Cordura (review)

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 285 Cordura Tusquets Editores, 1999 By Antonio MartÃ-nez Sarrión This is Antonio MartÃ-nez Satrión's eighth book of poems written over a literary career of more than thirty years. In addition to his collections of verse, this writer, who originally made his debut as one ofthe novÃ-simos, is also an accomplished translator of poetry and was the co-editor, along with Rafael Alberti, ofthe anthology, PoesÃ-a satÃ-rica españoL· (1997). Prior to the publication of Cordura, his last poemario was Cantil, published in 1995. In this new work, MartÃ-nez Sarrión offers his readers forty-seven poetic selections all of which are preceded by an epigraph taken from Joseph Conrad, "Lo más que se puede esperar de la vida es cierto conocimiento de uno mismo—que llega demasiado tarde—y una cosecha de remordimientos inextinguibles" (11). In the work that follows, the sixty-one year old poet proceeds to illustrate these words in his ruminations on mortality and remembrances ofthe past. In many instances throughout the book the poetic speaker uses the poems as a way in which to engage in a dialogue with himself. Using the familiar second person, "¿Cómo pensabas, di... ?" (15), the speaker addresses himself as he ponders the themes ofthe finitude of life, the passage of time and to a lesser degree, poetic creation. In all but two selections, " Semper eadem" (49) and "Ati, casi innombrable" (97), the subject pronoun "tú" is employed in this way. In the opening poem tided "Consejo" (13), the speaker suggests that the fact that humankind is mortal is neither surprising nor a cause for great lamenting. He proposes, rather, that it is something that must be recognized and acknowledged. By reworking the cliché idea that "with age comes wisdom," the poetic speakef reminds the reader of the decorum that one should exhibit when reflecting upon one's existence after reaching a certain stage in life, "la madurez obliga y es cuestión de elegancia / aceptar los trazados del destino / con sereno talante." Later, the extent to which the speaker himself has learned to accept his own human mortality is described in "Au point" (17), "Saboreas el mundo,... /YIo que es más central: / estás presto y conforme a abandonarlo." As this is one ofthe major themes ofthe collection, there are many other notable poems of a like nature: "Deuda" (37-38), "No aprenderás nunca" (51)," Tombeau del Conde Giacomo Leopardi" (53), "Cuerpo" (67), "Riesgos" (71) and "Eslabones idénticos" (73). A related concept also explored in the volume is the idea ofthe passage of time and its relationship to memory. In "Monedas para un peaje" the speaker reflects, Está la suerte echada: como en retrovisor de un automóvil tu realidad se esfuma en la distancia en tanto la memoria tiende a cuartearse. (19) Using the traditional metaphor of a journey to represent life, the poem pom ays how the memories ofthe past become dimmer and more fragmented as one grows older. The poetic speaker's feelings on the past and what it represents to him in the present are emphatically described in "Variaciones sobre «hastÃ-o» de Ibn Al-Mu'tazz," where he asserts, "Nada en el hoy—salvo pot la memoria, / que aborrezco—permanece de ayer" (31). Again, many ofthe selections ofthe text are thematically similar: "Fondos de rÃ-o" (33), "El invasor" (43), "Senda horizonte luz" (55-56), "Viejo estudio de fotógrafo" (59-60), "Nadie recuerda ya" (61), "Dos maneras" (63), and "Residuos insolubles" (91). In a few poems the speaker muses on the nature ofthe poetic craft while continuing to ponder his temporal existence. This is perhaps best revealed in "Sobre el hacer y perduración de los poetas" (23). This selection begins: Parece cierto que se dio un repudio conocemos la salmodia— de los poetas: «Dicen cuanto no hacen». ¿Se caerÃ-a en la cuenta de que «hacer» de poeta no puede ser más cosa que «decir», y el resto de su vida se disuelve en el rÃ-o de lo humano, 286 Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies y en multitud de casos sus...