Luis Cernuda’s ‘Donde Habite el Olvido’: An Analysis
Luis Cernuda (1902-1963) was a prominent Spanish poet and literary critic, a member of the Generation of ’27. His homosexuality, which he never denied, factored into his being considered a “rare” and rebellious figure, despite Spain’s perceived open-mindedness at the time. As he states in Desolation of the Chimera, Spain was “a country where everything is born dead, lives dead, and dies.” The stories of Cernuda’s dislike of homosexuality gave rise to several poems, such as “Donde Habite el Olvido.“ Cernuda saw himself “as a card deck which has been lost.”
This poem explores the end of love, where only the memory remains. Oblivion triumphs over passion, leaving one unhappy. Cernuda desires to be in a place where love does not exist, where the desire ceases to bother, thus obtaining the freedom he craves.
The poem is composed of free verse with Alexandrine verses (14 syllables). It features assonant rhyme in even lines, leaving the odd lines free, although this occurs only in some parts of the poem, such as the final lines. Notably, the use of the term Donde habite el olvido pays homage to Bécquer and his rhyme XLIV—in that poem, with a line that is “where oblivion dwells.” This demonstrates Cernuda’s devotion to Bécquer’s poetry. Oblivion is seen as a place, a refuge for the poet, a picture shared with Bécquer’s poem. In this poem, one must revisit the image and its origin in that space, which is oblivion.
In the first verse, the “stone” is a metonymy for the grave. Cernuda is not “a stone” but the “memory of a stone”; the poet presents the symbolic status of the “stone.” The stone is something eternal, so its memory is enormous. We may also find a metaphor where he wants to express his feelings as “In the vast gardens without dawn.”
In the second stanza, the importance of memory is stressed. The denial “where there is no desire” expresses its function: I cannot obtain something like a wish.
In the third stanza, the poem attempts to express that part of his soul where loving feeling is tormenting him, and he tries not to let that unrequited feeling grow. The image of love as something haunted, a simile of pain and sorrow, is important.
In the fourth stanza, possession appears. Love tries to create a shield to protect itself. The poet shows the negative nature of love: submission, loss of identity.
In the fifth stanza, little importance is given to passions because they have an expiration date. The poet associates love with absence. The poet evokes the time of ignorance of childhood. The image of childhood innocence is always one of comfort, so the poet always seeks refuge there.
The poem ends with a reference to children, through the repetition of the adverb “there.”
With this poem begins the theme of forgetfulness and the desire for self-destruction due to heartbreak. The poem expresses the pain and misery of unrequited love, where the body desires things whose only hope is impossible to forget.