciones, arreglo e ilustraciones de), Lug cue flote en el olyido (120 sonetos origlneles de varlos autores). Mexico: Imprenta Unlversitaria, 1939, pp. 40, 83-84. "Interior," "Alla lejos," in Carlos Garcia Preda, Poes la de Esnana v America. 2 vols. Madrid: Edlciones Culture Hispanica, 1958, II, 801-804. "Tu," "Eh las primeraa horas," "Volver a verte," "Capitan de veinte aHos," "La mu^er sobre el ebano," in Andres Holguin (Seleccion de), Las melores ooeslaa coloabianas. 2 vols. Lima: Editora Latinoamerlcana, 1959, II, 48-57. "La Rosa mecanica" (fragmento), in Jose Nunez Segura, S.J., Literature Colombians. 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"Seminas en la noche," "Invitacion a navegar," "Las alas," "Canto del hombre cautivo," in Repertorio Americano (San Jose de Costa Rica), XVII (1928), 86-87. "Volverte a ver [sic]," in Repertory Aw>?y*rflr i ™ (San Jose de Costa Rica), VIII (1924), 319. "La mujer sobre el ebano," "Invitacion a navegar," "Rosa mecanica," "Un d£a vendra la muerte," "La crucifixion del poeta," "En las prlmeras horas," in Felix Res- trepo, S.J. (Prologo y ep£logode), y Carlos Lopez Narvaez (Edicion y notas biograficas de), Potman de Colombia. Medellin: Editorial Bedout, 1959, pp. 294- 318, 530-538. "Fatum," in Revista Chilena (Santiago de Chile), XII (1921), 192. "Frente al mar," in Revista de la Universidad de los Andes (Bogota), No. 1 (Marzo 1, 1958), pp. 7-9. 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"El mundo en flor," "Salutacion," in Daniel Samper Ortega (ed.), Los ooetaa: De la naturaleza. Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1936, pp. 203-207. (Biblloteca aldeana de Colombia, No. 84.) "Gratia plena," in Daniel Samper Ortega (ed.), Los ooetaa: An?r niYln? Bogota: Editorial Minerva, 1936, p. 100. (Biblloteca aldeana de Colombia, No. 86.) "El mundo en flor," in Santafe v Bogota (Bogota), VI (Dlclembre, 1925), 243-244. "Gracia [sic] plena," in Eduardo Trujillo Gutierrez, Antoloala «*rlana. Bogota: Impreso en la Editorial Santafe, 1954, pp. 155-156. 373 "La mujer sobre al ebano," "En laa primeras horas," "Invi tacion a navegar," "Las alegres companeras," "Alla leloa," In Unlversidad Catolica tollvirliM (Mede llin), III (Abril-Mayo, 1938). (Cuademlllos de poes£a Colombians, No. 2.) Secondary Sources Achury Valenzuela, Dario (comp.). El llbro de los ooetaa. 2a ed. Bogota: Tlpografia "Colon," 1937. Aguilera, Francisco (comp.). Index of Genres and Topics VT Vfl? 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"Sobra la interpretaclon da Roaa macanica da Rafaal Maya," Raviata dal Colaaio Mayor da Muaatra Safiora dal Roaarlo (Bogota), XXXI (Julio-Ago*to, 1936), 431-450. Cassou, Jaan. Review of "La vlda an la sombre." Revua da I * ^-fr-friua latine (Paris), X (Aout, 1925), 159. Cirlot, J. E. A Dictionary of Symbols. London: Routledga and Kagan Paul, 1962. Da OnIs, Fadarico (ad.). Antoloafa da la noaa£a espaEola a hisoanosmericana (1882-1932). Now York: las Americas Publishing Company, 1961. Diaz da Madina, Fernando. "Figuras de America: Rafaal Maya, poeta da Colombia," Bolfvar (Bogota), No. 39 (Marzo-Agosto, 1955), pp. 745-748. Dlez-Echarrl, Bmillano, y Jose Marfa Roca Franquasa. Hi atoria de la litaratura asnanola a hisnanoamericana. Madrid: Aguilar, 1960. Dryden, John (tr.). "Pastoral I— Tityrus and Meliboeus," The Works of Virgil. London: Oxford University Press, 1961. Eliot, T. S. On Poatrv and Poets. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Cudahy, 1957. Fitts, Dudley (ad.). 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Creator Fahey, Miriam Daniel (author)

Core Title A Study Of The Poetry Of Rafael Maya

Degree Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Program Spanish

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Literature, Modern,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

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Advisor McMahon, Dorothy Elizabeth (committee chair), [Avert, Ernest J.] (committee member), Deule, Pauline B. (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c18-204030

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