"Limites y espejo": Linguistic Self-Consciousness in the Poetry of Vicente Aleixandre

% Jonathan Mayhew

T h e i m a g e of Vicente A l e i x a n d r e as a relatively u n s o p h i s t i c a t e d c r e a t o r h a s b e e n r e m a r k a b l y t e n a c i o u s . N o o n e h a s called i n t o q u e s t i o n his m a s t e r y of l a n g u a g e . T h e stylistic analyses of Carlos B o u s o ñ o , t h e a u t h o r of t h e first a n d most i n f l u e n t i a l m o n o g r a p h o n t h e p o e t , h a v e p r o v i d e d a m p l e d e m o n s t r a t i o n of t h e subtlety a n d p o w e r of his poetic t e c h n i q u e . Still, few studies of his p o e t r y h a v e e m p h a s i z e d his linguistic self-consciousness, his a w a r e n e s s of t h e v e r b a l m e d i u m as a theoretical p r o b l e m . I n a r e c e n t s t u d y , P h i l i p Silver h a s given voice to the w i d e s p r e a d view t h a t Aleixa n d r e is essentially naive as a poetic t h i n k e r . F o r Silver, t h e a u t h o r o f La destrucción o el amor typifies t h e H i s p a n i c p o e t w h o , like A n t a e u s i n G r e e k mythology, derives all of his s t r e n g t h f r o m his ties t o t h e e a r t h (La casa de Anteo 48-156). A l e i x a n d r e w o u l d t h u s lack t h e t h e o r e t i c a l self-consciousness t h a t is essential to t h e m o d e r n poet. 1

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T h e r e are several significant exceptions. T h e most complete treatment o f Aleixandre's poetics is Puccini "Modalidades y desarrollos internos d e la poética aleixandrina" (148-191). T h e title of Pope's essay—"Vicente Aleixandre y las limitaciones del lenguaje"—is deceptive, since he says very little about Aleixandre's linguistic self-consciousness. See also note 4. Silver's book is a landmark in its application of a m o d e r n theoretics to Hispanic poetry. T h e critic considers the task o f studying this poetry in the context of a wider, more international tradition to be a crucial one. Unfortunately, however, his criterion is rather narrowly defined. In his view, modern poets are successful in their theoretical endeavors to the extent that they approach the poetics of Hölderlin, as interpreted by Paul de Man. 1

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T h i s assessment, I w o u l d a r g u e , makes t h e p o e t a victim o f his o w n r h e t o r i c . M a n y of A l e i x a n d r e ' s statements a b o u t his o w n w o r k give t h e initial i m p r e s s i o n o f a resolutely a n t i t h e o r e t i c a l m i n d , m o r e c o n c e r n e d with t h e c o n t e n t of his poetic vision t h a n with l a n g u a g e per se. I n a s t a t e m e n t o f his poetics written in t h e 1930s for G e r a r d o Diego's a n t h o l o g y , for e x a m p l e , h e protests against w h a t h e perceives to b e a w i d e s p r e a d t e n d e n c y in m o d e r n p o e t r y to exalt l a n g u a g e for its o w n s a k e : "Frente a la divinización d e la palabra, f r e n t e a esa casi o b s c e n a delectación d e la maestría o d o m i n i o verbal del artífice q u e t r a b a j a la talla, c o n f u n d i e n d o el destello del vidrio e n t r e sus m a n o s c o n la p r o f u n d a luz c r e a d o r a , hay q u e afirmir, hay q u e e x c l a m a r con v e r d a d . N o , la poesía n o es cuestión de palabras" (Obras Completas I I : 6 4 5 ; e m p h a s i s in original). A l e i x a n d r e a p p e a r s to b e e x a l t i n g the c o n t e n t of t h e poet's vision at t h e e x p e n s e o f a c o n c e r n for t h e verbal m e d i u m in itself. H e rejects t h e n o t i o n t h a t t h e p o e t is primarily a w o r d s m i t h , r e fining l a n g u a g e into a m o r e p e r f e c t m e d i u m for t h e e x p r e s s i o n of t h o u g h t . It could b e a r g u e d , h o w e v e r , t h a t A l e i x a n d r e ' s a p p a r e n t denial of t h e linguistic n a t u r e o f poetry reveals a n obsession with l a n g u a g e . His very d i s t r u s t o f w o r d s obliges h i m to c o n s i d e r t h e question of l a n g u a g e in a w a y that a m o r e obviously logophilic p o e t w o u l d n o t . I w o u l d a r g u e t h a t his a t t i t u d e of s u s p i c i o n is m o r e characteristic o f t h e m o d e r n poet t h a n is t h e simple exaltation of poetic l a n g u a g e . A l e i x a n d r e ' s poetry is i n d e e d a " q u e s t i o n of w o r d s , " in t h e sense t h a t it is b o t h a quest for e x p r e s s i o n a n d a q u e s t i o n i n g of l a n g u a g e . I n h i s profession of t h e p r i m a c y of e x p e rience over w o r d s , A l e i x a n d r e aligns himself with o n e of t h e central c u r r e n t s of p o e t r y since r o m a n t i c i s m , t h e tradition t h a t views l a n g u a g e as a n i n h e r e n t l y d e f e c t i v e system of signs t h a t m u s t continually b e d e s t r o y e d a n d r e c r e a t e d . Octavio Paz has succinctly s u m m a r i z e d this a t t i t u d e t o w a r d language in t e r m s of a d o u b l e i m p e r a t i v e : "a u n t i e m p o , d e s t r u c c i ó n y c r e a c i ó n d e l l e n g u a j e . Destrucción d e las p a l a b r a s y d e los significados, r e i n o del silencio; p e r o , i g u a l m e n t e , p a l a b r a e n b u s c a d e la Palabra" (7). W h i l e a d a m a n t l y d e n y i n g t h a t it is a "cuestión d e p a l a b r a s , " A l e i x a n d r e c o n c l u d e s his " p o é t i c a " by defining p o e t r y in t e r m s of its r e l a t i o n to l a n g u a g e . H e dismisses everyday w o r d s as "estrechos 3

As Puccini has pointed out, the target of these remarks is probably Juan Ramón Jiménez (157-160). 3

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moldes p r e v i o s " o r "signos insuficientes," from which t h e "genio poético" m u s t e s c a p e : . . . fuga o destino hacia u n generoso reino, plenitud o realidad soberana, realidad suprasensible, mundo incierto donde el enigma de la poesía está atravesado por las supremas categorías, últimas potencias que iluminan y signan la oscura revelación para la que las palabras trastornen su consuetudinario sentido. A l t h o u g h t h e p o e t e m p h a s i z e s t h e reality that lies beyond o r d i n a r y p e r c e p t i o n a n d o r d i n a r y l a n g u a g e , this marvelous realm can b e r e a c h e d only t h r o u g h a specifically verbal act: t h e subversion of t h e accepted u s a g e o f w o r d s . T h i s d i s t u r b a n c e of sense implies t h e c r e a t i o n of a n e w a n d p a r a d o x i c a l p o e t i c speech, o n e t h a t will s o m e h o w c o r r e s p o n d to t h e d a r k r e v e l a t i o n , t h e paradoxically o p a q u e unveiling, o f poetic vision. It has b e e n c u s t o m a r y to divide A l e x a n d r e ' s poetic p r o d u c t i o n into t h r e e m a j o r p e r i o d s : t h e early Surrealist-influenced poetry, t h e "realist" t e n d e n c y of t h e post-war p e r i o d , a n d t h e metaphysical investigations o f Poemas de la consumación (1968) a n d Diálogos del conocimiento (1974). A l e i x a n d r e ' s self-consciousness is most evident at the b e g i n n i n g a n d at t h e e n d of his long career. I n many p o e m s written d u r i n g t h e 1930s, t h e p o e t expresses his view of l a n g u a g e in t e r m s very similar to t h o s e h e employs in his poética. Words in their o r d i n a r y state i m p e d e t h e poet's expression of his vision, o r even his access to it. I n a frequently q u o t e d p o e m from Espadas como labios (1932), "Palabras," t h e s p e a k e r views l a n g u a g e in essentially negative t e r m s : Pero no importa que todo esté tranquilo (La palabra esa lana marchita) Flor tú muchacha casi desnuda viva viva (la palabra esa arena machacada) {Espadas como labios 85)

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I cite Cano's critical edition, instead of the Obras completas, since it reproduces the lack of punctuation found in the original, 1932 edition. Other critics have recognized the metapoetic dimension of Espadas como labios. "Puede afirmarse sin ambages que se trata d e una poesía del lenguaje en sus relaciones con el pensamiento que a veces llega a la temática del metalenguaje" (Villanova 125). "La cosmovisión aleixandrina—sin discusión, al menos, la del 'primer Aleixandre'—se sustenta, trabadamente, indisolublemente, en el lenguaje. Ya que su universo, por ser de ideas o de sensaciones, no es espejo de realidad sea cual sea la deformación o fioritura del vidrio, sino espejo d e lenguaje" (Villena 8). 4

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O n c e again, this d e n i g r a t i o n of w o r d s m u s t b e u n d e r s t o o d as p a r t of a dialectical m o v e m e n t . L a n g u a g e is a n obstacle to expression, b u t a necessary o n e , for w i t h o u t its i n t e r f e r e n c e o r resistance t h e r e would be n o tension b e t w e e n t h e w o r d s o f t h e p o e m a n d t h e r e ality t h a t they a t t e m p t t o c a p t u r e . It could b e a r g u e d t h a t it is t h e tension b e t w e e n t h e poet's vision a n d its linguistic expression, r a t h e r t h a n c o n t e n t o f his vision per se, that most preoccupies t h e early A l e i x a n d r e . P a u l Hie, for e x a m p l e , has convincingly i n t e r p r e t e d Pasión de la tierra as a n allegory of t h e poet's anxiety a b o u t his poetic gift. T h e o p e n i n g p o e m of Espadas como labios, entitled "Mi voz," calls i n t o q u e s t i o n virtually every aspect of t h e communicative situation: He nacido una noche de verano entre dos pausas Habíame te escucho He nacido Si vieras qué agonía representa la luna sin esfuerzo He nacido Tu nombre era la dicha Bajo un fulgor una esperanza un ave Llegar llegar El mar era un latido el hueco de una mano una medalla tibia Entonces son posibles ya las luces las caricias la piel el horizonte ese decir palabras sin sentido que ruedan como oídos caracoles como un lóbulo abierto que amanece (escucha escucha) entra la luz pisada (Espadas como labios 45) In^his f a m o u s "Closing S t a t e m e n t o n L i n g u i s t i c s a n d P o e t i c s , " R o m a n J a k o b s o n posited a m o d e l of c o m m u n i c a t i o n consisting of six elements: a d d r e s s o r , addressee, contact, c o d e , message, a n d context. A c c o r d i n g to J a k o b s o n , different k i n d s of utterances privilege one o r a n o t h e r of six functions. I n A l e i x a n d r e ' s text, o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , n o n e of these elements is fully functional. T h e lyric speaker a n d his a d d r e s s e e — t w o isolated a n d vaguely defined p e r s o n a g e s — s e e m u n a b l e t o establish contact w i t h e a c h o t h e r . N o r d o they s h a r e any m e a n i n g f u l code, striving o n l y to "decir p a l a b r a s sin sentido." As in m u c h m o d e r n poetry, t h e referential f u n c t i o n (for J a k o b s o n , a focus o n t h e context of u t t e r a n c e ) is e x t r e m e l y weak. Of course, t h e text constitutes a " p o e t i c " use of l a n g u a g e , in t h a t it focuses o n t h e message for its o w n s a k e . Yet, because of t h e weakness of t h e o t h e r five elements, this p o e t i c function has t h e effect of u n d e r m i n i n g r a t h e r t h a n c o n t r i b u t i n g to t h e act of c o m munication.

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It is i n t e r e s t i n g to n o t e t h a t A l e i x a n d r e ' s critics h a v e t e n d e d to privilege La destrucción o el amor, which contains fewer explicitly self-conscious p o e m s , o v e r Pasión de la tierra a n d Espadas como labios, his two e a r l i e r Surrealist works. T h e poetic voice h e a r d in this v o l u m e a p p e a r s t o b e m o r e c o n f i d e n t of its c o m m u n i c a t i v e p o w e r , as A l e i x a n d r e d e v e l o p s a m o r e powerful b u t also m o r e p r e dictable set of r h e t o r i c a l devices. T h e resulting confidence in lang u a g e ultimately leads, in A l e i x a n d r e ' s second p e r i o d , to a very d i f f e r e n t k i n d of m e t a p o e t r y . W o r d s c o n t i n u e to b e p e r c e i v e d as obstacles to t h e a t t a i n m e n t of poetic vision. T h e m o s t significant novelty in t h e b o o k s w r i t t e n d u r i n g t h e 40s a n d 50s, h o w e v e r , is t h a t this linguistic i n t e r f e r e n c e is m u c h m o r e easily displaced. A relative clarity of e x p r e s s i o n replaces t h e t o r t u r e d s t r u g g l e with l a n g u a g e characteristic of t h e earlier p o e t r y . I n a p a s s a g e notable for its m a g n i f i c e n t r h e t o r i c , t h e s p e a k e r of "El p o e t a , " t h e initial p o e m in Sombra del paraíso (1944), instructs t h e p o e t w h o is a b o u t to r e a d t h e b o o k to t h r o w it d o w n , to reject it as a n i n a d e q u a t e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e vitality of n a t u r e : Si, poeta, arroja este libro que pretende encerrar en sus páginas un destello del sol, y mira a la luz cara a cara, apoyada la cabeza en la roca, mientras tus pies remotísimos sienten el beso postrero del poniente y tus manos alzadas tocan dulce la luna, y tu cabellera colgante deja estela en los astros. {Obras completas I: 484) T h e obvious p a r a d o x h e r e is t h a t these w o r d s d o n o t h a v e t h e effect of p r o m p t i n g t h e lyric a d d r e s s e e (or t h e real r e a d e r for t h a t m a t t e r ) to s t o p r e a d i n g t h e b o o k . T h e result is likely t o b e t h e exact o p p o s i t e : t h e s p e a k e r ' s w o r d s create t h e illusion t h a t t h e b o o k in q u e s t i o n is n o t really a text at all, b u t a n u n m e d i a t e d e n c o u n t e r with t h e n a k e d e l e m e n t s of Aleixandre's p a r a d i s e . T h i s passage c o n t a i n s a n implicit m e s s a g e to its r e a d e r s i n s t r u c t i n g t h e m to ign o r e t h e linguistic m e d i u m of p o e t r y , to look t h r o u g h l a n g u a g e as t h o u g h it w e r e a t r a n s p a r e n t glass that allowed t h e m to c o m e face t o face with t h e light of t h e poet's t r a n s c e n d e n t vision. T h e b o o k s t h a t follow Sombra del paraíso c o n t i n u e t o elide the q u e s t i o n of l a n g u a g e . I n Historia del corazón (1954) a n d En un vasto 5

Sylvia Sherno has studied a similar paradox in her discussion of Blas de Otero's Esto no es un libro, a book whose title comes from Leaves of Grass. Another post-war poet to make use o f this topos is Gloria Fuertes. Whitman is a strong presence in Aleixandre's middle period. 5

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dominio (1962) A l e i x a n d r e n o longer rejects e v e r y d a y l a n g u a g e as a n i m p e d i m e n t to a t r a n s c e n d e n t poetic vision. R a t h e r , h e accepts this l a n g u a g e as a n u m p r o b l e m a t i c c h a n n e l of c o m m u n i c a t i o n . R e a d i n g these books, o n e n o longer senses a n y t e n s i o n b e t w e e n l a n g u a g e a n d its r e f e r e n t s . T h e p o e t ' s lack of i n t e r e s t in t h e p r o b l e m of poetic l a n g u a g e c o r r e s p o n d s to his desire to r e a c h t h e largest possible a u d i e n c e . I n the manifesto-like p o e m t h a t o p e n s En un vasto dominio. "¿Para q u i é n escribo?" (I: 797-9), t h e s p e a k e r affirms t h a t his goal is to give voice to the c o n c e r n s of t h o s e w h o c a n n o t speak. F o r such a poetics, diametrically o p p o s e d t o t h a t o f Espadas como labios, l a n g u a g e is n o l o n g e r a p r o b l e m o r e v e n a question. It b e c o m e s a m e r e tool for the e x p r e s s i o n of m e a n i n g . I f t h e p o e t is n o t a g o l d s m i t h h e is at least a blacksmith. W h a t t h e A l e i x a n d r e of these years shares with t h e p o e t w h o conceives of his craft as fine m e t a l w o r k is a certain complacency a b o u t t h e capacity of l a n g u a g e to obey his will, to r e p r e s e n t his vision of reality u n problematically. I n t h e final p h a s e of his career A l e i x a n d r e r e t u r n s t o a m o r e c o m p l e x vision of l a n g u a g e , o n e which is r e m i n i s c e n t in m a n y ways of his earlier poetics. Aleixandre's r e n e w e d interest in m e t a p o e t r y c o r r e s p o n d e d to a w i d e s p r e a d awakening of self-consciousness in Spanish poetry of t h e sixties a n d seventies. L e d by y o u n g p o e t s such as Guillermo C a r n e r o a n d Pere G i m f e r r e r , poets of all g e n e r ations a n d tendencies b e g a n to call l a n g u a g e into q u e s t i o n w i t h r e n e w e d fervor. It is n o coincidence that A l e i x a n d r e was o n e o f t h e major sponsors of t h e s e y o u n g e r poets, a n d t h a t C a r n e r o a n d G i m f e r r e r h a v e b o t h w r i t t e n intelligently a n d s y m p a t h e t i c a l l y a b o u t Aleixandre's later work. Poemas de la consumación, like Espadas como labios, Sombra del paraíso a n d En un vasto dominio, begins with a s t a t e m e n t of poetics. "Las palabras del p o e t a , " however, is a m u c h m o r e elusive t e x t t h a n e i t h e r "El poeta," o r "El poeta canta p o r t o d o s . " T h e p o e t figure h e r e is n e i t h e r t h e vital, W h i t m a n e s q u e singer of t h e f o r m e r p o e m n o r t h e G r e a t C o m m u n i c a t o r of the latter. H e is i n s t e a d a n old m a n w h o s e w o r d s b e g i n to fail h i m in t h e face o f his i m p e n d i n g e n d . At this p o i n t in the poet's c a r e e r t h e m e d i a t i o n o f w o r d s c a n n o t b e s i d e - s t e p p e d : words are n o l o n g e r d i r e c t r e p r e 6

Myriam Najt's article "La palabra 'palabra' en Tas palabras del poeta ' " is, u n fortunately, too narrow in its scope to live up to the promise of its title. 6

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s e n t a t i o n s o f a n available reality, as in A l e i x a n d r e ' s "realist" p h a s e , b u t a m e d i u m for t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n of m e m o r y : Después de la palabras muertas, de las aún pronunciadas o dichas, ¿qué esperas? Unas hojas volantes, más papeles dispersos. ¿Quién sabe? Unas palabras deshechas, como el eco o la luz que muere allá en gran noche. (11:31) T h i s p o e m sets f o r w a r d in discursive terms t h e implicit poetics of Poemas de la consumación. L a n g u a g e is no l o n g e r a t r a n s p a r e n t m e d i u m t h a t c a n b r i n g t h e p o e t a n d his r e a d e r s into d i r e c t contact with a p o e t i c vision of reality. I n s t e a d , it is a n e c h o , a b e l a t e d r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . As in b o t h A l e i x a n d r e ' s early a n d m i d d l e p e r i o d s , t h e r e is a n implicit o p p o s i t i o n b e t w e e n l a n g u a g e a n d vitality. H e r e , h o w e v e r , t h e p o e t n o l o n g e r has any access to this vitality o u t s i d e of l a n g u a g e . As a c o n s e q u e n c e , l a n g u a g e is paradoxically identified w i t h as well as o p p o s e d t o life: " M o r i r es olvidar u n a s palabras." W h i l e o n l y a h a l f - d o z e n p o e m s after "Las p a l a b r a s del p o e t a " explicitly a d d r e s s t h e linguistic t h e m e , virtually all t h e p o e m s in t h e v o l u m e t o u c h u p o n it in s o m e way. T h e s t r u c t u r e of Poemas de la consumación allows a m e t a p o e t i c r e a d i n g of m a n y p o e m s that o t h e r w i s e m i g h t n o t l e n d themselves to this a p p r o a c h . As with all of his b o o k s of p o e t r y , with t h e exception o f a few a n t h o l o g i e s a n d miscellanies, A l e i x a n d r e has conceived t h e v o l u m e as a n i n t e r d e p e n d e n t g r o u p of closely r e l a t e d p o e m s , r a t h e r t h a n a m e r e agg l o m e r a t i o n of lyric p o e m s . I f a n y t h i n g , t h e b o o k is e v e n m o r e t i g h t l y k n i t t h a n t h e poet's p r e v i o u s efforts. F o r G i m f e r r e r , Aleixa n d r e ' s l a t e r p o e t r y is " u n a r t e c o m b i n a t o r i o q u e p r o c e d e p o r permutación, substitución o superposición de u n repertorio muy p a r c o d e e l e m e n t o s " (273). G i m f e r r e r goes o n to m a k e t h e surp r i s i n g a f f i r m a t i o n t h a t t h e reiterative a n d p a r a d i g m a t i c s t r u c t u r e of t h e s e b o o k s is i m p e r c e p t i b l e to t h e c o m m o n r e a d e r , e m e r g i n g o n l y f r o m t h e critic's analysis. I w o u l d a r g u e , o n t h e c o n t r a r y , that this distinction is a r b i t r a r y , a n d t h a t an a w a r e n e s s o f t h e " p e r m u t a t i o n , s u b s t i t u t i o n a n d s u p e r p o s i t i o n " of t e r m s is a n indispensable p a r t o f a n y r e a d e r ' s e x p e r i e n c e of t h e text. It is o n l y by c o m p a r i n g a n d c o n t r a s t i n g individual p o e m s that o n e constructs a p a r a d i g m

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a n d thus makes s e n s e of t h e l a r g e r whole. (It is possible, t h o u g h , t h a t t h e " c o m m o n r e a d e r " is a m e r e fiction in this case, given t h e small a u d i e n c e for p o e t r y a n d t h e difficulty of A l e i x a n d r e ' s final works.) Since t e r m s t h a t relate to l a n g u a g e specifically a n d to r e p r e s e n tation in g e n e r a l h a v e a crucial place within t h e densely woven semantic web of t h e book, it is n o t necessary o r even desirable to concentrate exclusively o n t h e poet's m o r e explicit s t a t e m e n t s of poetics. I would b e g i n c h a r t i n g t h e semantic system of Poemas de la consumación with t h e key w o r d palabra, which relates directly to o t h e r types of signs—signos, emblemas, nombres, textos—and to w o r d s that r e f e r literally o r metaphorically to p o e t r y : poeta, palabra, canción. Palabra is also linked to w o r d s p e r t a i n i n g to orality: voz, boca, beso, lengua, labios. A line such as "roja p u l p a b e s a d a q u e p r o n u n c i a n " (II: 73) conflates t h e speech-act a n d t h e kiss, so t h a t t h e w o r d becomes a n explicitly erotic act. T h e r e is a n o t h e r set of t e r m s h a v i n g to d o with s o u n d : son, sonido, eco, silencio, callar. Moving in a n o t h e r direction, l a n g u a g e is linked metaphorically to o t h e r belated r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s of reality: eco, espejo, imagen, reflejo, copia, sombra, huella, repetir. T h e imperfection of linguistic r e p r e sentation finds e x p r e s s i o n in words s u c h as engaño, máscara, mentira, verdad, sueño. T h e s e terms lead u s directly to t h e p r o b l e m of knowledge t h a t G u i l l e r m o C a r n e r o has studied in A l e i x a n d r e ' s later w o r k . T h i s epistemological p r e o c c u p a t i o n is often e x p r e s s e d in imagery of light a n d d a r k n e s s : luz, oscuridad, mirar, ciego, ver, saber, conocer. T h e s e chains of w o r d s could be e x t e n d e d into a c o m p l e t e glossary of the significant t e r m s t h a t a p p e a r in Poemas. T h e result of Aleixandre's t e c h n i q u e is an implicit m o d e of poetic self-ref lection that has not b e e n widely appreciated. I n o r d e r to d e m o n s t r a t e h o w this implicit self-consciousness functions in Poemas de la consumación, I have c h o s e n t o analyze a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e p o e m , "Límites y espejo," which, aside from the p r e s e n c e of t h e w o r d palabras, is n o t o n e of t h e half-dozen o r so t h a t explicitly a d d r e s s t h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e poet's l a n g u a g e . T h e same semantic s t r u c t u r e t h a t makes it difficult to i n t e r p r e t a single p o e m as a n i n d e p e n d e n t u n i t also allows such a p o e m t o b e 7

Carnero distinguishes two modes of knowledge: conocer is a direct and vital discovery of reality in all of its immediacy, whereas saber is the lucidity that results from the loss of this immediacy. Carnero identifies language with saber, and views it in negative terms as an essentially sterile mode of representation (281). 7

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r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e l a r g e r whole. T h e o p e n i n g lines of "Límites y e s p e j o , " in t h e c o n t e x t of t h e v o l u m e as a whole, take o n i n t e r t e x t u a l r e s o n a n c e . T h e a b r u p t way in which t h e p o e m begins, with a c o m m a n d t o a n u n n a m e d i n t e r l o c u t o r , implies t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f a p r e v i o u s d i a l o g u e . T h e e n i g m a t i c , a p h o r i s t i c style a n d t h e b r e v i t y o f t h e text, similarly, e n c o u r a g e t h e r e a d e r to look for h e l p in t h e o t h e r p o e m s in t h e book. I.

No insistas. La juventud no engaña. Brilla a solas. En u n pecho desnudo muere el día. No son palabras las que a mí me engañan. Sino el silencio puro que aquí nace. En tus bordes. La silenciosa línea te limita p e r o no te reduce. Oh, tu verdad latiendo aquí en espacios. (II:

74)

T h e first f o u r lines r e c o m b i n e elements from the b e g i n n i n g s o f t h e p o e m s t h a t i m m e d i a t e l y p r e c e d e it in section IV of t h e b o o k : " L a j u v e n t u d e n g a ñ a / con veraces palabras" (II: 71)." "Felicidad, n o e n g a ñ a s . / U n a p a l a b r a fue o seria, y dulce / q u e d ó e n el l a b i o " ( I I : 7 2 ) . " "La j u v e n t u d n o lo conoce, p o r eso d u r a , y sigue" ( I I : 73). T h e s e p o e m s , variations o n a t h e m e , evoke two semantic n e t w o r k s : l a n g u a g e a n d its deceptiveness, a n d t h e contrast b e t w e e n y o u t h a n d o l d - a g e t h a t t h e majority of critics h a v e s e e n as t h e m a j o r t h e m e of A l e i x a n d r e ' s later poetry. "Límites y espejo" is a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e p o e m in Poemas de la consumación because of t h e way in w h i c h it fuses these two p r e o c c u p a t i o n s . My thesis is t h a t Aleixa n d r e views t h e o p p o s i t i o n b e t w e e n y o u t h a n d old-age in t e r m s of a p a r a l l e l o p p o s i t i o n b e t w e e n reality a n d its imperfect linguistic r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . O l d - a g e is a pallid reflection o f youth, j u s t as lang u a g e e c h o e s b u t d o e s n o t c a p t u r e what it attempts to r e p r e s e n t . T h e title of t h e p o e m , in this case, would suggest t h e limits of l a n g u a g e ' s mirroring, which has t h e paradoxical effect of imitating r e ality w h i l e missing t h e essential t r u t h . L i m i t s a n d b o r d e r s in Aleixandre's poetry almost always h a v e a n a m b i g u o u s m e a n i n g . By definition they circumscribe a n d delimit. A t t h e s a m e t i m e , to r e a c h t h e limit is to come into contact with t h e a b s o l u t e . T h e lover in La destrucción o el amor, for e x a m p l e , feels "los h e r m o s o s límites d e la vida" (I: 331). I n the m i r r o r ' s visual i m a g e , t h e p o e t a t t e m p t s to have t h e benefits of mimesis w i t h o u t

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its d r a w b a c k s . H e wishes t o c r e a t e a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n t h a t limits without b e i n g reductive. T h e line, by d e f i n i n g t h e outlines of t h e image, also gives it its h u m a n , m o r t a l d i m e n s i o n , a n d t h u s defines its essential t r u t h . T h e " p u r e silence" of vision w o u l d a p p e a r t o transcend t h e i n h e r e n t deceptiveness of l a n g u a g e . T h e m i r r o r , of c o u r s e , is a t r a d i t i o n a l s y m b o l of p u r e , u n m e d i a t e d m i m e s i s , t h o u g h it can also r e p r e s e n t t h e d a n g e r s of s u c h mimesis, as in t h e m y t h of Narcissus. T h e s e c o n d - p e r s o n s i n g u l a r tú in these lines could be seen as a desdoblamiento of t h e poet. I w o u l d i n t e r p r e t this figure, however, as t h e poet's y o u n g e r beloved, w h o a p p e a r s in o t h e r p o e m s of t h e volume. T h i s female figure w o u l d t h u s s t a n d in contrast to t h e o l d e r poet, who r e m a i n s t r a p p e d within t h e less perfect m e d i u m of l a n g u a g e . T h e second stanza of "Límites y espejo" links t h e ambiguity o f limits to a n o t h e r , similar p a r a d o x having to d o with c o n s u m m a tion, perfection, a n d d e a t h : II.

Sólo un cuerpo desnudo enseña bordes. Quien se limita existe. T ú en la tierra. Cuan diferente tierra se descoge y se agrupa y reluce y, suma, enciéndese, carne o resina, o cuerpo, alto, latiendo, llameando. Oh, si vivir es consumirse, ¡muere! Consumación, of course, m e a n s "fulfillment, c o n s u m m a t i o n , p e r fection." In Spanish, however, the w o r d has the s e c o n d a r y m e a n i n g of "extinction, d e a t h , the e n d of t i m e . " T h u s it c o m b i n e s t h e connotations of two distinct verbs, consumar a n d consumir. A s t h e flame of life reaches its limits it c o n s u m e s itself a n d at t h e s a m e time reaches its point of c o n s u m m a t i o n . T h i s stanza describes t h e image of t h e beloved in t h e m i r r o r in t e r m s of A l e i x a n d r e ' s view o f h u m a n life as a m o m e n t a r y state of exception in t h e universe. T h e limits are b o t h spatial a n d t e m p o r a l : they a r e t h e e d g e s of h e r body, a n d t h e time frame that defines h e r existence as a " d i f f e r e n t kind of e a r t h , " o n e that only very briefly takes o n h u m a n f o r m . T h e brevity of life, its exceptionality in t h e c o n t e x t of t h e e n t i r e cosmos, is e x p r e s s e d in t h e virtual simultaneity of b i r t h a n d d e a t h . 8

Aleixandre anticipates many of the preoccupations of Poemas de la consumación in a set of poems grouped under the rubric "Nacimiento último" and included in the collection of the same name (I: 609-624). 8

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By e m p h a s i z i n g t h e s h o r t n e s s of t h e h u m a n life s p a n t h e p o e t is able to m i n i m i z e t h e possible difference in age b e t w e e n t h e p o e t a n d his b e l o v e d : if b i r t h a n d d e a t h occur t o g e t h e r , like t h e b e g i n n i n g a n d e n d of a l i g h t n i n g bolt, y o u t h a n d old-age b e c o m e p r a c t i cally i n d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e . T h e t h i r d a n d final stanza of t h e p o e m r e t u r n s to t h e i d e a of t h e imperfection of representation, striking a m o r e s u b d u e d t o n e after t h e exaltation of t h e second section. III.

Pero quien muere nace, y aquí aún existes. ¿La misma? No es un espejo un rostro aunque repita su gesto. Quizá su voz. En el espejo hiélase una imagen de un sonido. ¡Cómo en el vidrio el labio dejó huellas! El vaho tan sólo de lo que tú amaras. I n c o n t r a s t to t h e m o r e optimistic t o n e of t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e p o e m , t h e s p e a k e r n o w emphasizes the i n a d e q u a c y of r e p r e s e n t a tion: a m i r r o r is n o t t h e face it reflects. I n t h e first stanza, t h e essential t r u t h of t h e w o m a n persists in t h e illusory t h r e e - d i m e n sionality of t h e m i r r o r ' s reflection ("Oh tu v e r d a d l a t i e n d o a q u í e n espacios"). N o w , however, t h e m i r r o r freezes t h e reality t h a t it r e flects, c o n v e r t i n g e v e n t h e poet's voice into an inert, spatial r e p r e sentation, twice r e m o v e d from its source. T h e i m a g e of kissing t h e m i r r o r calls t o m i n d s o m e lines from P e d r o Salinas's Presagios: 'Bésame', dices. Te beso, y mientras te beso pienso en los fríos que serán tus labios en el espejo (60) T h e situation in Aleixandre's p o e m , h o w e v e r , is almost t h e e x a c t r e v e r s e . I n s t e a d of kissing the w o m a n while t h i n k i n g of h e r reflection in t h e m i r r o r , as does t h e s p e a k e r in t h e Salinas p o e m , Aleixa n d r e ' s s p e a k e r conceives of his erotic e n c o u n t e r t h r o u g h t h e i n d i rect m e d i u m of t h e m i r r o r i m a g e . I n t h e i m m e d i a c y of t h e m o m e n t Salinas a t t e m p t s to distance the kiss by c o n v e r t i n g it i n t o a cold r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of itself. A l e i x a n d r e , in contrast, feels t h e last w a r m t h o f a past sexual u n i o n in t h e i m p r i n t of his lover's lips o n t h e glass. W e s h o u l d r e m e m b e r that, in t h e s e m a n t i c u n i v e r s e of Poemas de la consumación, kissing a n d s p e a k i n g a r e often parallel acts. T h e p o e t , at t h e terminal p o i n t in his life, b e c o m e s t h e e m p t y i m a g e of w h a t his c o m p a n i o n h a d loved.

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T h e p o e m t h a t immediately follows "Límites y e s p e j o " i n Poemas de la consumación, "Rostro tras el cristal (Mirada d e l viejo)," is a n o t h e r variation o n t h e same t h e m e : O tarde o pronto o nunca. Pero ahí tras el cristal el rostro insiste. Junto a unas flores naturales la misma flor se muestra en forma de color, mejilla, rosa. Tras el cristal la rosa es siempre rosa. Pero no huele. La juventud distante es ella misma. Pero aquí no se oye. Sólo la luz traspasa el cristal virgen. (II: 75) I n this case a w i n d o w p a n e takes t h e place of t h e m i r r o r . As in "Límites," t h e p o e m is s t r u c t u r e d a r o u n d t h e c o n t r a s t b e t w e e n youth a n d old-age, sight a n d s o u n d (and in this case smell), reality a n d its s e n s o r y r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . T h e p o e t o b s e r v e s his b e l o v e d t h r o u g h a m e d i u m that preserves h e r i m a g e in its p u r i f i e d f o r m , while s e p a r a t i n g h i m from its vitality. Unlike "Límites y e s p e j o , " this p o e m does n o t explicitly m e n t i o n l a n g u a g e , "las p a l a b r a s . " Nevertheless, it forms p a r t of Aleixandre's overall m e d i t a t i o n o n the limits of r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , a n d thus exhibits t h e self-ref lexivity that characterizes all of t h e poet's later work. T h e t e r m metapoetry usually implies t h e e x i s t e n c e of a n o t h e r kind of poetry, o n e that does n o t reflect u p o n itself. T h e implicit m o d e of self-ref lection f o u n d in Aleixandre's later w o r k , h o w e v e r , subverts any line t h e critic m i g h t wish to d r a w b e t w e e n m e t a p o e t r y a n d o t h e r m o d e s of poetic discourse. T h e q u e s t i o n of p o e t i c language, a n n o u n c e d in "Las palabras del poeta," b e c o m e s i n s e p a rable f r o m t h e epistemological p r o b l e m of t h e r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n reality a n d its r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , a n d t h e vital p r o b l e m p o s e d by t h e i m m i n e n c e of old-age a n d d e a t h . I n Poemas de la consumación t h e limits of l a n g u a g e come to r e p r e s e n t t h e limits of life itself. Poetic l a n g u a g e reflects u p o n itself in the act of r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , o r , m o r e 9

Theories of poetic self-consciousness are often based o n the idea of the subversion of mimesis. It might be argued, however, that mimesis is n o t a generic norm for lyric poetry in the same way it is for other genres. Unlike prose narration or theater, where the reader might expect to find an illusion of reality, poetry is already an inherently self-reflexive genre, one that rarely claims to be referential. Thus any attempt to distinguish between ordinary poetic discourse and the selfconscious commentary on this discourse will beg the question o f what constitutes poetic language in the first place. 9

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a c c u r a t e l y , i n t h e p r o c e s s of failing to r e p r e s e n t a m o r e essential reality. T h i s "failure" is t h e c o n s u m m a t e a c h i e v e m e n t of Aleixandre's later poetry. Ohio State University,

Columbus

WORKS C I T E D Aleixandre, Vicente. Espadas como labios. La destrucción o el amor. José Luis Cano, ed. Madrid: Castalia, 1972. . Obras completas. 2 Vols. Madrid: Aguilar, 1978 B o u s o ñ o , Carlos. La poesía de Vicente Aleixandre. 3rd. ed. Madrid: Gredos, 1977. Cano, José Luis, ed. Vicente Aleixandre. Madrid: Taurus, 1977. Carnero, Guillermo. " 'Conocer' y 'saber' en Poemas de la consumación y Diálogos del conocimiento." Cano 274-282. Daydí T o i s ó n , Santiago. Vicente Aleixandre: A Critical Appraisal. Ypsilanti, Michigan: Bilingual Press, 1981. Gimferrer, Pere. "La poesía última de Vicente Aleixandre." Cano 265-273. Hie, Paul. "Descent and Castration." Daydí-Tolson 104-121. Jakobson, Roman. "Closing Statement on Linguistics and Poetics." Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology. Robert E. Innis, ed. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1985. 147-175. Najt, Myriam. "La palabra 'palabra' e n 'La palabra del poeta.' " Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos 352-354 (Oct.-Dec. 1979). 581-93. N o v o Villaverde, Yolanda. Daydí-Tolson 122-144. Paz, Octavio. Corriente alterna. México: Siglo Veintiuno, 1967. Pope, R a n d o l p h D. "Vicente Aleixandre y las limitaciones del lenguaje." DaydíT o l s o n 245-257. Puccini, Darío. La palabra poética de Vicente Aleixandre. Barcelona: Ariel, 1979. Salinas, Pedro. Poesías completas. Barcelona: Barral, 1971. Sherno, Sylvia. R. "The Paradox of Poetry in Blas de Otero's Esto no es un libro." Hispania. 70: 40 (December, 1987): 768-775. Silver, Philip. La casa de Anteo. Madrid: Taurus, 1985. Villena, Luis Antonio de. "La luna, astro final del "Primer Aleixandre" (Algo sobre Mundo a solas): ínsula 368-369 (July-August 1977): 8, 33. 1