20th Century Catalan Poetry: From Noucentisme to the Spanish Civil War
Noucentisme
“Cançonetes incertes”
Josep Carner (Barcelona, 1884-1970) wrote poetry from the age of 14 and became known as the “Prince of Poets” in 20th-century Catalan literature. “Cançonetes incertes” exemplifies the perfection he achieved in his early work, characterized by its cultured and literary style. This poem, set to music, emphasizes the theme of uncertainty through the repetition of “cançonetes” (little songs) and “incertes” (uncertain).
The poem uses the metaphor of life as a journey to explore questions of identity, existence, and death. Rhetorical questions highlight the human instinct to seek connection and meaning. The “blue iris” (chlorine sky, my Mediterranean) represents temptation, while the “cobweb veil” symbolizes the fragility of consciousness, tradition, and philosophical thought.
A contradiction arises in verses 17 and 18, questioning whether life ends with a smile or sadness. This uncertainty is further emphasized in verse 20, where the desire for life (vitalism) finds meaning in the unknown. Life’s unpredictable path leaves us constantly wondering what awaits us.
The personified flesh exemplifies life’s possibilities: the potential for happiness (“smiling or sad”) and the suddenness of death.
The poem’s structure, with three eight-line stanzas resembling songs, combines verses of four and seven syllables. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD.
Modernism
“La Balanguera”
Written by Joan Alcover (1854-1926), “La Balanguera” is based on a popular Mallorcan song. Initially influenced by Romanticism, Alcover’s later work, like this poem, reflects a Modernist sensibility.
This poem celebrates life and hope while acknowledging the passage of time (tempus fugit). The “Balanguera” (a mythical fairy) represents the enduring spirit of Mallorca. The poem balances past, present, and future, recognizing the inevitability of time’s flow.
Divided into five six-line stanzas with an eight-line refrain, the poem employs octosyllabic verses with an ABABCC, DEDEFF rhyme scheme. Rhetorical devices such as comparison (between the orange and the Balanguera), repetition (verse 2), antithesis (youth and old age), and parallel structure (the last two lines before the refrain) enhance the poem’s message. “La Balanguera” blends Modernism with elements of the Majorcan School.
Beyond Noucentisme
“A Green Vine near the Sea”
Josep Maria Segarra, while not strictly a Noucentista, followed a similar path, avoiding avant-garde experimentation. His poem “A Green Vine near the Sea” defies easy categorization. It speaks of aristocracy and the enduring presence of vineyards in the landscape.
Segarra employs various literary devices, including metaphor, personification (of the vineyards, the color green representing youth, and the phrase “vineyards say goodbye”), anaphora (“green vines near the sea”), enjambment (creating a sense of simultaneity), and antithesis (contrasting the movement of sails with the stillness of young vines).
The poem also features metonymy (the candle representing the entire boat) and a poetic “falàsia”—a deeply internalized feeling, in this case, the author’s connection to the landscape.
The first-person perspective and the concept of “locus amoenus” (a place of idealized beauty) further emphasize the personal connection to the landscape. The fruit of the vines symbolizes nature’s generosity, while the personified vines gradually become intertwined with the poet’s emotions (“we always keep you company”).
The poem consists of seven-syllable verses with an AABBCCD rhyme scheme.
“Mallorca During the Civil War”
Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel (Palma, Mallorca, 1913-1938) wrote “Mallorca During the Civil War” in Barcelona in 1937 while Mallorca was under fascist control. This elegiac poem mourns the loss of his homeland.
Mallorca is personified as a lost love, ever-present in the poet’s mind. The first eight verses depict characteristic features of the Mallorcan countryside, emphasizing elements untouched by time.
A shift occurs in verse 11 with the word “now.” The poem moves to the present, using present tense verbs to describe the war’s impact. The once vibrant landscape elements are now consumed by conflict: green grass burns, and groves and gardens are replaced by the fiery sunset.
The memory of the Mallorcan landscape grows increasingly poignant as the poem progresses.
The poem’s form is irregular. The first eight verses are octosyllabic, while verses 9 and 13 are Alexandrines (12 syllables). The remaining verses are decasyllabic (10 syllables), and the poem is unrhymed.