Antonio Machado Soledades Poem Analysis: Anguish and Form

Contextualization

The evening is ashen and hollow ... This poem belongs to Antonio Machado, specifically stated in his book Soledades. We are certainly at one of the key pieces of the book, both for its content and for its formal density. Originally it was not a single poem but two; Machado later decided to join them because there were two successive moments of a single meditation on which he reflects. The central theme of the poem is the constant anxiety that has taken hold of the poet's soul permanently and which fails to loosen; that characterizes the anxiety and mood throughout this composition.

Characterization

The poem consists of four stanzas: the first three stanzas have twelve lines each, and the last stanza has four lines. Lines alternate between seven-syllable and eleven-syllable verses, and the mixture of these metrical lengths corresponds to a silva. The first and second stanzas use consonant rhyme; the remaining stanzas do not have a fixed rhyme or structure.

In terms of content we can divide the poem into two parts:

• Part 1: Covers the first three stanzas. The poet describes the anguish that has pervaded him since childhood, even though the causes remain unknown.
• Part 2: Contains the final stanza. Here the poet feels exposed, compared to a boat with a dog and a child, as if to make us feel physically their existential helplessness.

Rationale

The poem begins with the customary reference to the evening, a symbol Machado frequently uses in his poetry. We also note that other poems in his book begin in a similarly solitary manner. Adjectives and images that appear later acquire different values in context.

Moreover, in the third verse the 'old flame' of anguish refers to something that always accompanies him, something he has grown accustomed to. Anxiety is presented as a general condition that dwells in society across time. In addition, the poet's hypochondria is typical: he is overly preoccupied with illness.

Machado does not find the cause of his distress. The language reinforces this difficulty of understanding: phrases like 'not understood' or vague references to causes suggest that even when he thinks he has found a reason, he remains unconvinced. The third stanza begins by denying what was said immediately before: it is not always true that he felt constant anguish and pain, because at one time circumstances were better—more cheerful and optimistic.

Finally, we note that the links between various verses and stanzas impose a rhythm and an escalating intensity in the expression of feelings, a progressive growth in emotional force across the poem.