Poetic Reflections: Unveiling the Unknown in Becquer’s Rimas
Flying Arrow: Reflections on Poetry
Subject Lock: Reflections on Poetry
Theme
The theme of this rhyme is the poet’s lack of knowledge of his destination. This ignorance causes him a lack of understanding of his own personality.
Structure
We can divide the rhyme into two parts:
- First Part: Evoked Plane – The first four verses form the first part, whose function would be the introduction and development. In this part, the poetic voice lists various natural elements to compare himself to.
- Second Part: Real Plane – The last stanza is the second part, whose function would be the conclusion. In this last part, the poet identifies with the items listed to avoid the great lack of fate.
Commentary on Ideas
The first thing to note is the poet’s elaborate use of words. In the second verse of each stanza, note the use of the infinitive (to expire, v.14; thinking, v.18, …), an element used for easy rhyme, though mostly to give it a durative aspect to the actions. In the last line of each verse, you can see the massive use of verbs in the future indicative (diving, v.4; again, v.8, …), to give an incomplete nature to the actions.
Before discussing the poem in more depth, one might note here the semantic and syntactic parallelism of the verses; this is a feature in the poetry of Becquer. Furthermore, the poet is compared with natural elements, such as the arrow, blade, wave, …, which nobody cares about or is interested in, the same attitude that people take about the poet. The passivity of the people is seen in the verbs (do not know where, v. 3; is ignored, v.11).
We must not forget that the elements of the first four stanzas are closely related to the ideal of romantic scenery (stormy sea, third verse; abandoned landscapes, second verse, …). Referring in more detail to the elements that the poet uses in the poem, we should point out the abundance of hyperbatons, observed in the first line of each stanza (Arrow that flying instead of Flying arrow that …). The poet has used this figure of speech to give greater importance to the element itself and to give more movement to these elements.
The author also uses another method to give more movement: the use of verbs of motion in this (crosses, v.2; steals, 6; …); that are linked to natural phenomena such as the gale, v. 6; the sea, v.10 … We also noticed the last stanza (most important), in which the poet identifies with the above (That’s me, v.17); he further shows his total ignorance of the destination through an antithesis of the last two verbs (come, v.18; bear, v.20).
Style
It is estimated in its simple lyrical bareness, transparency, and containment, the intimate tone, and blurred, indecisive line, its total absence of rhetorical or conceptual ideological intentions. Becquer excels in his ability to suggest and drag with slight hints the reader’s imagination. Becquer’s lyric can be classified as symbols (of identifying nature with the poet’s state of mind or to relate the physical elements and feelings surrounding it). He transforms the elements into symbols to try to express the ineffable. All his effort seeks to shed all the accessories, to condense the poem, to reduce its loudness and brightness, to achieve a soft melancholy solitude. To create this intimate poetry, suggestive lines, and he served his own skepticism on the floor. The verbal instrument seems insufficient to communicate, suggesting only be possible to directly express.
Metric Analysis
Octosyllabic (minor art) assonance rhyme in pairs, leaving the odd ones open.