Creía yo
Encyclopedia
Creía yo is a short poem in Spanish
written in 1953 by Macedonio Fernández
, which has much to say on the power struggle of the trinity of life occurrences, Life, Love, and Death. In the poetry of Macedonio, these three characters play a large role as important aspects of every person’s life.
Spanish
Creía yo
No a todo alcanza Amor, pues que no puede
romper el gajo con que Muerte toca.
Mas poco Muerte logra
si en corazón de Amor su miedo muere.
Mas poco Muerte logra, pues no puede
entrar su miedo en pecho donde Amor.
Que Muerte rige a Vida; Amor a Muerte.
English
I Believed
Love's reach does not to everything extend, for
it cannot shake or break the stab of Death.
Yet little can Death take
if in a loving heart the fear of it subsides.
Nor can Death much take at all, for it cannot
drive its fear into the heart where Love resides.
That if Death rule over Life, Love over Death.
s. At the same time, Macedonio retains a soft, calm sound in his words with many uses of alliteration
. In the listening to Creía yo being read out loud, it is obvious that this poem was written with euphony in mind. It is this style that adds to the concept that Love, though subtle and delicate, is much stronger than Death. Another form of alliteration that is utilized can be found in the vocals of the poem as well. “Mas poco Muerte puede, pues no puede” In this one verse alone, the sounds of “m,” “ue,” and “p” are used often. Yet these three sounds are also consistently used throughout the poem to maintain the steady pattern of sound. The rhyme scheme for the poem is ABAAACA.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
written in 1953 by Macedonio Fernández
Macedonio Fernandez
Macedonio Fernández was an Argentine writer, humorist, and philosopher. His writings included novels, stories, poetry, journalism, and works not easily classified. He was a mentor to Jorge Luis Borges and other avant-garde Argentine writers. Seventeen years of his correspondence with Borges was...
, which has much to say on the power struggle of the trinity of life occurrences, Life, Love, and Death. In the poetry of Macedonio, these three characters play a large role as important aspects of every person’s life.
SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
original
Creía yoNo a todo alcanza Amor, pues que no puede
romper el gajo con que Muerte toca.
Mas poco Muerte logra
si en corazón de Amor su miedo muere.
Mas poco Muerte logra, pues no puede
entrar su miedo en pecho donde Amor.
Que Muerte rige a Vida; Amor a Muerte.
- Poemas, 1953.
EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation
I BelievedLove's reach does not to everything extend, for
it cannot shake or break the stab of Death.
Yet little can Death take
if in a loving heart the fear of it subsides.
Nor can Death much take at all, for it cannot
drive its fear into the heart where Love resides.
That if Death rule over Life, Love over Death.
Commentary
Throughout the seven lined poem, Macedonio maintains a constant rhythm and beat by writing each verse, except for the third, with eleven syllables, taking into account synalephaSynalepha
A synalepha or synaloepha is the merging of two syllables into one, especially when it causes two words to be pronounced as one.The original meaning in Greek is more general than modern usage, and also includes coalescence of vowels within a word...
s. At the same time, Macedonio retains a soft, calm sound in his words with many uses of alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
. In the listening to Creía yo being read out loud, it is obvious that this poem was written with euphony in mind. It is this style that adds to the concept that Love, though subtle and delicate, is much stronger than Death. Another form of alliteration that is utilized can be found in the vocals of the poem as well. “Mas poco Muerte puede, pues no puede” In this one verse alone, the sounds of “m,” “ue,” and “p” are used often. Yet these three sounds are also consistently used throughout the poem to maintain the steady pattern of sound. The rhyme scheme for the poem is ABAAACA.