Rhymes by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: A Poetic Journey Through Love, Loss, and the Search for Meaning
Block 1: Rhymes I-XI – Reflections on Poetry
Bécquer’s theme in these rhymes is poetry itself, described as a “strange giant anthem.” He reflects on the inadequacy of human language to capture emotion, feeling, and beauty, referring to poetry as a “giant voice of chaos and order.” The poet is depicted as a vessel for something divine, struggling to unite inspiration and reason. Bécquer asserts that poetry will always exist, independent of the poet, suggesting that the ability to grasp poetic power precedes the poem itself (“There may not be poets, / but there will always be poetry.”). He outlines the sources of poetry: the natural beauty of the world, the mysteries of feeling, and the love of beautiful women. Poetry is everything, and the poet is anyone who can discover and express it. However, words are insufficient to contain and express the poetic essence, as it lies beyond language. The poet grieves this deficiency and strives to unite word and idea. Though words may fall short, they can express the “strange giant anthem” that is love.
Poetic Theory
- Poetry exists prior to and independent of the poem, present in the universe and particularly in women.
- The poetic experience is independent of writing; the poet strives to capture the essence of feeling in words.
- Poetic expression follows feeling; it is a formal elaboration that cannot be ruled by pure emotion.
- Language is a limited means to express what is felt; suggestion is key.
- Poetry is feeling and love. The ideal of poetry and love are fused in the ideal woman.
- Bécquer distinguishes between bombastic, rhetorical poetry and a natural, concise style, opting for the latter.
Block 2: Rhymes XII-XXIX – The Heights of Love
Bécquer conceives of love as an ideal aspiration, an unattainable mystery. The experience of love is sacred, inexplicable, subtle, and intangible. Love is presented as an ideal of permanent search, a dreamed-of fusion or absolute reciprocity between two souls, encompassing both the physical and the spiritual. The quintessential expression of this feeling is “a kiss / that I did not give you for a kiss.” Woman is the reincarnation of feeling, an “empty phantom of shadow and light.” Bécquer’s poetry is rooted in love, making him a poet of joyful hope. When he sings of fulfilled love, all of nature participates. His love is platonic; the ideal woman is not of flesh and blood, but formed of dream and mist. Woman and poetry become synonymous, representing an infallible and unreachable reality. Hence the impossibility of physically describing the woman (“Floating Gossamer”).
Block 3: Rhymes XXX-LI – Disappointment and Anguish in Love
The pain of love is the central theme here. Bécquer’s autobiography blends with poetry, and the concise, bare style intensifies the sadness. The experience of failure, the inability to find harmony, creates an insurmountable barrier between the poet and his beloved. Disappointment and sadness caused by lost love are the focus. There is an attachment to concrete, objective detail compared to the nebulous nature of love in earlier rhymes. Unrequited love leads to sarcasm, and the pain of separation leaves no room for reconciliation. At times, the poet attempts to hide his despair and sorrow. The earlier identification with the beloved shifts to painful opposition (“I will pass by you / painfully”). Enmity and separation are the product of a broken ideal (Rhyme XXX), leading to a total breakdown (Rhyme XXXII, “I will go one way, you another”). When the ideal world crumbles, only loneliness and despair remain. Expressions of joy are replaced by suffering: “dark shadow,” “night of torment,” “blind whirlwind,” “terrible hours.”
Block 4: Rhymes LII-LXXXVI – Fear of Loneliness and Death
These rhymes express a gloomy philosophy dominated by death. The structure becomes more prosaic, reminiscent of Campoamor, though still intensely painful like Espronceda’s El Diablo Mundo. Helplessness is the keynote: the poet sees the world as a wilderness, characterized by insufferable monotony that makes pain palatable. Nostalgia for a happier past intensifies the pain. These sensations lead to a desperate search for death, a violent plea for nature to end the suffering of memory, though fear of what death entails remains. Transcendent questions about the origin and destination of man arise. Without love, life is meaningless, filled only with sorrow and a void of understanding. Bécquer desires death as release, but anxieties about loneliness, the disappearance of memory, and the unknown nature of death persist. The fear is that life will end with death, leaving nothing but an unmarked grave.