Carles Aribau's La Pàtria: Birth of the Renaixença

Carles Aribau and the Dawn of the Renaixença

Carles Aribau i Bonaventura (1798–1862) was a Catalan writer, economist, politician, and stenographer (Taquígraf). He is primarily remembered for his poem, La Pàtria (The Homeland), published in the newspaper El Vapor in 1833.

This poem is considered his most important work, as the rest of his output is generally deemed brief and circumstantial. Crucially, La Pàtria is widely regarded as the foundational text marking the beginning of the Renaixença (Catalan Renaissance).

Themes and Context of La Pàtria

The central theme of the poem is the profound longing for the homeland and the Catalan language, which Aribau presents as the representative soul of the motherland.

To fully appreciate the text, several specific references are important:

• The "tomb of the Jew" refers to Montjuïc.
• The "Mallorquina ship" symbolizes the island of Mallorca.
• The term "Llemosina language" or Limousin was the name used historically for the Catalan language.

Metric Structure and Style

The poem is composed of six royal octaves, utilizing Alexandrine verses (12 syllables) structured in 8 lines per stanza. Key features of the metric include:

• Each verse has a 6+6 caesura, resulting in two male hemistiches.
• The rhyme is consonant, alternating between male and female endings.
• The structure follows a cross pattern (ABBA ACCA DFFD, and so on), demonstrating that every four verses form a distinct unit of meaning.

Analysis by Octave

Octave 1: Mountains and Islands

The first octave is dedicated to the Catalan mountains and islands, employing two parallel comparisons:

• "Farewell hills, for ever Farewell"
• "eternal rest for him to color it blue"

It also features alliteration (al·literació), such as the description of the "Mallorquina ship in the middle of the vast sea."

Octave 2: Family and Landscape

In the second octave, the landscape is associated with family and missing physical elements, evoking personal memories and longing.

Octave 3: The Glory of the Tongue

The third octave continues the song of longing, culminating in a maneuver that recalls the past glory inherent in the Catalan language.

Octave 4: Invitation and Literary Absence

What began as a tone of resignation in earlier stanzas shifts here to an invitation. Aribau makes it clear that the language has disappeared from the literary world. He aims to awaken consciousness in those indifferent to the language, entrusting the work's purpose to those who love greatness, asserting that the language of the homeland is the language of the standard (or pattern).

Octave 5: Evocation and Self-Significance

The fifth octave returns to an evocation of what Catalan culture could have been but was not. This section contains some Castilianisms (castellanismes). Aribau grants the language a status of self and significance, speaking to his spirit while using the imagery of the sun.

Octave 6: Childhood and Symbolism

In the final octave, Aribau evokes his childhood in Catalonia, exalting his place of origin. He praises the role of the skipper, whom he symbolically equates with the Fatherland itself.

Legacy and Identity

La Pàtria stands as one of the greatest exponents of the ideology and mindset of the Renaixença poets, particularly those of a conservative nature. The poem summarizes the core elements of Catalan identity—country, faith, language, and love of mother and children—using a linguistic style that blends archaic Catalan verbs with colloquial or even slightly incorrect words, alongside a wealth of symbolic imagery.