Tradition and Nature in the Poetry of Miguel Hernández
Tradition and Avant-Garde in Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
Like all great poets, Miguel Hernández’s poetry is deeply personal. However, his unique style was shaped by a blend of Spanish poetic tradition and the avant-garde movement of his time. This fusion, characteristic of the Generation of ’27, stemmed from their admiration for Luis Góngora, whose work they saw as a precursor to their own modern sensibilities. Hernández’s early work, Perito en Lunas, reflects this influence with its Gongorine style and structure.
During his second trip to Madrid, Hernández encountered another crucial influence: Pablo Neruda. This marked a shift towards surrealism, evident in the torrential imagery and free verse of El rayo que no cesa. This work reveals a tension between tradition, seen in the use of classical Spanish metrics, and the burgeoning influence of Neruda.
With Vientos del Pueblo, Hernández fully embraced a direct and impassioned style, prioritizing emotional resonance over intellectual complexity. This influence of Neruda is further emphasized by the book’s dedication to Aleixandre, a prominent surrealist poet of the Generation of ’27. In El hombre acecha, this expressive style continues, overflowing with surrealist imagery of pain, death, and wounds.
Cancionero y romancero de ausencias presents a more complex interplay of tradition and avant-garde. This work is marked by its reflective tone and focus on human experience. Ultimately, it is in this final book that Hernández transcends the duality of art and tradition, forging a truly personal style.
Nature in Hernández’s Poetry
Nature plays a vital role in Hernández’s work, both thematically and in his imagery. Perito en Lunas showcases a metaphorical transformation of nature, where everyday objects are imbued with symbolic meaning. The book’s intricate metaphors create a series of “paintings” that often resemble riddles. Unlike Góngora’s juxtaposition of earthly and mythological elements, Hernández’s nature is rooted in his personal experience as a shepherd, transforming his observations of the moon and palms into poetry.
In El rayo que no cesa, Hernández’s connection to nature deepens, leading him to identify with the earth and its creatures. The bull emerges as a symbol, embodying passion and tragedy, linking love to the forces of nature. In Vientos del Pueblo, this connection evolves into a sense of identity, where the poet defines himself as born from the earth and dedicated to the people. Earth, blood, and wind become central elements, representing a poetry rooted in physicality and social commitment.
The themes of suffering and motherhood in Hernández’s later work further emphasize his natural imagery. His wife becomes a symbol of life, a river, a source of nourishment, highlighting the generative power of nature. Through these evolving representations of nature, Hernández’s poetry explores the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world.