Bécquer's Rima LII: Despair, Death, and Romantic Nature
Analysis of Bécquer's Rima LII: Despair and Nature
Thematic Parallelism and Desperation
The first three stanzas of Rima LII establish a thematic parallel, driven by the speaker's desperate plea for nature to end his suffering. The phrase "Take me with you!" is followed by exclamation marks to emphasize the speaker's desperation and desire for release.
Literary Devices and Imagery
The poem employs various literary resources, including:
- Metaphors: Examples include "bana foams" (referring to the waves) and "dark fog" (likely describing the storm clouds).
- Personification: The speaker expresses his internal feelings, which are reflected in nature.
- Hyperbaton (Inverted Syntax): Examples of hyperbaton include:
- "the high woods of withered leaves"
- "drawn into the maelstrom blind"
- "fire and light the bloody rims"
Author's State and Personal Interpretation
Bécquer appears to be enduring a period of intense personal hardship, feeling isolated and alone in the world. Consequently, his earthly wishes fade, and he desires nature to transport him to the other world (death).
Romanticism and Pathetic Fallacy
As is typical of Romanticism, the poem features nature described in its strongest fury and destructiveness. The speaker invokes three powerful forces of nature to take him:
- Waves
- Gusts of hurricane
- Storm clouds
The pathetic fallacy is evident, stemming from the speaker's despair at being left alone and unloved, leading to a profound longing to die.
Context and Placement
This rhyme is located in the fourth section of the Book of Rhymes. It follows a period of despair and pain, where Bécquer chooses death rather than suffer further, seeking passage into the world of the dead.
External Structure and Meter
The rhyme consists of four stanzas, each composed of four lines. The structure is defined by its meter and rhyme scheme:
- The first three lines of each stanza are typically heroic verse (hendecasyllables, or lines of high art).
- The last verse of each stanza is seven syllables (a heptasyllable, or line of lesser art).
- Rhyme Scheme: Assonance rhyme is present in the paired lines.
Internal Structure: Stanza Breakdown
Stanza One: The Breaking Waves
The first stanza describes breaking waves hitting lonely, isolated beaches where no one lives. Bécquer asks these waves to carry him away in their foam.
Stanza Two: The Hurricane's Power
The second stanza speaks of the hurricane, which easily takes the withered leaves from the trees, leading them flying into the turmoil with no return. In this stanza, Bécquer feels powerless, mirroring the withered leaves.
Stanza Three: The Destructive Storm
The third stanza describes a storm with great destructive force, asking it to take him through the fog and tempest. In these first three stanzas, Bécquer speaks of destructive natural forces that carry all before them, expressing his desire to go along with nature and die.
Stanza Four: The Final Invocation
In the fourth stanza, Bécquer asks the three forces of nature previously invoked to take him, stating that he has already suffered much and wishes to suffer no more.
Literary Resources (Incomplete Note)
The author uses the last line of the...