Wednesday, May 4, 2011
A Spanish Contribution
Since my major is Spanish, and I have an interest in poetry, I've decided to combine them as completely as I can. Coincidentally, I am taking both an English and Spanish poetry course this semester. So, while being introduced to many, many new poets in creative writing, I've also been given the opportunity to read poems by Spanish poets. (Generally consisting of Latin American writers) And of those include Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and countless more. There is something intriguing about poetry in the Spanish language, as if each poem automatically contains the most beautiful words ever written, and quite often- they do. In Pablo Neruda's poem Tus Pies (Your Feet) the last few lines take my breath away. They are as follows: "Pero no amo tus pies, sino porque anduvieron, sobre la tierra y sobre, el viento y sobre el agua, hasta que me encontraron." Or, "But I love your feet, only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters, until they found me." The passion and conviction in that stanza, as the final lines of a beautiful poem, leave me utterly motivated to capture the essence of pure love and nature as these poets can- and with each poem, I remember these writers.
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I wish I could read and write another language fluently, if not only for the reason to be able to hear the cultural differences in comparison to our own language. The words may often translate in a similar fashion, but often, is is put in a form that misses out on words that may appear subtle but could give the poem a different tone.I would love to become fluent enough in Arabic that I can read poetry or the Qua'ran. Most people who speak Arabic don't write it, unless it is for are religious purpose, but I would imagine it would be worth a read since Arabic cultures have been resigned to the use of words rather than expression through visual art to represent their god, as they are not supposed to have any pictures of god anywhere, and often use Arabic calligraphy to express their faith.. There must be a tie to poetry in there. Good question, I will find out!
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