The Poem
“Gacela of the Dark Death” is a short lyric poem in free verse. The poem is composed of twenty-four lines divided into five stanzas. The title, “Gacela of the Dark Death,” identifies the poem as a gacela, a form perfected by the fourteenth century Persian poet Hafiz. Gacelas are typically short, usually rhymed, verses that often mix religious mysticism, eroticism, and daily experience. In Federico García Lorca’s gacelas, images drawn from his surrealistic and folk-inspired imagination figure prominently. Moreover, “Gacela of the Dark Death” has a place in Diván del Tamarit in that the typical movement of the collection as a whole is from a remembrance of erotic familiarity to a confrontation with and recognition of the inevitability of death. Death is the condition most associated by García Lorca with lost love, and water is a frequent symbol portending death.
The poem is written in the first person. A poet may adopt a first-person narration strategically, to speak through a persona whose outlook on life and point of view may differ from his or her own. No such difference, however, is implied in “Gacela of the Dark Death.” In the intimate, personal tradition of the lyric poet, the narrator speaks directly to the reader, establishing a foundation of personal experience. The reader is placed in a position to experience life as the narrator does, with all of life’s immediate sensations.
“Gacela of the Dark Death” embraces a return to nature, and particularly to the spiritual aspect of nature. In the first stanza, the separation implied between human concepts and conventions and natural experience is established. The poet attacks the artificial distinction created by Western civilization, which separates itself from the natural and spiritual (and therefore eternal) and overly emphasizes mortality. By the third stanza, the poet has transformed himself through a union with nature, and the commonplace in nature serves as the catalyst for this transformation. The transformation renders the artifices of civilization, including mortality, superficial.
Throughout the poem, the speaker emphasizes the personal quality of his experience that permits reunification with nature. Having paid close attention to dreams and learned the lessons offered by everyday experience, the narrator has discovered an alternative—a spiritual, fulfilling alternative—to conventional values. Ultimately, this alternative leads to a self-actualizing, eternal experience that, by comparison, reveals the shallowness of a civilization that is predicated on a narrow view of time. Finally, even such givens as death and time are emptied of their conventional meanings as, in the alternative experience, they are redefined and become nonthreatening, positive forces.
Forms and Devices
Repetition is one important element of “Gacela of the Dark Death.” Emphasis is continually placed on personal experience through the repetition of “I want.” Metaphors of dreams and sleep lend a spiritual, metaphysical quality to the poem; it is through the force of these images that the narrator is able to transcend conventional experience. The image of the child is also central to the poem, in that it is the child’s ability to experience nature completely and without reservations and anticipations that allows an awareness of nature as a transforming entity.
References to apples are frequent in García Lorca’s poetry, and they usually represent the forbidden knowledge Eve attained. In the first and last stanzas of “Gacela of the Dark Death,” the apple is used to confirm the narrator’s desire to merge an eternal moment of sexual communication with a sense of eternal time (that is also death). In Diván del Tamarit the flow of water, which signals timeless death, is reminiscent of an Arabian, especially Moorish, sensual appreciation of water....
(This entire section contains 236 words.)
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This twin dread of and fascination with death is characteristic of García Lorca’s poetry.
The sea has usually stood in García Lorca’s work for infinity and death. To be touched by the sea in life is to become ready for whatever destiny awaits. Such a readiness enables the recipient to be better prepared for that destiny.
Literary Style
Ghazal
Lorca's poem features a somewhat flexible metrical and rhythmic structure, serving as a key stylistic element that might connect to the traditional ghazal form. While not technically a ghazal, the poem shares intriguing similarities with the Arabic style, particularly in its focus on the two-line phrase, known as a sher, traditionally seen as a complete poem on its own. In "Gacela of the Dark Death," Lorca frequently uses the word quiero (I want) to create the impression of distinct shers, especially in the first, second, and fifth stanzas. Notably, the opening two lines of the third stanza form the poem's only rhyming sher, while the final three lines of the second stanza create an irregular sher. These couplets infuse the poem with a lyrical essence, suggesting that lines akin to a traditional sher might fulfill the ghazal's usual purpose of contemplating love.
Symbolism
"Gacela of the Dark Death" is rich with images that carry deep symbolic meaning. Lorca incorporates archetypes from religions such as Islam and Christianity, references traditional Spanish culture, and draws on a complex symbolic system developed throughout his poetry. As previously noted, Robert C. Allen, in his book The Symbolic World of Federico García Lorca, identifies the ocean and the child as central symbols in Lorca’s work, symbolizing the "womb of life" and "renewal" and regeneration, respectively. Additional symbols include the apple and the snake, alluding to the Garden of Eden, the "establo de oro" (stable of gold), likely referring to Christ’s Nativity, and the "viento Oeste" (West Wind), representing spring.
It is crucial to note, however, that "Gacela of the Dark Death" is not a straightforward allegory (a symbolic moral lesson), and the symbols Lorca uses in the poem are quite ambiguous. Lorca skillfully selects symbols with a complex dual nature: the child can also symbolize a potential lover, the "high seas" suggest both death and violence, the Garden of Eden represents both paradise and a cautionary tale of the fall, and the stable of gold evokes the untamed ferocity of horses. This nuanced symbolism aligns well with the poem's dark and obscure themes, highlighting the depth of Lorca's contemplations.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Allen, Rupert C., The Symbolic World of Federico García Lorca, University of New Mexico Press, 1972, pp. 1–7.
Anderson, Andrew A., Lorca’s Late Poetry: A Critical Study, Francis Cairns Publications, 1990, pp. ix, 2, 14, 67–76, 148–52.
Binding, Paul, Lorca: The Gay Imagination, GMP Publishers, 1985, pp. 193–201.
Boyle, Peter, “Some Notes on the Poetry of Federico García Lorca,” in Southerly, Spring–Summer 1999, p. 198.
Cobb, Carl W., “Chapter Five: The Later Poetry,” in Federico García Lorca, Twayne Publishers, pp. 100–101.
Gibson, Ian, Federico García Lorca: A Life, Pantheon Books, 1989.
Honig, Edwin, García Lorca, Octagon Books, 1981, p. iii.
Lorca, Federico García, Collected Poems, edited by Christopher Maurer, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002, pp. xxvi, 781–82.
The Selected Poems of Federico García Lorca, edited by Francisco García Lorca and Donald M. Allen, New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1955.
Newton, Candelas, Understanding Federico García Lorca, University of South Carolina Press, 1995.
Further Reading
Gibson, Ian, Federico García Lorca: A Life, Pantheon Books, 1989. Gibson’s comprehensive biography of Lorca is a valuable resource for understanding how the poet's personal experiences influenced his literary creations.
Lorca, Federico García, Line of Light and Shadow: The Drawings of Federico García Lorca, edited by Mario Hernandez, Duke University Press, 1991. Lorca was not only a renowned poet but also a notable artist. This book provides a lively exploration of his artwork, offering insights into his literary work.
Morris, C. Brian, Son of Andalusia: The Lyrical Landscapes of Federico García Lorca, Vanderbilt University Press, 1997. This publication examines the primary settings of Lorca's poetry and the impact of his Andalusian roots on his verse.
Stainton, Leslie, Lorca: A Dream of Life, Bloomsbury, 1998. Stainton's engaging literary biography of Lorca emphasizes his theatrical career while offering a thoughtful analysis of The Diván at Tamarit on pages 360–64.