The political and military decay
Century XVII was for Spain a period of serious political, military, economic and social crisis that finished turning the Spanish Empire a power of second rank within Europe. The smaller Austrias calls - Felipe III, Felipe IV and Carlos II left the government of the nation into the hands of been worth ministers of confidence or between which they honored the Duke of Lerma and the count-Duke of Olive groves.
In foreign policy, the Duke of Lerma, been worth of Felipe III, adopted a pacifist policy and managed to end all the inherited conflicts of the reign of Felipe II. On the contrary, the count-Duke of Olive groves, been worth of Felipe I SAW, incolucró completely to Spain in the war of the Thirty Years, in which Spain suffered serious military defeats.
During second half of the century, France took advantage of the Spanish military weakness and exerted a continuous expansionistic pressure on the European territories governed by Carlos II. As a result of this pressure, Spanish Corona lost good part of its possessions in Europe, so that at the beginning of century XVIII the Spanish Empire in Europe totally was eliminated.
In inner policy, the crisis was not less important. The Duke of Lerma came to the expulsion of the moriscos (1609), with which the territories of irrigated land of the levantino coast went to ruin, and allowed the generalization of the administrative corruption. Later, the centralist policy of the count-Duke of Olive groves caused numerous revolts in Catalonia, Portugal, Andalusia, Naples and Sicily. The Catalan rebellion was choked year 1652, whereas the Portuguese revolt ended at the independence of that country (1668).
1.2. The social and economic crisis
In century XVII, Spain underwent one serious demographic crisis, consequence of the expulsion of almost 300,000 moriscos and of the mortality caused by the continuous wars, the hunger and the plague.
The Spanish society of century XVII was a escindida society: the nobility and the clergy conserved earth and privileges, whereas the farmers underwent in all their rigor the economic crisis. The misery in the field dragged to many farmers towards the cities, where they hoped to improve his quality of life; but in the cities they were included the exercise of the mendicidad when not directly to the delinquency.
On the other hand, the hierarchial structuring and the social conservadurismo made difficult the passage from an estate to another one and only some bourgeois managed to accede to the nobility. The only possibility that was offered to the level state to obtain the benefits that the estamental society granted to the privileged estates era to happen to thicken the rows of the clergy. This fact, together with the climate of religious fervor, brought like consequence that during century XVII duplicated the number of ecclesiastics in Spain.
2. The cultural context of the Baroque one
2.1. The fundamentación of the rationalism
The rationalist thought had in century XVII some of its more outstanding figures: Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza… All of them relegated the possibility of a revealed knowledge and defended that the reason is the main source of human knowledge. In this way the foundations of the rationalism laid the.
Who influenced more in the later thought they were the Italian physicist Galileo Galilei and the French mathematician René Descartes.
Galileo Galilei was one of the founders of the experimental method. From his observations, he enunciated the laws of fall of the bodies and authenticated the heliocentric theory of Copérnico. Due to his conclusions, Galileo was put under a humiliating inquisitorial process, in which she commited herself to him to abjure of his arguments on the Earth displacement around the Sun.
René Descartes based the philosophical and scientific rationalism. Starting off of the critic of the senses as knowledge form has to be based on the intuition of unquestionable principles; from that moment, the reason elaborates abstract constructions more and more, following a method deductive.
In Spain, the influence of the rationalism as soon as it was let feel. In its place, a skepticism attitude is registered towards the human nature, skepticism that leads to a pessimistic vision of the world radically opposed the Renaissance optimism. A good example of this attitude we found it in Balthasar Gracián, for whom the only arms of which it is arranged to fight the state of crisis and ruin of the society are the individualismo and the distrust towards the others.
2.2. A theater art
Baroque the artistic one contrasts openly with the ideal of harmony, proportion and measurement that the Renaissance advocated. The main characteristics of the baroque art are:
• Dynamism. The baroque artist wishes to create constant sensation of movement. As opposed to the predominance of the air lines in the Renaissance Art, the Baroque one is worth, mainly, of the curved line.
• Theatricality. The artist tries to shock touchingly to the spectator and for it she resorts to hyperrealistic procedures. This intentionality is appraised, for example, in the representation of Cristos yacentes and all imaginería sacred.
• Decorativismo and suntuosidad. The artist of the Baroque one takes care of the same the essential and the accidental thing. Of there its meticulousness in the composition of small details and its taste by the ornamentación.
• Contraste. The baroque artist pronounces itself in opposition to the Renaissance balance and to the uniformity. Its ideal is to welcome in a same composition different visions, and until antagonistic, of a same subject. In the pictures of mitológico subject, for example, the Gods appear mixed with personages of the town.
3. Barroca Literature
3.1. The artistic ideal of the Baroque one
As opposed to the Renaissance clasicismo, the Baroque one valued the absolute freedom to create and to distort the forms, the conceptual condensation and the complexity in the expression. All it had like purpose of astonishing or of astonishing to the reader.
Two stylistic currents exemplify these characters: the conceptismo and the culteranismo. Both are, in fact, two facets of baroque style that share a same intention: to create complication and artifice.
3.2. The conceptismo
The conceptismo affects, mainly, in the plane of the thought. His theoretician and definidor were Gracián, that in Sharpness and art of talent defined the concept like “that act of the understanding, that expresses the correspondences that are between the objects”. In order to obtain this aim, the conceptistas authors used themselves rhetorical resources, such as the paradox, paronomasia or the elipsis. Also they used frequently the dilogía, resource that consists of using significant with two possible ones meaning.
3.3. The culteranismo
The culteranismo, represented by Góngora, worries, mainly, by the expression. Their more excellent characters are the latinización of the language and the intensive use of metaphors and images.
The latinización of the language fundamentally manages by means of the intensive use of hipérbaton and the taste to include cultismos and neologisms, like, for example, fulgor, candor, harmony, arena.
The metaphor is the base of the culterana poetry. The linking of metaphors or series of images has the objective to flee from the daily reality to install to us in the artificial and idealizado universe of the poetry.
3.4. Baroque literary in Spain
Century XVII and the height of the premises barrocas agreed in Spain with a brilliant and fecund literary period that it gave in being called Century of Gold. Aesthetically, the baroque one was characterized, in main lines, by the complication of the forms and the predominance of the talent and the art on the harmony of the nature, that constituted the Renaissance ideal.
Between the most significant characteristics of baroque the literary Spanish is excellent the contrast between two denominated tendencies conceptismo and culteranismo, whose maximum representatives were, respectively, Francisco de Quevedo and Luis de Góngora. The conceptistas worried essentially about the understanding of the thought in minimum conceptual terms through resistances, literary elipsis and others and other figures. On the contrary, the culteranos looked for the delight of a cultured minority by means of the resource metaphors, turns and hipérboles, with modification of the fraseológicas structures, in search of the máxismo preciosismo. Baroque characteristic of the Hispanic was also the contrast between realism and idealismo, which it reached his Maxima expression which it would be called to become one of summits of universal Literature, ingenious hidalgo Don Quixote of Mancha (first part, 1605; second, 1615), of Miguel de Cervantes.
In all the poetic work of Góngonra, outstanding figure of the culteranismo, was present the shining style that did it famous, loaded of neologisms and complicated metaphors. Simpler in his first stage, from greater poems - Fable of Polifemo and Galatea (1612) and Solitudes (1613) - their artifices were accentuated and the cultured and minority character of their poetry. It was praised by and ferociously attacked by others at his time. Between the most excellent followers of Góngora Juan de Tassis and Peralta tell themselves, count of Villamediana, author of the mitológico poem the glory of Niquea (1622), and Pedro Soto de Rojas.
Like the one of Góngora, the style of Quevedo is structurally complex, although it always used a level language and it did not vacillate resorting to a brutal tone sometimes procaz and. The subjects that inspired it very were varied: morals, satirists, monks, of love, etc., and in the development of all of them sublie a distressed conception of the human, common condition to works such as the picaresque novel titled the life of the Petty thief, call Don the Pablos (1626), or the allegory Dreams (1627).
At this time a differentiated clasicista line in two basic currents was distinguished in addition: the Sevillian school, in which it honored Rodrigo Caro, and the Aragonese school, whose representatives of greater organization were the brothers Bartholomew Leonardo and Lupercio Leonardo de Argensola, cultivators of a doctrinal and moralizing lírica.
In the scope of the narrative prosa of the baroque period the figure of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, poem author found its frame also and comedies, that has been considered like the great figure throughout the gestation and the evolution of the Spanish letters unanimously. In the Quijote, Cervantes created the prototype from which it would be born to the modern novel. Conceived in principle to satirize novels of cavalries, both protagonists of the work, Don Quixote and Sancho, have lasted like symbols of two faced visions of the world: the idealist and the realist.
Other excellent works of Cervantes, always darkened by the universal dimension of the Quijote, were the exemplary Novels (1613) and the works of Persiles and Segismunda, novelapublicada posthumously in 1617.
The picaresque novel, that started of the Lazarillo, reached a remarkable height and served to denounce the poverty and the social injustice of the great Spanish empire. The Guzmán de Alfarache (1599-1604), of Mateo Alemán, characterized so much by its bitter satire of the society like by its deep pesimism. Parallelly it offered moralizing reflections, element which lacked remaining picaresque novels. They emphasized among them is Petty thief, of Quevedo; the Life of the escudero Marks of Obregón (1618), Vicente Espinel; and the book of entertainment of pricked Justina (1605), of Francisco Lopez de Úbeda.
To the theater formulas that were offered to the public in the century XVI it imposed the one that around 1590 fixed Lope de Vega, creator of the Spanish comedy. Their premises were characterized by the breaking of the three aristotelian rules of the classic theater (unit of action, time and space), the division of the comedy in three acts (instead of five) and, in general, the liberalization of the structure of the dramatic piece. The ideals that were raised were the showed monarchist and monk, and feelings more, the love and the honor. Of extraordinary fecundity, Lope was the Spanish writer with whom the town more got to identify itself. Between the creations represented with greater profusion it is possible to mention Fuenteovejuna, Peribáñez or the commander of Ocaña, the horseman of Olmedo and the stupid lady. Like it was to hope, given his success, had great number of followers.
The other great figure of the drama of the Century of Gold was Pedro Calderón of the Boat, who close by began following the model of the comedy of Lope, but in its maturity, although without modifying it substantially, it contributed certain personal characteristics. Its work was characterized more by the meditated approach of the subjects, the ideological or symbolic preference by and the most rigid construction of the theater pieces. In the scenic technique it reached a remarkable virtuosity. Both more important groups of the calderoniana production are the comedies of tangle and the dramas, historical, philosophical and religious, between which they emphasized the life is dream, the mayor of Zalamea and the prodigious magician.
4. Biography of Luis de Góngora and Argote.
It was born and it died in Cordova in 1561-1627. Spanish lírico poet of varies erudition and rare talent, representative in our Literature of the culterana school. He was son of the corregidor of Cordova, Francisco Argote, but the writer adopted from a principle the last name of his mother Leonor de Góngora, descendant of old family. He ordered themselves of priest in 1599 and he obtained one prebenda in the cathedral of Cordova. After better fortune, he was transferred to Madrid in 1612; but, in spite of his literary triumphs, he obtained solely the titles of limosnero chaplain of king Felipe III. Its life, nevertheless, was not in consonancia with its sacerdotal condition: it was related to diverse personalities of the cut in a constant yearning to obtain privileges for himself and their family and participated very actively in the literary controversies of his time. He was already old when Olive one was interested in him.
4.1. Literary work
We can consider in the gongorina production two work groups: the smaller poems, and the greater poems. As well, between smaller poems poems written in metric traditional and poems occur written in meters of Italian origin. In their work the smaller poems are distinguished: more than 200 compositions of smaller art, romances, letrillas, carols, songs. Between first they can be mentioned: Angelica and Meodoro, coming from Ariosto; Moored to the hard bank, subject of captives; You leave books now, of burlesque character; Noble disappointment, of lírico type. Also letrillas presents/displays a great variety: líricas, are not all ruiseñores; satirists: Ándeme I warm up, etc. Within the smaller poem group include myself, in addition, the sonetos, considered like most beautiful of the Spanish poetry; they characterize themselves by his satirical intention and its deep intentional sharpness, although there are them also loving: While to compete by your hair. A second section constitutes greater poems: the Fable of Polifemo and Galatea (1612), where the loves of Acis and Galatea and the revenge of the Polifemo giant are narrated; its originality does not reside in the subject that comes from the Metamorphosis of Ovid, but in the way to treat it, with latinizantes metaphors, cultismos, turns, etc. The second great work was Solitudes, whose value is lírico than narrative then its argument is a pretext to arrive at the total estilización of the nature. Its objective is to obtain the constant flattery of the senses. Also she is author of a theater work titled the firmnesses of Isabel and the incompletos dramas: Comedy venatoria and doctor Carlino.
4.2. Traditional smaller poems
Immersed in the tradition barroca, Góngora cultivated the popular poetic poem forms formed by verses of smaller art, mainly Romance and letrillas. The metric one, rimas asonantes, the refrains, parallelisms, hipérboles, the frequently burlesque character of these works gives faith of their popularismo. However, they do not lack in these compositions resources that reveal a well-taken care of own elaboration of a cultured poet.
• The gongorinos romances turn on diverse subjects: there are them autobiographical, mitológicos, pastoral, chivalrous, moriscos… The treatment of these subjects is sometimes serious and sometimes burlesque.
• Letrillas is compositions written in verses of smaller art in those than at the end of each estrofa repeats a refrain. Usually they have a satirical or burlesque character, although also there are them of religious subject.
4.3. Italianizantes smaller poems
The sonetos constitute an important part of the literary production of Góngora. In them diverse subjects treat. Up to 1589 the sonetos of loving subject are frequent, in the line of the Renaissance authors. Nevertheless, as of this thematic date the loving one disappears and the sonetos receive more baroque characteristics. The subject of the disappointment and the poems of circumstances appear then.
Also the soneto used Góngora to satirize the atmosphere of the cut, or to vituperar to its literary enemies, specially to Quevedo and Lope de Vega.
4.4. The greater poems
• The Fable of Polifemo and Galatea narrates in a eighth real mitológico subject: the Polifemo giant falls in love with the Galatea nymph; this one, nevertheless, loves the Acis shepherd. Despechado by the jealousy, Polifemo throws a rocky crag on Acis and it kills it. Felt sorry the Gods of the pain Galatea, they turn river the body of the unfortunate lover. It is east poem one of that better they can personify the baroque spirit, by its continuous antithesis and fights of opposites. The beauty of the nymph contrasts with the fealdad of the giant, and the own Polifemo reunites in himself the ferocity and the tenderness, the violence and the love. These resistances have their faithful reflection in the language, that is distorted in violent hipérbatos or it is solved in shining metaphors.
• The solitudes were conceived like an extensive poem in four parts, of which single Góngora wrote the first e initiated second. Altogether the Solitudes form a set that both surpasses thousand verses distributed in silvas. The content of the poem is this occasion a mere excuse so that the author can give an image us of beauty of the nature and the beings who coexist closely with her.
4.5. Style
Góngora deals with the subjects two different ways affluent: times ennoblece the reality and recreates it like a world shining, total of light and color; other times, however, it degrades that same reality, one makes fun of of her, it satirizes it, and it destroys it.
Its most personal style has given name to a tendency within Literature: the gongorismo. He was able to create a specifically poetic language in which the objects are designated by their qualities, in a continuous metafórico game. In order to create that new poetic reality one used as the cultismos, of the colorista lexicon, the images, the hipérbatos, hipérboles and other poetic resources. He wrote in cultured style, that is to say, using of latinismos, of neologisms, metaphors and forced transpositions, and created the culteranismo, that of its name was called gongorismo. This style of winding elaboration that until handled by dark him frequently, in its imitadores arrived at the absurd one.
6. The poem: Polifemo and Galatea.
1.
These that dictated to me, rimas sonorous,
cultured, yes, although bucólica Talía
-- oh excelso Count! -- in the purple hours
that the dawn is pink and to rosicler the day,
now that of light your Fog Dora,
it listens, to are of zampoña mine
if the walls already do not see you of Huelva
to comb the wind, to tire the forest.
2.
Warming up it polishes in the masterful hand
the generous bird its pen,
or so dumb in the perch, that in vain
to even deny to the bell is conceited;
tascando it makes the brake of white gold
of the horse Andalusian the idle foam;
lebrel in the silk cord moans,
and to the horn to the aim the zither happens.
3.
Truces to the exercise are robust
kind leisure, sweet silence, as soon as
underneath canopy listening augusto
of the musician jayán the fierce song.
It today alternates with the Musas the pleasure,
that if mine it can offer so much
bugler --and of the fame nonsecond--
your name will hear the terms of the world.
4.
Where frothy the siciliano sea
the foot argenta of silver to the Lilibeo,
(vault or of the forges of Vulcano
or it falls down of the bones of Tiseo,
pale signs cenizoso a level one
--when not of sacrílego desire--
of the hard office it gives. There a high rock
jaw is to a grotto of its mouth.
5.
Coarse trimming of this hard stumbling block
robust trunks are, whose greña
less light must, less pure air
the deep cavern, that to the rock;
dark bed the dark sine
to be of the black night us the standard
infame disturbs of nocturnal birds,
moaning sad and flying serious.
6.
Of this, then, formidable one of the Earth
I yawn, the melancholic emptiness
to Polifemo, horror of that mountain range,
Barbarian hut is, lodges shady,
and extensive fold, where it locks up
whatever the rough summits joist
of mounts it hides: beautiful copy
that whistles join and a rocky crag seals
7.
A mount eminent era of members
this that --of Neptune fierce son--
of an eye he illustrates the orb of his front,
I emulate almost of the greater lucero,
cyclop to that the bravest pine,
cane, obeyed to him, so light,
and to the serious weight so thin rush
that a day was cane and another cayado.
8.
Black the hair, undoso imitador
of dark waters of the Leteo,
to the wind that combs it projealous
he flies without order, hangs without cleanliness;
a torrent is its impetuous beard,
that --severe son of this Pyrenean one--
its chest floods; or behind schedule, or badly, or in vain,
still furrowed of the fingers of its hand.
9.
Not it Trinacria in its mountains, fierce,
it armed of cruelty, it wore of wind,
that it redeems ferocious, it saves light,
its stained skin of colors one hundred:
pellica is already the one that in the forests was
mortal horror, to which with slow cadence
the oxen to their shelter reduced,
stepping on the doubtful light of the day.
10.
Surrounded it is --the more able the more full--
of the fruit the chaff, almost aborted,
that I take Autumn leaves the soft sine
of the pious entrusted grass:
serba, to that gives rugas the hay him,
the pear, of that was golden cradle
the blond straw and, pale tutor,
it denies it avaricious, and prodigal the Dora.
11.
Sprocket wheel is the chaff of the chestnut;
and --between the green or datilado quince or--
of the hypocritical apple, that deceives
--to the pale thing no-- to the reddened thing;
and, of the oak --honor of the mountain
that pavilion to the century was gilded--,
the tribute, food, although crude,
of the best world, the candor first
12.
Wax and hemp united --that it did not have--
one hundred canes, whose Barbarian noise,
of more echoes than it united hemp and wax
albogues, hard is repeated.
The forest is confused, the sea is altered,
its twisted snail breaks Triton,
deaf person flees the candle vessel and oar:
so music is of Polifemo!
13.
Nymph, of Doris the daughter, most beautiful,
it adores, that saw the kingdom of the foam.
Galatea is its name, and candy in her
terno Venus of its thanks adds.
They are one and another luminous star
lucientes eyes of its white pen:
if crystal rock is not of Neptune,
pavón of Venus is, swan of Juno.
14.
Pink burdocks on Galatea
the Dawn between innocent lilios tears the pages out of:
which plus its color doubts the Love is,
or snow-covered purple, or red snow.
Of its front per it is, eritrea,
it emulates vain. The God blind person gets angry
and --the condemned its splendor-- he leaves him
to hang in gold to the nacre of its ear.
15.
He envies of the nymphs and well-taken care of
of whatever he honors the sea, deities, he was;
pomp of the winged young sailor
that without lantern it leads his scallop shell.
Green the hair, the nonflaking chest,
hoarse, yes, it listens to Glauco the shore
to induce to step on the beautiful ingrate,
in car of crystal, fields of silver.
16.
Young sailor, the cerúleas sienes
of the most tender chorale he fits Palemo,
rich of whatever the water generates goods
of the orioso Light to the extreme Promontory;
but in the equal grace, if in the disdains
pardoned something more than Polifemo,
of that not yet it heard to him and, road pens,
so many flowers were above as he foam.
17.
It flees the beautiful nymph, and the sailor
loving swimmer to be well wanted
--since not áspid on its divine foot--
gilded pomo to its quick race.
But, which mortal tooth, which fine metal
the flight to suspend will be able light
that the disdain solicits? Oh, how much it is mistaken
dolphin that follows in water corza in earth!
18.
Sicily, as soon as hides, as soon as it offers,
glass is of Baco, orchard of Pomona:
as much of fruits this one enriches it
whichever that one of clusters the crown.
In car that summer I beat seems,
to his Ceres campaigns it does not pardon,
of whose always fertile ears
the provinces of Europe are ants.
19.
To Pales its vicious summit must
what to Ceres, and still more its level fertile valley;
then if in one grain of gold it rains,
flakes it snows in the other thousands of wool.
Of whatever they harvest gold, shear snow,
or in pipes they keep the lean one seeds,
either it is religion, or love is,
deity, although without temple, is Galatea.
20
Without altars not: that the margin where it stops
of the frothy sea its light foot,
to the farmer of its primicias altar,
of his esquilmos it is to the cattle dealer;
of the little avaricious Earth copy
the horn spills the market-gardening whole number
on the wicker that wove tedious,
if skillful no, its honest daughter.
21.
She burns youth, and the plows
the earth comb that they furrowed before
badly lead, when not dragged
of tardos nomadic oxen as its owner;
without shepherd who whistles them, the cattles
the crujidos ones ignore resonant
of the slings, if instead of the poor shepherd,
the Zephyr does not whistle, or cruje the oak.
22.
Dumb the night the dog, the sleepy day,
of hill in hill and shade in shade it lies.
The cattle bleats; to the miserable bleat,
nocturnal the wolf of the shades is born;
it fattened and, fierce, it leaves dampened
in blood of one what the other grazes.
Revoca, Love, the whistles, or to its owner
the silence of the dog follows, and the dream.
23.
The fugitive nymph in as much, where
its trunk steals a laurel, to the ardent sun,
so many jazmines whichever grass hides
the snow of its members gives a source.
Candy complaint, candy responds to him
a ruiseñor to another one, and sweetly
to the dream it gives to his eyes the harmony,
not to burn with three suns the day.
24.
Salamandria of the Sun, dressed stars,
annoying the dog of the sky it was, when
--dust the hair, humid flashes,
if nonardent pearls, sweating--
Acis arrived, and of both beautiful lights
the sweet West seeing the soft dream,
its mouth gave, and its eyes whatever could,
to the sonorous crystal, the dumb crystal
25.
Venablo of Cupido was Acis,
of fauno --average man, fierce means--
in Simetis, beautiful nymph, it have,
glory of the sea, honor of its shore.
The beautiful magnet, ídolo slept,
that steel follows, idolater venerates,
rich of whatever the orchard offers poor man,
the cows render and foments robre.
26.
Celestial humor just materialized
that the almond kept between green and dry,
in white wicker was put alongside it,
and in a flake, green rushes, of butter;
shortly cork, but well working,
a blond son of a hollow oak,
sweetest honeycomb, whose wax
its nectar tied the spring.
27.
Warm, to the stream it gives the hands,
and with them, waves to its front,
between two mirtos that --of foam white--
two green herons are of the current.
Vague curtains of vain steering wheels
Favonio ran lisonjeramente
to the one of the wind --when it is not bed
of fresh shades-- of slight grama
28.
The nymph, then, the sonorosa silver
to move felt hardly of the little stream,
when --to the green margins ungrateful--
to follow became of its lilies.
It fled… but so cold one unties
a sluggish fear by its veins,
that to the precise flight, the quick flight
snow crickets were, ice pens.
29.
Wicker fruit found, lean milk
in rushes, honey in cork, but without owner;
although to the owner it must, been thankful,
its cultured deity, venerated the dream.
To the absence thousand times offered,
this one of nonsmall courtesy
indication left it --although frozen statue--
more altered discursiva and less.
30.
To the Cyclop it does not attribute, no, the offering;
not to lewd satyr, nor to another ugly one
inhabitant of the forests, whose rein
the dream afflicts that it relaxed desire.
The God boy, then, of the bandage,
glorious ostentation, high trophy
it wants that to the tree of his mother it is
the disdain until there of Galatea.
31.
Between the branches of which it is washed more
in the stream, mirto raised,
carcaj of crystal did, if nonquiver,
its soft chest, of a golden harpoon.
The monster of rigor, fierce the brave one,
it watches the offering and with more care,
and it even feels that to his owner it is, devotee,
confused alcaide more, the green grove.
32.
Llamáralo, although dumb; but it does not know
the name to articulate that it would want more,
nor it has seen him; although smooth brush
it has sketched to him already in his fantasy.
On the foot --not as much already of the serious fear--
it entrusts his attempt; and, timid, in the shade
bed of field and battlefield,
pretending dream, to cautious garzón it finds.
33.
The bulk saw, and doing to him slept,
freed in a foot everything on him it hangs
--urban to the dream, Barbarian to the lain one
rhetorical silence that does not understand--:
the bird does not reign therefore the fragoso nest
it crowns immovable, while it does not descend
--ray with pens-- to the milano chicken
that the eminence shelters of a stumbling block,
34.
like the beautiful nymph --competing
with garzón slept in courtesy--
no sólo para, mas el dulce estruendo
del lento arroyo enmudecer querría.
A pesar luego de las ramas, viendo
colorido el bosquejo que ya había
en su imaginación Cupido hecho,
con el pincel que le clavó su pecho.
35.
De sitio mejorada, atenta mira,
en la disposición robusta, aquello
que, si por lo suave no la admira,
es fuerza que la admire por lo bello.
Del casi tramontado Sol aspira,
a los confusos rayos, su cabello:
flores su bozo es, cuyas colores,
como duerme la luz, niegan las flores
36.
(En la rústica greña yace oculto
el áspid del intenso prado ameno,
antes que del peinado jardín culto
en el lascivo, regalado seno.
En lo viril desata de su bulto
lo más dulce el Amor de su veneno;
bébelo Galatea, y da otro paso
por apurarle la ponzoña al vaso.
37.
Acis --aún más de aquello que dispensa
la brújula del sueño vigilante--,
alterada la ninfa esté o suspensa,
Argos es siempre atento a su semblante,
lince penetrador de lo que piensa,
cíñalo bronce o múrelo diamante:
que en sus paladiones Amor ciego,
sin romper muros, introduce fuego).
38.
El sueño de sus miembros sacudido,
gallardo el joven la persona ostenta,
y al marfil luego de sus pies rendido,
el coturno besar dorado intenta.
Menos ofende el rayo prevenido
al marinero, menos la tormenta
prevista le turbó, o pronosticada,
Galatea lo diga salteada.
39.
Más agradable y menos zahareña,
al mancebo levanta venturoso,
dulce ya, concediéndole, y risueña,
paces no al sueño, treguas sí al reposo.
Lo cóncavo hacía de una peña
a un fresco sitial dosel umbroso,
y verdes celosías unas hiedras,
trepando troncos y abrazando piedras.
40.
Sobre una alfombra, que imitara en vano
el tirio sus matices --si bien era
de cuantas sedas ya hiló, gusano
y artífice tejió la primavera--
reclinados, al mirto más lozano
una y otra lasciva, si ligera,
paloma se caló, cuyos gemidos
--trompas de Amor-- alteran sus oídos.
41.
El ronco arrullo al joven solicita;
mas, con desvíos Galatea suaves,
a su audacia los términos limita,
y el aplauso al concento de las aves.
Entre las ondas y la fruta, imita
Acis al siempre ayuno en penas graves:
que, en tanta gloria, infierno son no breve
fugitivo cristal, pomos de nieve.
42.
No a las palomas concedió Cupido
juntar de sus dos picos los rubíes,
cuando al clavel el joven atrevido
las dos hojas le chupa carmesíes.
Cuantas produce Pafo, engendra Gnido,
negras violas, blancos alhelíes,
llueven sobre el que Amor quiere que sea
tálamo de Acis y de Galatea.
43.
Su aliento humo, sus relinchos fuego
--si bien su freno espumas-- ilustraba
las columnas Etón, que erigió el Griego,
do el carro de la luz sus ruedas lava,
cuando, de amor el fiero jayán ciego,
la cerviz oprimió a una roca brava,
que a la playa, de escollos no desnuda,
linterna es ciego y atalaya muda.
44.
Arbitro de montañas y ribera,
aliento dio, en la cumbre de la roca,
a los albogues que agregó la cera,
el prodigioso fuelle de su boca;
la ninfa los oyó, y ser más quisiera
breve flor, hierba humilde, tierra poca,
que de su nuevo tronco vid lasciva,
muerta de amor y de temor no viva.
45.
Mas --cristalinos pámpanos sus brazos--
amor la implica, si el temor la anuda,
al infeliz olmo, que pedazos
la segur de los celos hará aguda.
Las cavernas en tanto, los ribazos,
que ha prevenido la zampoña ruda,
el trueno de la voz fulminó luego:
¡referidlo, Piérides, os ruego!
46.
«¡Oh bella Galatea, más suave
que los claveles que tronchó la Aurora;
blanca más que las plumas de aquel ave
que dulce muere y en las aguas mora;
igual en pompa al pájaro que, grave,
su manto azul de tantos ojos dora
cuantas el celestial zafiro estrellas!
¡Oh tú, que en dos incluyes las más bellas!,
47.
»deja las ondas, deja el rubio coro
de las hijas de Tetis, y el mar vea,
cuando niega la luz un carro de oro,
que en dos la restituye Galatea.
Pisa la arena, que en la arena adoro
cuantas el blanco pie conchas platea,
cuyo bello contacto puede hacerlas,
sin concebir rocío, parir perlas
48.
»Sorda hija del mar, cuyas orejas
a mis gemidos son rocas al viento;
o dormida te hurten a mis quejas
purpúreos troncos de corales ciento,
o al disonante número de almejas
--marino, si agradable no, instrumento--,
coros tejiendo estés, escucha un día
mi voz, por dulce, cuando no por mía.
49.
»Pastor soy, mas tan rico de ganados,
que los valles impido más vacíos,
los cerros desaparezco levantados,
y los caudales seco de los ríos;
no los que, de sus ubres desatados
o derribados de los ojos míos,
lecho corren y lágrimas; que iguales
en número a mis bienes son mis males.
50.
»Sudando néctar, lambicando olores,
senos que ignora aún la golosa cabra,
corchos me guardan más que abeja flores
liba inquieta, ingeniosa labra;
troncos me ofrecen árboles mayores,
cuyos enjambres, o el abril los abra,
o los desate el mayo, ámbar distilan
y en ruecas de oro rayos del Sol hilan.
51.
»Del Júpiter soy hijo de las ondas,
aunque pastor; si tu desdén no espera
a que el monarca de esas grutas hondas
en trono de cristal te abrace nuera;
Polifemo te llama, no te escondas;
que tanto esposo admira la ribera,
cual otro no vio Febo más robusto,
del perezoso Volga al Indo adusto.
52.
»Sentado, a la alta palma no perdona
su dulce fruto mi robusta mano;
en pie, sombra capaz es mi persona
de innumerables cabras el verano.
¿Qué mucho si de nubes se corona
por igualarme la montaña en vano,
y en los cielos, desde esta roca, puedo
escribir mis desdichas con el dedo?
53.
»Marítimo alción roca eminente
sobre sus huevos coronaba, el día
que espejo de zafiro fue luciente
la playa azul de la persona mía;
miréme, y lucir vi un sol en mi frente,
cuando en el cielo un ojo se veía:
neutra el agua dudaba a cuál fe preste:
o al cielo humano o al cíclope celeste.
54.
»Registra en otras puertas el venado
sus años, su cabeza colmilluda
la fiera, cuyo cerro levantado
de helvecias picas es muralla aguda;
la humana suya el caminante errado
dio ya a mi cueva, de piedad desnuda:
albergue hoy por tu causa al peregrino,
do halló reparo, si perdió camino.
55.
»En tablas dividida, rica nave
besó la playa miserablemente,
de cuantas vomitó riquezas grave,
por las bocas del Nilo el Oriente.
Yugo aquel día, y yugo bien suave,
del fiero mar a la sañuda frente,
imponiéndole estaba, si no al viento,
dulcísimas coyundas mi instrumento,
56.
»cuando, entre globos de agua, entregar veo
a las arenas ligurina haya,
en cajas los aromas del sabeo,
en cofres las riquezas de Cambaya:
delicias de aquel mundo, ya trofeo
de Scila, que, ostentado en nuestra playa,
lastimoso despojo fue dos días
a las que esta montaña engendra arpías.
57.
»Segunda tabla a un ginovés mi gruta
de su persona fue, de su hacienda:
la una reparada, la otra enjuta.
Relación del naufragio hizo horrenda.
Luciente paga de la mejor fruta
que en hierbas se recline, en hilos penda,
colmillo fue del animal que el Ganges
sufrir muros le vio, romper falanges.
58.
»Arco, digo, gentil, bruñida aljaba,
obras ambas de artífice prolijo,
y de malaco rey a deidad java
alto don, según ya mi huésped dijo,
de aquél, la mano, de ésta el hombro agrava:
convencida la madre, imita al hijo:
serás a un tiempo, en estos horizontes,
Venus del mar, Cupido de los montes.
59.
Su horrenda voz, no su dolor interno,
cabras aquí le interrumpieron, cuantas
--vagas el pie, sacrílegas el cuerno--
a Baco se atrevieron en sus plantas.
Mas, conculcado el pámpano más tierno
viendo el fiero pastor, voces él tantas,
y tantas despidió la honda piedras,
que el muro penetraron de las hiedras.
60.
De los nudos, con esto, más suaves,
los dulces dos amantes desatados,
por duras guijas, por espinas graves
solicitan el mar con pies alados:
tal rendimiendo de importunas aves
incauto meseguero sus sembrados,
de liebres dirimió copia así amiga,
que vario sexo unió y un surco abriga.
61.
Viendo el fiero jayán, con paso mudo
correr al mar la fugitiva nieve
--que a tanta vista el líbico desnudo
registra el campo de su adarga breve--
y al garzón viendo, cuantas mover pudo
celoso trueno, antiguas hayas mueve:
tal, antes que la opaca nube rompa,
previene rayo fulminante trompa.
62.
Con violencia desgajó, infinita,
la mayor punta de la excelsa roca,
que al joven, sobre quien la precipita,
urna es mucha, pirámide no poca.
Con lágrimas la ninfa solicita
las deidades del mar, que Acis invoca;
concurren todas, y el peñasco duro
la sangre que exprimió, cristal fue puro.
63.
Sus miembros lastimosamente opresos
del escollo fatal fueron apenas,
que los pies de los árboles más gruesos
calzó el líquido aljófar de sus venas.
Corriente plata al fin sus blancos huesos,
lamiendo flores y argentado arenas,
a Doris llega, que, con llanto pío,
yerno lo saludó, le aclamó río.
7. Una versión del poema:
La de Dámaso Alonso
7.
Un monte era de miembros eminente
este que --de Neptuno hijo fiero--
de un ojo ilustra el orbe de su frente,
émulo casi del mayor lucero,
cíclope a quien el pino más valiente,
bastón, le obedecía, tan ligero,
y al grave peso junco tan delgado
que un día era bastón y otro cayado.
8.
Negro el cabello, imitador undoso
de las oscuras aguas del Leteo,
al viento que lo peina proceloso
vuela sin orden, pende sin aseo;
un torrente es su barba impetuoso,
que --adusto hijo de este Pirineo--
su pecho inunda; o tarde, o mal, o en vano,
surcada aún de los dedos de su mano.
Era como un eminente monte de miembros humanos este cíclope, feroz hijo del dios Neptuno. En la frente de Polifemo, amplia como un orbe, brilla un solo ojo, que podría casi competir aun con el Sol, nuestro máximo lucero. El más alto y fuerte pino de la montaña lo manejaba como un ligero bastón; y, si se apoyaba sobre él, cedía al enorme peso, cimbreándose como delgado junco de tal modo, que, si un día era bastón, al otro ya estaba encorvado como un cayado.
El caballo negro imitador, en lo undoso y lo oscuro, de las lóbregas aguas del río del Olvido, pende sin aseo cuando no vuela desordenadamente al soplo de los vientos huracanados; su barba es un impetuoso raudal que se diría bajar de la mole montañosa que es el gigante, como torrente nacido en este gran Pirineo: hijo adusto, pues, de este Pirineo [...]; así se despeña la barba torrencial de Polifemo llegando a inundar el pecho del cíclope, surcada, no por cepillo o peine, sino todo lo más (aunque pocas veces y mal y sin resultado) por los dedos del propio gigante
8. Una interpretación del poema.
La fuente del poema son las metamorfosis de Ovidio libro XIII, vv. 730-885. Góngora no se dejó influir por ningún otro autor clásico ni por ninguna de las reformulaciones posteriores, sino que solo tuvo presente a Ovidio.
Góngora concibe la historia de distinto modo. Mientras que en la obra de Ovidio el interés central recae sobre la figura del Cíclope, el canto del cual ocupa aproximadamente la mitad del poema, las descripciones de Galatea y de Acis son muy breves. Tampoco se habla de su amor, porque se considera un hecho ya consumado.
Góngora, por el contrario dedica una quinta parte del poema al gigante. El poema se divide temáticamente en:
• Polifemo.
• Galatea.
• Acis.
• El cruce de las vidas de los tres.