When I read about his life as a Spanish poet and political figure for Spain and Latin America, I was instantly drawn to his powerful passion for love: his love for his country, his people, and the words. I could tell he had traveled around the world as it was prevalent in his work. He infused European elements into his poetry like the Venus de Milo and the Greek mythological tale where Zeus, in the form of a swan, raped Leda, a water nymph.
 |
| This is the image Google cooked up when I typed in "Leda and the Swan." Poem:beautiful. This:creepy. The most remarkable thing about him for me is his fascination with swans. In almost every poem in our text, Darío used the swan as a motif for questions, love, and power. Like in the poem, "I Seek a Form," Darío seemed to be wrestling with a case of writer's block. He compared his search for words to describe his innermost thoughts to a "bud of thought that wants to be a rose." I felt that Darío's poem, by dancing around the exact form and using metaphors, conveyed exactly what he was trying to say. His thoughts were so fluent and continuous like "the melodious introduction that flows from the flute," that it was too hard for him to confine into words. At the end of the poem, holding true to his character, Darío mentioned how the neck of the swan seemed to be questioning him. Perhaps he felt the swan was questioning not only his lack of words, but also his whole existence? Like Darío, I can't always confine my imaginative and ever-shifting thoughts into structured sentences, but I'll try to explain here how I feel. I think that it is important and therapeutic to let your mind wander at least once every hour. In fact, I do it at last once every few minutes. I find myself listening to my friend talk, extracting one thought from their conversation, and continuing it until I have exhausted every single possibility out of it. Not only does this lead to some explaining when my friend asks why I haven't paid attention to them, but it also gives me interesting ideas and creative new scenarios that I can think about in my mind. As you may notice, I love to think and I believe it's one of my most redeeming qualities. My mind never stops working, and while not all ideas are winners, I enjoy brainstorming experimental infomercial products on my way to the gym or new hybrid words to explain my current emotions (excired). There are times when too much thinking isn't so good. When I have a particularly grueling day, I wonder if it even matters or if I'm really making an impact on this earth. Sometimes I feel like Darío, where I question my existence. I think the swan in that poem acts as a mirror that reflects our souls and our true emotions. Like Darío wrestled with his incompetence with spitting out his thoughts, I struggle to block out my deep thoughts. It is then that I think the only way I can make a difference is if I keep doing things and stay busy all the time. So I join clubs, offer to help people with their problems, and volunteer to do service whenever I find the opportunity. I avoid having free time because I know I'll just start thinking and psych myself out. Once I have run out of things to do and find myself alone with my thoughts, I have to remind myself of all of my good features. I can juggle, make a mean omelette, use right-handed scissors even thought I am a lefty, and love my family and friends completely and incessantly. Once I walk myself through this routine, which honestly occurs about once a month, I begin the cycle all over again. Darío taught my a valuable thing through his poetry: he showed me that is okay...no, necessary to question ideas and try to explain how you feel. In his poetry, I see the beauty of his human nature that questions his ideas and tries to paint a picture of himself with his words. Hopefully, through this blog I will be able to paint a picture of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the day. |
No comments:
Post a Comment