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Poetry
by Chris Zachariou
United Kingdom


Τάκης Ζαχαρίου

Ποιήματα

Γιαλούσα, Κύπρος

Writer's pictureChris Zachariou

The Guitar Laments | A Tribute to Federico Garcia Lorca


In Alfacar, the poet

dreams of gypsy stallions

in the Andalusian

hills and valleys. “Cordoba. Distant and lonely”* he weeps in pain in the arms

of the malevolent blue moon.

Now, no one is left to mourn the poet of Sunday's dawn no one is left to mourn him.

A bronzed guitar laments:

Six sparrows flew south with all his minor chords sealed in an empty coffin.


*From Lorca’s poem “The Horseman’s Song


Read A Short Biography of Federico García Lorca Spain's greatest poet and playwright


A few words about the poem…


The Death of the Poet | A Tribute to Federico Garcia Lorca
 

The poem serves as an allegory for the death of Spain’s most renowned poet and playwright. Set in Alfacar it pays tribute to Federico Garcia Lorca, depicting the poet in dreams of gypsy stallions in the hills and valleys of Andalusia, and symbolizes Lorca's artistic inspiration and connection to his cultural roots.

 

The mention of Cordoba, a city associated with Spanish heritage, highlights Lorca's longing for distant and lonely places. The poet is portrayed as weeping in pain, embraced by the malevolent blue moon, suggesting the sorrow and anguish he experienced during his final moments. The poem emphasizes the absence of mourners for the poet, alluding to the silence and lack of justice surrounding Lorca's assassination.

 

The image of a bronzed guitar lamenting signifies the loss of Lorca's artistic voice and creativity. The sparrows flying south represent his poetic melodies and minor chords, sealed within an empty coffin—a reference to the fact that Lorca’s grave has never been found— and an indication of the suppression and destruction of his artistic legacy. The poem captures the tragic fate of Lorca, a silenced voice whose absence leaves a void in the literary and cultural landscape.

 

Note: The poem references a line from Lorca's own work, specifically "Cordoba. Lejana y sola" ("Cordoba. Distant and lonely"), showcasing the intertextual connection between the poem and Lorca's own writings.

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