El Estudiante de Salamanca and Other Selections

Chapter 5

Chapter 53,211 wordsPublic domain

In these two examples instead of hiatus there is synalepha with stress-shift, but we have to do with case 2 of synalepha, not case 3.

In some instances hiatus seems to occur for no other reason than to preserve the verse-measure:

Resonando cual lúgubre | eco (10) Y palacios de | oro y de cristal (11) ¡Y tú feliz, que | hallaste en la muerte (11)

In general hiatus is most likely to occur before the principal rhythmic stress in a verse; that is, before the final stress.

RHYTHM, RHYTHMIC STRESS, THE CAESURAL PAUSE

In English poetry the foot, rather than the syllable, is the unit. The number of feet to a verse is fixed, but the number of syllables varies. In Spanish poetry the number of syllables to a verse is fixed, subject only to the laws of syllable-counting given above. But if in this respect the Spanish poet has less freedom than the English versifier, he has infinitely greater liberty in the arrangement of his rhythms. The sing-song monotony of regularly recurring beats is intolerable to Latin ears. The greater flexibility of Spanish rhythm can best be shown by illustrations:

The Assy'rian came do'wn like the wo'lf on the fo'ld, And his co'horts were gle'aming in pu'rple and go'ld; And the she'en of their spe'ars was like sta'rs on the se'a, When the blu'e wave rolls ni'ghtly on de'ep Galile'e.

Having chosen to write this poem in the anapestic tetrameter, Byron never varies the rhythm except to substitute an occasional iambic at the beginning of a verse:

And the're lay the ste'ed with his no'stril all wi'de.

Notice how much more freely Espronceda handles this meter in Spanish:

Su fo'rma galla'rda dibu'ja en las so'mbras El bla'nco ropaj'e que ondea'nte se ve', Y cua'l si pisa'ra mulli'das alfo'mbras, Deslí'zase le've sin rui'do su pie'.

Tal vi'mos al ra'yo de la lu'na lle'na Fugiti'va ve'la de le'jos cruza'r Que ya' la' hinche en po'pa la bri'sa sere'na, Que ya' la confu'nde la espu'ma del ma'r.

The first of these stanzas has the true Byronic swing. But note how freely the rhythm is handled in the second. Spanish rhythm is so flexible and free that little practical advantage is gained by counting feet. We distinguish only two sorts of verse-measure, the binary, where in general there is stress on one syllable out of two--that is there are trochees (__' __) or iambics (__ __') in the verse, or the two intermingled--and second the ternary measure, where one of a group of three syllables receives the stress. Such a verse is made up of dactyls (__' __ __), anapests (__ __ __'), or amphibrachs (__ __' __), or some combination of these. Of course, a three-syllable foot is often found in binary verse, and, _vice versa_ a two-syllable foot in ternary measure. By binary verse we mean only a form of verse in which the twofold measure predominates, and by ternary one in which the threefold measure predominates. The extract last quoted is an example of ternary verse. The following will serve as a specimen of the binary movement:

En de'rredo'r de u'na me'sa Ha'sta se'is ho'mbres está'n, Fi'ja la vi'sta' en los na'ipes, Mie'ntras jue'gan a'l para'r;

Every word in Spanish has its individual word-accent: _habí'a, habla'do_. Now if we join these two words in a phrase, _habí'a habla'do_, we note that while each of the words still retains its individual word-accent, _hablado_ is more strongly stressed than _había_. In addition to its word-accent _hablado_ bears what we term a phrase-accent. In any line of verse some of the word-stresses are stronger than others, and these stronger stresses are termed rhythmic stresses. They correspond to the phrase-stresses of prose. The principal rhythmic stress is the last stress of the line. In general the rhythmic stress must coincide with a word-stress. It always does except where stress-shift comes into play. We have already seen that a stress-shift coinciding with the rhythmic stress is intolerable, and hiatus is preferred. It is very unharmonious for two stresses to fall together at the end of a verse:

Que estas torres llegué a ver (8)

This is a very bad verse, because _a_ is dominant over _é_ and brings about stress-shift, and the two consecutive syllables _a_ and _ver_ are both stressed. The result is unharmonious. A syllable bearing stress and standing immediately before the final stress is called an obstructing syllable (_una sílaba obstruccionista_). Every effort is made by a good poet to avoid such a cacophony. The above is a good example of one. I have emended llegué to _llegue_ in the text.

A short verse can easily be spoken without pause, but above ten syllables it becomes necessary for the reader to rest somewhere within the line. The resting-place is called the caesural pause. The longer the verse, the greater its importance. It does not prevent synalepha. The stress immediately before the caesura must be the second most important rhythmic stress of the verse.

RIME AND ASSONANCE

The regularity of the beats in English verse is of itself sufficient to indicate when a line of poetry is ended, even though there be no rime to mark that end. Hence blank verse has been highly developed by English poets, and many, like Milton, have held it to be the noblest form of verse. Blank verse is impossible in French, because French with its lack of verbal stress has no other device than rime to mark the end of a verse. Without rime French blank verse would be indistinguishable from rhythmic prose. In Spanish the stress is not so heavy as in the Germanic languages, but, on the other hand, is much stronger than in French. Spanish blank verse is not unknown, but has never been cultivated with great success. It is evident that in this language too, lacking as it does regular rhythm in its versification, rime is much more necessary than in English. However, an occasional _verso suelto_, or blank verse, intermingled with rimed ones, is very common.

Two words rime with one another when there is identity of sound between the last stressed vowels and between any letters which may follow these vowels. Rime is masculine (in Spanish _rima aguda_) when the last syllables bear the stress: _mal_--_cristal_; or feminine when an unstressed vowel follows the stressed one (in Spanish _rima llana_): _hermosura_--_locura_. Inasmuch as _b_ and _v_ represent the same sound, they rime. The weak vowel of a diphthong is ignored for riming purposes; thus _vuelo_ rimes with _cielo_. Good poets avoid obvious or easy rimes such as those yielded by flexional endings and suffixes. It is permissible to rime two identically-spelled words if they are in fact different words in meaning: _ven_ (they see) rimes with _vén_ (come).

Assonance is the identity of sound of two or more stressed vowels and the final following vowels, if there are any. In case consonants stand after the stressed vowel they are disregarded.

Assonance is of two sorts: single assonance (_asonante agudo_), _están_--_va_--_parar_--_jamás_, etc.; and double assonance (_asonante llano_), _cuentan_--_tierra_--_dejan _or _coronada_--_gasa_--_baña_. In assonanced verse the assonanced words end the even lines. The odd are usually blank, though sometimes rimed. A _voz aguda_ cannot assonate with a _voz llana_, but there is no objection to the introduction of _voces esdrújulas_ into _asonante llano_. In this case only the stressed and the final vowels of the _esdrújula_ are counted; for example, _América_ assonances with _crea_. When diphthongs enter into assonance, the weak vowel is ignored: _pleita_ assonances with _pliega_.

Assonance is not unknown in English, especially in popular or folk verse; but we generally regard it as a faulty rime. Thus in the British national anthem we read:

Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the king!

"Over us" plainly assonates, rather than rimes, with "glorious," but this is dangerously close to doggerel. Assonance is unsuited to the genius of any language possessed of a rich vowel-system. This is evident to any one who has read Archbishop Trench's attempt to render Calderon's verse into English assonance.

STROPHES

I shall not attempt to list the innumerable verse-forms to be found in Spanish poetry, but shall only indicate the forms used by Espronceda in the selections contained in this volume. Some of these are fixed and conventional, and others are of his own contrivance. Spanish uses the terms _estrofa_ and _copla_ to designate an arrangement of verses in a stanza. _Copla_ must not be confused with English "couplet." These are general terms; most verse-forms are designated by special names. The following verse-forms are found in the selections contained in this book:

"EL ESTUDIANTE DE SALAMANCA"

Lines 1-40. Ballad meter or _verso de romance_ (8 syllables) with assonance in _é_-_a_.

Lines 41-48. _Verso de romance_ with assonance in _ó_.

Lines 49-63. Irregular 3-syllable meter with assonance in _ó_ occurring irregularly; lines 53 and 55 rime, and 59 and 61 assonate in _é-a_.

Lines 64-75. _Verso de romance_ with assonance in _ó_.

Lines 76-99. Quatrains or _cuartetas_ of 12-syllable verse; rime-scheme _abab_ (this arrangement of the rime is called _rima cruzada_); alternation of masculine and feminine rime.

Lines 100-139. _Octavillas italianas_ (8-syllable verse); lines 2 and 3, 6 and 7, 4 and 8 rime; lines 1 and 5 either assonate or are blank (_sueltos_).

Lines 140-179. _Octavas reales_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abababcc_; the rimes must be feminine.

Lines 180-257. _Verso de romance_, printed in the form of _cuartetas_; assonance in _á-a_.

Lines 258-302. _Quintillas_ (8-syllable verse); the rime-scheme varies; the rule is that there shall be two rimes to a _quintilla_, and the same rime must not occur in three consecutive verses.

Lines 303-330. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_; occasionally assonance replaces rime in the even verses.

Lines 331-338. _Octava real_.

Lines 339-370. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse).

Lines 371-418. _Octavas reales_.

Lines 419-434. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse).

Lines 435-454. _Verso de romance_, printed as _cuartetas_; assonance in _á_.

Lines 455-558. _Redondillas_ (8-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abba_; this arrangement of rimes is called _versos pareados en el centro_.

Lines 559-578. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse); _rima cruzada_.

Lines 579-590. _Redondillas_.

Lines 591-600. _Décima_ (8-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abbaaccddc_.

Lines 601-692. _Redondillas_.

Lines 693-792. _Cuartetas_ (12-syllable verse); odd verses rime; the even either form a masculine rime or are in assonance.

Lines 793-820. _Cuartetas_ (8-syllable verse); the rime-scheme varies: some _coplas_ are _redondillas_; others have the crossed rime.

Lines 821-884. _Cuartetas_ of 12-syllable verse resumed; same rime-scheme as above.

Lines 885-894. _Quintillas_ (8-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abaab_.

Lines 895-910. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme either _abba_ or _abab_.

Lines 911-938. _Cuartetas_ of 12-syllable verse; rime-scheme _abab_; even verses form either a masculine rime or assonance.

Lines 939-942. _Cuarteta_ (11-syllable verse); even verses in assonance; the odd verses rime.

Lines 943-961. Irregular meter (6-syllable verse); a mixture of rime, assonance, and blank verse.

Lines 962-1033. _Verso de romance_; assonance in _á_.

Lines 1034-1063. _Quintillas_.

Lines 1064-1115. _Cuartetas_ (12-syllable verse); rime in the odd verses; assonance or masculine rime in the even.

Lines 1116-1145. _Quintillas_.

Lines 1146-1149. _Cuarteta_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_.

Lines 1150-1164. _Quintillas_.

Lines 1165-1196. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_; feminine rime.

Lines 1197-1364. _Octavas reales_.

Lines 1365-1384. _Quintillas_.

Lines 1385-1390. Irregular blending of 2-and 3-syllable meter; assonance and rime; the _crescendo_ effect begins here.

Lines 1391-1399. Irregular 4-syllable meter; assonance and rime.

Lines 1400-1412. Irregular 5-syllable meter; assonance, rime, and blank verse.

Lines 1413-1439. Irregular 6-syllable meter; assonance, rime, blank verse.

Lines 1440-1447. Irregular 7-syllable meter; assonance, rime, blank verse.

Lines 1448-1469. _Verso de romance_; assonance in _é-o_.

Lines 1470-1485. Irregular 9-syllable meter; assonance in _ó_.

Lines 1486-1501. _Cuartetas_ (10-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_; even verses assonate or form a masculine rime.

Lines 1502-1521. _Cuartetas_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_; even verses assonate or form a masculine rime.

Lines 1522-1553. _Cuartetas_ (12-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abab_; even verses assonate or form a masculine rime; the _crescendo_ is now at its height.

Lines 1554-1569. _Octavillas italianas_ (11-syllable verse); see above for description of this verse form.

Lines 1570-1585. _Octavillas italianas_ (10-syllable verse).

Lines 1586-1601. _Octavillas italianas_ (9-syllable verse).

Lines 1602-1617. _Octavillas italianas_ (8-syllable verse).

Lines 1618-1633. _Octavillas italianas_ (7-syllable verse).

Lines 1634-1649. _Octavillas italianas_ (6-syllable verse).

Lines 1650-1661. An irregular 12-verse stanza of 5-syllable verse in which verses 3 and 4, 8 and 9 rime as couplets; 6 and 12 also rime; the other verses are blank.

Lines 1662-1669. Variant of the _octavilla italiana_; 4-syllable verse; verse 6 is blank instead of 5.

Lines 1670-1677. _Octavilla italiana_; 3-syllable verse; rime-scheme normal.

Lines 1678-1680. Irregular meter of 2-syllable verse; rime and blank; the _diminuendo_ effect ends here.

Lines 1681-1704. _Octavas reales_.

"CANCIÓN DEL PIRATA"

Lines 1-16. _Octavillas italianas_ (8-syllable verse).

Lines 17-22. _Sextina_ (8-syllable verse, except that verse 2 is a _verso quebrado_ or "broken verse" of 4 syllables). The _sextina_ admits of the greatest variety of form; those in this poem are all of the same pattern; rime-scheme _abaccb_.

Lines 23-30. _Octavilla italiana_ (4-syllable verse).

Lines 31-34. _Cuarteta_ (8-syllable verse); verses 1 and 3 are blank; 2 and 4 assonate.

Lines 35-40. _Sextina_.

Lines 41-48. _Octavilla italiana_, same as above.

Lines 50-55. _Sextina_.

Lines 56-63. _Octavilla italiana_.

Lines 65-70. _Sextina_.

Lines 71-78. _Octavilla italiana_.

Lines 80-85. _Sextina_.

Lines 86-93. _Octavilla italiana_.

Lines 94-97. _Cuarteta_.

"EL CANTO DEL COSACO"

This poem is written in _cuartetas_ of 11-syllable verse with _rima cruzada_. Verses 1 and 3 rime and 2 and 4 assonate, except in the refrain, where 1 and 3 are blank.

"EL MENDIGO"

Lines 1-4. _Cuarteta_ (11-syllable verse); verses 1 and 3 are blank; 2 and 4 assonate.

Lines 5-10. _Sextina_ (8-syllable verse, except 2, the _verso quebrado_, which has 4 syllables); rime-scheme _abcaac_; the _verso quebrado_ is blank.

Lines 11-28. Irregular 4-syllable meter; a wholly irregular arrangement of rime, assonance, and blank verse.

Lines 29-32. Irregular _cuarteta_ of two 8-syllable verses followed by two of 11; verses 1 and 3 are blank; 2 and 4 assonate.

Lines 34-39. _Sextina_, same as above.

Lines 40-57. Irregular 4-syllable meter, same as above.

Lines 58-61. _Cuarteta_, same as the irregular one above.

Lines 63-68. _Sextina_, same as above.

Lines 69-88. Irregular 4-syllable meter, same as above.

Lines 89-92. _Cuarteta_, same as the irregular ones above.

Lines 94-99. _Sextina_, same as above.

Lines 100-117. Irregular 4-syllable meter, same as above.

Lines 118-121. _Cuarteta_, same as the irregular ones above.

Lines 122-125. _Cuarteta_, like the normal one above.

"SONETO"

Lines 1-14. Sonnet. 11-syllable verse. Rime-scheme _abba, abba, cde, cde_.

"A TERESA. DESCANSA EN PAZ"

Written throughout in _octavas reales_ (11-syllable verse); rime-scheme _abababcc_.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

For a fuller treatment of Spanish prosody the student may profitably consult the following works:

BENOT. "Prosodía Castellana y Versificación," 3 vols., Madrid, no date.

ROBLES DÉGANO. "Ortología Clásica de la Lengua Castellana," Madrid, 1905.

BELLO. "Ortología y Arte Métrica" (Vol. 4 of "Obras Completas"), Madrid, 1890.

For more or less summary treatments of the subject the American student may profitably consult:

OLMSTED. "Legends, Tales, and Poems by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer" (Ginn and Company).

FORD. "A Spanish Anthology" (Silver, Burdett and Company).

HILLS and MORLEY. "Modern Spanish Lyrics" (Henry Holt and Company).

"EL ESTUDIANTE DE SALAMANCA" AND OTHER SELECTIONS FROM ESPRONCEDA

CUENTO.

EL ESTUDIANTE DE SALAMANCA

PARTE PRIMERA

Sus fueros, sus bríos; sus premáticas, su voluntad.--"Quijote," Parte Primera

Era más de media noche, Antiguas historias cuentan, Cuando, en sueño y en silencio Lóbrego envuelta la tierra, Los vivos muertos parecen, [5] Los muertos la tumba dejan. Era la hora en que acaso Temerosas voces suenan Informes, en que se escuchan Tácitas pisadas huecas, [10] Y pavorosas fantasmas Entre las densas tinieblas Vagan, y aúllan los perros Amedrentados al verlas; En que tal vez la campana [15] De alguna arruinada iglesia Da misteriosos sonidos De maldición y anatema, Que los sábados convoca A las brujas a su fiesta. [20] El cielo estaba sombrío, No vislumbraba una estrella, Silbaba lúgubre el viento, Y allá en el aire, cual negras Fantasmas, se dibujaban [25] Las torres de las iglesias, Y del gótico castillo Las altísimas almenas, Donde canta o reza acaso Temeroso el centinela [30] Todo en fin a media noche Reposaba, y tumba era De sus dormidos vivientes La antigua ciudad que riega El Tormes, fecundo río, [35] Nombrado de los poetas, La famosa Salamanca, Insigne en armas y letras, Patria de ilustres varones, Noble archivo de las ciencias. [40] Súbito rumor de espadas Cruje, y un «¡ay!» se escuchó; Un «¡ay!» moribundo, un «¡ay!» Que penetra el corazón, Que hasta los tuétanos hiela [45] Y da al que lo oyó temblor; Un «¡ay!» de alguno que al mundo Pronuncia el último adiós.

El ruido Cesó, [50] Un hombre Pasó Embozado, Y el sombrero Recatado [55] A los ojos Se caló. Se desliza Y atraviesa Junto al muro [60] De una iglesia, Y en la sombra Se perdió.

Una calle estrecha y alta, La calle del Ataúd, [65] Cual si de negro crespón Lóbrego eterno capuz La vistiera, siempre oscura Y de noche sin más luz Que la lámpara que alumbra [70] Una imagen de Jesús, Atraviesa el embozado, La espada en la mano aún, Que lanzó vivo reflejo Al pasar frente a la cruz. [75]

Cual suele la luna tras lóbrega nube Con franjas de plata bordarla en redor, Y luego si el viento la agita, la sube Disuelta a los aires en blanco vapor,

Así vaga sombra de luz y de nieblas, [80] Mística y aérea dudosa visión, Ya brilla, o la esconden las densas tinieblas, Cual dulce esperanza, cual vana ilusión.

La calle sombría, la noche ya entrada, La lámpara triste ya pronta a espirar, [85] Que a veces alumbra la imagen sagrada, Y a veces se esconde la sombra a aumentar,

El vago fantasma que acaso aparece, Y acaso se acerca con rápido pie, Y acaso en las sombras tal vez desparece, [90] Cual ánima en pena del hombre que fué,

Al más temerario corazón de acero Recelo inspirara, pusiera pavor; Al más maldiciente feroz bandolero El rezo a los labios trajera el temor. [95]

Mas no al embozado, que aun sangre su espada Destila, el fantasma terror infundió, Y el arma en la mano con fuerza empuñada, Osado a su encuentro despacio avanzó.

Segundo Don Juan Tenorio, [100] Alma fiera e insolente, Irreligioso y valiente, Altanero y reñidor: Siempre el insulto en los ojos, En los labios la ironía, [105] Nada teme y todo fía De su espada y su valor.

Corazón gastado, mofa De la mujer que corteja, Y hoy, despreciándola, deja [110] La que ayer se le rindió. Ni el porvenir temió nunca, Ni recuerda en lo pasado La mujer que ha abandonado, Ni el dinero que perdió. [115]

Ni vió el fantasma entre sueños Del que mató en desafío, Ni turbó jamás su brío Recelosa previsión. Siempre en lances y en amores, [120] Siempre en báquicas orgías, Mezcla en palabras impías Un chiste a una maldición.

En Salamanca famoso Por su vida y buen talante, [125] Al atrevido estudiante Le señalan entre mil; Fueros le da su osadía, Le disculpa su riqueza, Su generosa nobleza, [130] Su hermosura varonil.

Que su arrogancia y sus vicios, Caballeresca apostura, Agilidad y bravura Ninguno alcanza a igualar; [135] Que hasta en sus crímenes mismos, En su impiedad y altiveza, Pone un sello de grandeza Don Félix de Montemar.

Bella y más pura que el azul del cielo, [140] Con dulces ojos lánguidos y hermosos, Donde acaso el amor brilló entre el velo Del pudor que los cubre candorosos; Tímida estrella que refleja al suelo Rayos de luz brillantes y dudosos, [145] Ángel puro de amor que amor inspira, Fué la inocente y desdichada Elvira.

Elvira, amor del estudiante un día, Tierna y feliz y de su amante ufana, Cuando al placer su corazón se abría, [150] Como al rayo del sol rosa temprana, Del fingido amador que la mentía La miel falaz que de sus labios mana Bebe en su ardiente sed, el pecho ajeno De que oculto en la miel hierve el veneno. [155]

Que no descansa de su madre en brazos Más descuidado el candoroso infante Que ella en los falsos lisonjeros lazos Que teje astuto el seductor amante: Dulces caricias, lánguidos abrazos, [160] Placeres ¡ay! que duran un instante, Que habrán de ser eternos imagina La triste Elvira en su ilusión divina.