Catalan Poetry: Exile, War, Landscape, and Struggle
Carles Riba: “T’evocaré de lluny…”
“T’evocaré de lluny…” by Carles Riba represents sadness for something lost. Written by the professor while in exile in Bierville, France, after the Spanish Civil War, the poem uses the temple of Súnion as a symbol of enduring classical Greek culture. Riba, forced to emigrate from Catalonia because he was on the losing side of the war, draws a parallel between his situation and the resilience of Greek culture.
The poem is composed of modules consisting of a hexameter and a pentameter. It is dedicated to the temple of Súnion, which stands on a promontory overlooking the sea, representative of Greece and democracy. The poem emphasizes the temple’s strength, facing adversity as the “king of the sea and the sky.” It serves as a beacon for sailors, guiding them home. Riba uses metaphors, comparing his own strength and resilience to the temple’s ancient marble, sharing its purity and whiteness.
The “dark trees to the north” remind him of the temple’s power and robustness, providing him with faith and strength. He sees the temple as guarded and protected, seemingly indestructible, much like his own spirit.
Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel: “A Mallorca, durant la guerra civil”
“A Mallorca, durant la guerra civil” by Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel was written in Barcelona in September 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, while Mallorca was under fascist control. It is an elegy personifying the lost landscape of Mallorca, expressing a longing for its return. The poem’s first eight verses are octosyllabic, verses 9 and 13 are Alexandrine, and the others are decasyllabic. There is no consistent rhyme scheme.
The first part references elements of the Mallorcan landscape, particularly the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains. He speaks of the scarce water, the wind that damages the plants, and the stones that yearn for rain, symbolizing a need for freedom. The second part connects these symbols to the war and its consequences: the destruction and the scarcity of even basic necessities, highlighting the harshness of the terrain in the face of conflict.
Josep Maria de Sagarra: “Vinyes verdes vora el mar”
“Vinyes verdes vora el mar” by Josep Maria de Sagarra describes a landscape full of visual impressions. He captures the intensity of the primary elements of the day and the seasons. The vineyards are personified, possessing a life of their own. The landscape is described with its own spirit and feelings. The poet recognizes the impression that the vineyard gives, seemingly alone, yet always accompanied by the light and contrasting colors.
The poem is structured with intense metaphors, comprising seven stanzas of five lines each. The verses are heptasyllabic, with a rhyme scheme of 7a/7b/7a/7b/7a.
Clementina Arderiu: “La cuesta”
“La cuesta” by Clementina Arderiu centers on the theme of a person striving to reach a state of happiness. The poem consists of six stanzas, each with eight verses. All verses are tetrasyllabic, except for the fourth, which is octosyllabic. The rhyme scheme is 4a/4a/4b/8a/4b/4a/4b/4b.
Arderiu describes the difficulty of moving forward, emphasizing that it is easier to retreat. She details the effort required to keep trying, even when every step is a struggle. Six women are mentioned as pulling her back, but she persists. She uses the image of motionless trees as a metaphor for society, which yields to what others say, lacking anyone to remember or assist them. She implies that she accompanies this idea of overcoming, trying to live with the difficulties of being a woman in a world where men make the decisions.
The poem concludes with the idea that even in death, she will remain immutable, unable to suffer for the world around her.