The way Spain was
Spain was a taut, dry drum-head
Daily beating a dull thud
Flatlands and eagle's nest
Silence lashed by the storm.
How much, to the point of weeping, in my soul
I love your hard soil, your poor bread,
Your poor people, how much in the deep place
Of my being there is still the lost flower
Of your wrinkled villages, motionless in time
And your metallic meadows
Stretched out in the moonlight through the ages,
Now devoured by a false god.
In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by using a metaphor to describe the
state of Spain during the period of his residence there, especially during the Spanish Civil
War. It is said to be a “taut, dry drum-head.” The affairs of the country are pushed to the
limit, drawn tight across the land, and beaten repeatedly. The “drum beat” of the nation
reminds one of the Civil War in which Neruda fought. The war lasted from 1936 to 1939.
Neruda’s role in the conflict ended after he was recalled from Madrid in 1937.
It Is clear that Neruda sees Spain as having endured a great number of hardships. It was
“lashed” or beaten just as a storm lashes the “Flatlands” or an “eagle’s nest” high on a
hillside. Although these two are opposites, they are both impacted by the events of the
storm, just as all parts of Spain were touched by war and political and social In the next
section, Neruda’s love for the country comes through clearly. He speaks of how he thinks
on the “hard soil” and “poor bread” of the country. It does not, at least at this point in
history, have the capability of producing good, solid food This is in part due to the nature of
the ground itself. This is an extended metaphor speaking on how deep the problems go.
They reach deep into the soil, or into the depths of the country.
In the next section, Neruda’s love for the country comes through clearly. He speaks of how
he thinks on the “hard soil” and “poor bread” of the country. It does not, at least at this
point in history, have the capability of producing good, solid food This is in part due to the
nature of the ground itself. This is an extended metaphor speaking on how deep the
problems go. They reach deep into the soil, or into the depths of the country.
Spain was a taut, dry drum-head
Daily beating a dull thud
Flatlands and eagle's nest
Silence lashed by the storm.
How much, to the point of weeping, in my soul
I love your hard soil, your poor bread,
Your poor people, how much in the deep place
Of my being there is still the lost flower
Of your wrinkled villages, motionless in time
And your metallic meadows
Stretched out in the moonlight through the ages,
Now devoured by a false god.
In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by using a metaphor to describe the
state of Spain during the period of his residence there, especially during the Spanish Civil
War. It is said to be a “taut, dry drum-head.” The affairs of the country are pushed to the
limit, drawn tight across the land, and beaten repeatedly. The “drum beat” of the nation
reminds one of the Civil War in which Neruda fought. The war lasted from 1936 to 1939.
Neruda’s role in the conflict ended after he was recalled from Madrid in 1937.
It Is clear that Neruda sees Spain as having endured a great number of hardships. It was
“lashed” or beaten just as a storm lashes the “Flatlands” or an “eagle’s nest” high on a
hillside. Although these two are opposites, they are both impacted by the events of the
storm, just as all parts of Spain were touched by war and political and social In the next
section, Neruda’s love for the country comes through clearly. He speaks of how he thinks
on the “hard soil” and “poor bread” of the country. It does not, at least at this point in
history, have the capability of producing good, solid food This is in part due to the nature of
the ground itself. This is an extended metaphor speaking on how deep the problems go.
They reach deep into the soil, or into the depths of the country.
In the next section, Neruda’s love for the country comes through clearly. He speaks of how
he thinks on the “hard soil” and “poor bread” of the country. It does not, at least at this
point in history, have the capability of producing good, solid food This is in part due to the
nature of the ground itself. This is an extended metaphor speaking on how deep the
problems go. They reach deep into the soil, or into the depths of the country.
