|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 68
CANCI�N DEL PIRATA
=7. en todo mar conocido=: I follow the reading of the text as it
originally appeared in _El Artista_. The later version of 1840 is
peculiar in the reading =en todo el mar conocido=. We cannot be certain
that this is a change made by Espronceda himself.
=84.= Instead of =negro= the 1840 edition reads =ronco=.
EL CANTO DEL COSACO
Attila, king of the Huns, reigned from 433 until his death 453 A.D. He
is noted for the barbaric ferocity of his campaigns against the Eastern
and Western Roman Empires and the Germanic kingdoms of the West. In 447
he ravaged seventy cities in Thrace, Macedonia, and Greece, and all but
captured Constantinople. In 451 he crossed the Rhine and sacked the
cities of Belgic Gaul. He was decisively defeated at Troyes by the
Gothic leader Theodoric in league with the Roman general A�tius. He then
entered northern Italy, where he continued his depredations and advanced
upon Rome. The Emperor Valentinianus II saved the city by paying
tribute. Legend has it that while in Gaul a hermit called Attila to his
face the "scourge of God." Attila accepted the designation and replied
with the remark quoted in the text. This story is not found in Jordanes,
Priscus, or any of the contemporary historians. Gibbon says: "It is a
saying worthy of the ferocious pride of Attila that the grass never grew
on the spot where his horse had trod" ("Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire," London, 1897, III, p. 469). This poem is a magnificent
expression of barbaric battle-lust. Espronceda felt as a youth that
wholesale destruction must precede the new order of things in Spain and
Europe.
=50.= The poet hopelessly confuses the exploits of the Huns, the Goths,
and the Cossacks. Neither the Cossacks nor the Huns ever captured Rome.
Alaric the Goth took Rome in 410 A.D.
=65.= The principal Cossack invasion of Poland was in the first half of
the seventeenth century, when Chmielnicki, hetman of the Cossacks, with
the aid of his Tartar allies ruthlessly devastated the Polish provinces.
This war has been vividly described by Sienkiewicz in his novel "With
Fire and Sword."
=79.= The Huns are said to have carried raw meat beneath their saddles
as they rode. At the end of the day's ride they would eat it.
EL MENDIGO
=108.= The poet has paraphrased the proverb =All� van leyes do quieren
reyes=, the idea of which is that a tyrant can twist the law to serve
the purposes of his tyranny.
A TERESA. DESCANSA EN PAZ
For an account of Teresa, see the Introduction. For Miguel de los Santos
�lvarez, see the note to "El Estudiante de Salamanca," Part IV.
=41.= The poet describes his three youthful passions: liberty, romantic
literature, and love.
=49. Cat�n=: Caius Porcius Cato (95-46 B.C.), commonly called Cato of
Utica, was a stalwart defender of Roman republicanism against Caesar
and his party. His suicide after the defeat of the republican cause at
Thapsus was regarded as an act of stoic heroism.
=50. Bruto=: it is not clear whether the poet refers to Lucius Junius
Brutus, who drove from power Tarquinius Superbus, founded the Roman
republic, and displayed his rigid justice by condemning to death his own
sons, or Marcus Junius Brutus, who assassinated C�sar in the name of
liberty.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|