Bécquer's Rhyme XIV: Love, Romanticism, and Poetic Devices

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer's Rhyme XIV: An Analysis

Introduction to Rhyme XIV

Rhyme XIV, titled "I saw a point, and floating before my eyes," is a significant piece within Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer's collection of seventy-seven poems, known as the Rimas. Some of these poems are grouped by themes, and Rhyme XIV belongs to the second group, focusing on the theme of love. This poem is a quintessential example of Romanticism, a cultural and political movement that emerged as a revolutionary reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, emphasizing feeling over reason.

Central Theme and Inspiration

The primary theme of Rhyme XIV revolves around the author, identified as the poetic voice, who is deeply in love with a woman. The poem vividly describes her eyes and gaze. Generally, Bécquer's Rimas are inspired by various women who influenced his life. In this particular poem, the author's profound affection and longing are palpable.

External Structure of the Poem

• Stanzas: The poem is organized into four stanzas.
• Lines: Each stanza consists of four lines.
• Meter: All verses are hexameters.
• Rhyme Scheme:
  • First stanza: Assonance rhyme in the even-numbered lines (e.g., "o").
  • Second, third, and fourth stanzas: Assonance rhyme in the even-numbered lines (e.g., "í é").
• Enjambment: Several instances of enjambment enhance the flow and meaning:
  • Between the third and fourth verses.
  • Between the ninth and tenth verses.
  • Between the thirteenth and fourteenth verses.

Internal Structure and Interpretation

The poem's internal structure can be divided into three distinct parts:

1. Part One (First Stanza): The poetic voice explains that he has fallen for a woman's eyes, feeling as if blinded by the sun.
2. Part Two (Second and Third Stanzas):
   • In the second stanza, he states that he sees the same gaze in her pupils, yet without her physical presence.
   • In the third stanza, he explains that he also sees her eyes in his room when he sleeps, indicating her pervasive presence in his thoughts.
3. Part Three (Last Stanza): The poetic voice expresses feeling drawn by these eyes, deeply in love, but is uncertain of her whereabouts. This feeling is likened to the false lights that lead travelers astray at night, symbolizing the elusive and potentially deceptive nature of his longing.

Poetic Devices and Figurative Language

Bécquer masterfully employs various poetic devices to convey his emotions and descriptions:

• Morphosyntactic Resources:
  • Hyperbaton: Altering the conventional word order for emphasis or poetic effect. For example, in the fifth verse: "Wherever the key view."
• Semantic Resources:
  • Comparison: Used in the second and third verses: "he was as dark spot rimmed in fire."
  • Hyperbole (Exaggeration): Found in the sixth verse: "flaming eyes."
  • Personification: Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects, as seen with the "eyes" in the fifteenth verse: "I feel drawn by your eyes."
  • Synecdoche: A figure of speech where a part represents the whole, also evident in the phrase "I feel drawn by your eyes," where the eyes represent the entire beloved.

Themes of Love and Longing

Rhyme XIV profoundly reflects the state of being in love and the intense longing for the beloved's eyes and presence. It captures the pervasive thought of the beloved. Additionally, it is understood that some women inspired Bécquer to write his Rimas, and this poem likely reflects one such inspiration. The description of the woman as beautiful, yet associated with "false lights," suggests a complexity—perhaps implying that others, full of vanity, also seek to woo her, just as he does.