Copyright by Laura Mareike Sager 2006 - The University of Texas at ...

Blas de Otero’s poem “Guernica” (1959/60) mentions only a few, if
central, details from Picasso’s famous painting: “toro” (“bull,” l.19) “cuello”
(“neck,” l.23) “el dedo / de este niño,” (“the finger / of this child,” ll.24-25) “luz”
(“light,” l.27) “grito ” (“scream,” l.16). 67 However, these remain unconnected
details that do not come together to form a description. Moreover, as the first part
of the poem indicates, the poet does not contemplate the painting directly, but
from a spatial and temporal distance. Thus, these isolated elements of the painting
reflect its indirect, immaterial presence in the mind of the poet, where they
function to spark reflections on Spanish history and the relationship between
seeing, memory and writing. The second part, in which all the elements from the
painting are cited, is framed by two imperatives, “ved” (“see,” l.14 [2 nd person
plural]) and “nunca ved” (“never see,” l. 26). The call to memorize and visualize
history (“ved…”), then, ends with the negative command (“oh nunca ved aqui/la
luz equilibrando/el arbol de la vida,” 26-28) that emphasizes the impossibility of
visualizing a reconciliation, of overcoming the memory of war and violence.
However, in spite of the painting’s physical absence, its temporal and spatial
distance, it is interpreted as a direct, sensual experience, rather than intellectual-
analytical reflection. The imperatives “ved” (see) “esparcid” (divulge, distribute)
“oid” (hear) refer to visual, tactile and auditory experiences that emphasize the
strength of the painting’s visual memory and the real and actual presence of
suffering made concrete through its visualization in Picasso’s work as well as
through the poet’s verbalization (“hablando viendo…”/”[In] speaking, I see…”).
67 Blas de Otero, “Guernica,” Antología Poética: Expresión y Reunión (Madrid: Alianza, 1981)
130.
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