Bécquer's Rima XXIV: Analysis of Love's Unifying Symbols

Analysis of Bécquer's Rima XXIV: Two Red Tongues of Fire

Subject and Abstract

Subject: The fullness of love.

Abstract: In this rhyme, Bécquer focuses on the profound union with the loved one. This partnership creates a deep sense of harmony.

Stanza-by-Stanza Symbolism

Stanza 1: Flames of Passion

In the first stanza, Bécquer envisions himself and his beloved as two flames emanating from the same burning log, their touch symbolizing a passionate embrace. The stanza notably begins with the word 'Two', which is repeated later, emphasizing duality merging into one.

Stanza 2: Harmonious Notes

In the second stanza, the symbolism shifts. He represents himself and his loved one as distinct musical notes from a lute which, like the flames previously, merge harmoniously to form a single, unified element.

Stanza 3: Waves Merging Until Death

Bécquer again changes the core symbol in the third stanza. This time, he and his beloved are compared to two waves arriving together at the beach, destined to 'die' as one upon the shore. Here, 'dying' likely signifies that love is a shared feeling enduring until death, and upon reaching this ultimate point, the two souls unite even more completely.

Stanza 4: Vaporous Union and Elemental Synthesis

In the fourth stanza, the idea of union is again central and presented through the image of two ribbons of steam rising towards the sky, eventually forming a single cloud. We can observe a connection between the elements of the previous stanzas: the fire from the first and the water (waves) from the third combine to form the vapor (steam) in this stanza. This might be coincidental, but it could also deliberately imply that love progresses through several phases, all similar in their nature and leading to the same ultimate end: perfect union.

Stanza 5: Culmination of Union

Finally, the fifth stanza moves beyond a single central image. It doesn't just reiterate the union of two souls in love but also describes their intertwined essence using multiple comparisons, reinforcing the theme's culmination.

Structure and Metrics

The poem (Rima) employs assonance for its rhyme scheme. It consists of five quatrains (four-line stanzas) written in arte menor (minor art, lines of eight syllables or fewer). The meter is consistently octosyllabic (eight syllables per line) throughout, lending the poem a smooth, uniform rhythm.

Key Literary Devices

Regarding literary devices, anaphora (the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines) is paramount. It structures the entire poem, powerfully expressing the central theme: the union of two souls, Bécquer's and his beloved's. This anaphora introduces the first four stanzas and is reiterated in the first three lines of the fifth stanza.

To represent the souls and their profound love, Bécquer masterfully employs personification, comparing them to several elements imbued with life:

• Tongues of fire that kiss
• Musical notes that embrace
• Waves that die together on the shore
• Echoes that merge and become confused as one

He also utilizes epithets (descriptive adjectives) on two notable occasions: 'red tongues of fire' and 'white cloud'.

Furthermore, hyperbaton (the intentional alteration of standard word order for emphasis or effect) appears frequently, changing the syntactic structure of many lines and adding to the poem's artistic quality.