Poem of Autumn by Rubén Darío
"Poem of Autumn" (Poema del otoño) by Rubén Darío is a significant work reflecting the later stages of the poet's literary career. This long poem serves as a contemplative exploration of mortality and the affirmation of life, framed within the metaphor of autumn as a season of reflection and introspection. Darío's speaker oscillates between feelings of remorse and joy, revealing a deep longing for beauty and sensuality in the present moment. The poem highlights the importance of savoring life's pleasures, embodying the Modernismo movement's appreciation for the interconnectedness of life experiences.
Through vivid imagery, Darío suggests that human beings share a profound relationship with nature, invoking the idea that the essence of life flows within both people and the natural world. He emphasizes the cyclical and universal qualities of existence, reminding readers that while life is ultimately a journey toward death, love enriches the journey itself. This work invites readers to engage with themes of nostalgia, hope, and the celebration of life’s transient moments, offering a poignant commentary on the human experience.
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Poem of Autumn by Rubén Darío
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1910 (collected in Cuentos y poesías/Stories and Poems: A Dual Language Book, 2002)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
The collection Poema del otoño, y otras poemas reflects the last stage of Darío’s literary career. The long title poem, “Poem of Autumn,” the most important work in this collection, alternates between lamenting mortality and affirming life. The poet looks at life through the lens of the autumn of his life, a time of meditation and reflection. The reflective spirit observes what has been and expresses hope for more of the same. At times the past provokes remorse, at other times joy and an accompanying melancholy. In either case the speaker longs for more of the sensual and the beautiful. The poet finds that savoring the flowers and the honey of the moment—that is, living in the present—revives the downcast spirit.
In advising those growing old to seek pleasure, he reflects Modernismo’s recognition of correspondences in the world. Expressing love and experiencing its pleasure enables humankind to participate in the universal force of creation. Human beings feel the surge of life in their blood just as the tree experiences the surge of life in the flowing of its sap. The human body, Darío asserts, contains the earth, the sun, and the sea. Consolation comes in recognizing the universal, timeless, cyclical qualities of life. Life, the poem confirms, unfolds as a journey to death, but the way is paved by love.
Bibliography
Applebaum, Stanley, ed. and trans. Introduction to Cuentos y poesias/Stories and Poems: A Dual Language Book, by Rubén Darío. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2002.
Derusha, Will, and Alberto Acereda, eds. Introduction to Songs of Life and Hope/Cantos de vida y esperanza, by Rubén Darío. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2004.
Imbert, Enrique Anderson. “Rubén Darío.” Translated by Peter Latson. In Latin American Writers. Vol. 1 in The Scribner’s Writers Series. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1989.
Jrade, Cathy L. “Socio-Political Concerns in the Poetry of Rubén Darío.” The Latin American Literary Review 18, no. 36 (1990): 36-49.
Pym, Anthony, “Strategies of the Frontier in Spanish-American Modernismo.” Comparative Literature 44, no. 2 (Spring, 1992): 161-173.
Stavans, Ilan, ed. Introduction to Rubén Darío: Selected Writings. New York: Penguin Books, 2005.