Spanish Lyric Poets: Juan Ramón Jiménez & Miguel Hernández

Key Spanish Lyric Poets

Juan Ramón Jiménez: A Poetic Evolution

Juan Ramón Jiménez remains one of our greatest poets. His impressive career exemplifies the evolution of Spanish lyric poetry from Modernism almost to the present day.

Modernist Stage (Pre-1908)

• From his modernist stage, we can find authentic poems of sensuality, innocence, and beauty.
• This corresponds to his sensitive stage, which ends in 1916. However, we can categorize only the first part of this stage, until 1908, as truly modernist.
• Notable works from this trend include Arias Tristes and Jardines Lejanos.

Second Stage (1908-1915)

• From 1908, Jiménez began to use rich adjectives and many vivid images to achieve brighter and more sensory effects.
• His metric features an extensive rhythm, often Alexandrian verse.
• This period represents a more intimate, moderated Modernism.
• A key work from this stage is Platero y yo.

Intellectual Stage (1915-1936)

• This stage spans from 1915 until his exile.
• With his book Estío, he moves away from the ornamental language of Modernism.
• His poetry features simple eight-syllable verses.
• In works like Diario de un poeta recién casado, the ornamental language disappears, giving way to pure poetry.

Final Stage (1936-Death)

• This stage begins with his exile in 1936 and continues until his death.
• It is characterized by maxims and purification, tracing back to the search for transcendence.
• The poet identifies himself with God, the creator of a poetic universe.
• He employs free verse and rhythm through the repetition of sounds, words, and syntactic structures.
• A significant work from this period is Dios deseado y deseante.

Miguel Hernández: Postwar Poetic Voice

Miguel Hernández's poetry centers on themes of life, love, and death.

Early Compositions

• These compositions reflect the influence of Góngora and the Generation of '27.
• They show a taste for popular themes and metaphors, with a predominance of aesthetic intention.

Love Poetry

• This period features more intimate poetry.
• It explores themes of life, love, and death, marking a stage of poetic fullness.
• A seminal work is El rayo que no cesa.

Poetry of Social Commitment

• After the outbreak of war, Hernández's poetry takes on a significant social burden.
• The poet identifies deeply with the people.
• He defends rights from the trenches, tragically exposing all that was lost in the war.
• This period presents a man marked by suffering and resilience.

Poetry of Recent Years (1939-1941)

• Between 1939 and 1941, Hernández composed a number of poems from jail under the title Cancionero y romancero de ausencias.
• The subject matter revolves around the absence of his deceased son, his wife, his living son, and the absence of the world itself.