The Guitar

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Unfulfilled Desire and Unfulfilled Potential

Throughout the poem, the weeping is incessant, almost reminiscent of the wailing from professional mourners during times of grief. Towards the end of the poem, Lorca finally poses a potential reason for the incessant weeping of the guitar. He writes, “It weeps for distant/things” (Lines 17-18), implying those things that are out of reach or difficult to obtain. He provides an example with “Hot southern sands/yearning for white camellias” (Lines 19-20). The dryness of the lands thirst for a flower that is known for its hydration demands. The southern part of Spain longs for flowers native to southern Asia. The geographic distance is massive, a challenge to overcome. A relationship between the two opposites is not likely to work, which would perpetuate the weeping. Lorca continues with pairs to show other types of longing, including how the arrow weeps “without target” (Line 21). If an arrow has no target, it has no direction, no end goal to achieve. The arrow’s entire purpose would be shattered without a target. This line contains the longing that comes with missing something essential. An additional line of desire in “evening without morning” (Line 22) shows two opposites once again, but this time the opposites are part of one continuous cycle. Lorca expresses how impossible it is for the sun to set if it does not ever rise in the morning. The above examples show the magnitude of longing associated with desperately wanting what one cannot have, or even missing what is needed to achieve one’s objective. Without its wailing sounds, the guitar ceases to exist as a guitar and longs for what it once was, as it knows no other way.

Spanish Music, Universal Emotion

A guitar is an object of beauty, but its main purpose is to make sounds that connect to its listeners. Sometimes words accompany these sounds, as is the case with flamenco music. With “The Guitar,” Lorca did not attempt to write the type of lyrics associated with the singing, or cante, but he did want to evoke the feelings. The major classifications of flamenco songs tinclude light rhythm associated with feelings of humor and love (cante chico), a lively form with hand clapping and mixed musical styles from Spain (cante intermedio), and the crying-singing style of cante jondo made to shake the body, as expressed in “The Guitar” poem. Because of the darker themes in this style, which inspired Lorca to compose this poem, the guitar’s weeping expresses both its musical capabilities and its intense emotions all in one sweeping celebration of the cante jondo form. The word “weep” is, in some form, repeated seven times throughout the poem. While weeping has different motivating factors, its action is a common language among people. The comparison of the guitar weeping to that of the arrow, evening, wind, and water weeping suggests that the music of the flamenco guitar, while celebrated in Spain, ultimately exposes universal feelings across time, dimensions, and boundaries. The feelings in this poem are rooted in desolation, i.e., “As the wind weeps/over snowfields” (Lines 13-14), and longing, i.e., “Hot southern sands/yearning for white camellias” (Lines 19-20). When a person hears an emotionally affective song that connects to their own memories and experiences, they might physically embody the musical sounds akin to a “heart mortally wounded” (Line 26). The emotion of the singer and of the instrument ultimately transfers to the listener.

The Freedom and Restraint of Expression

No law, new trend, or person can stop the weeping of the guitar. Lorca writes that it is both “useless” (Line 7) and “impossible” (Line 9) to “silence it” (Lines 6 & 8). Throughout the poem, the guitar has free reign to express itself, and it spreads its message via water and wind from “hot southern sands” (Line 19) in Andalusia to the “white camellias” (Line 20), native to eastern and southern Asia. As a guitar can only express itself through music, some people only find the courage to release their deepest emotions through musical form. The need for expression can happen alone or with an audience, but with an audience its expression can carry on to future generations, a key characteristic of early flamenco music. When the guitar faces its demise at the end of poem, it also faces the demise of its freedom to express, or to be itself. The stifling of expression seems to come from outside forces, which Lorca laments with “heart mortally wounded/by five swords” (Lines 26-27). Given that Spanish reformists during Lorca’s time were questioning the validity of flamenco music, the ending of the poem feels like an ending of the original expression of the artform and a turning point. As times change and people consider how to utilize traditions in contemporary times, the flamenco guitar of Lorca’s poem faces the tension between preserving the old and appealing to new audiences.