Lo fatal

Centenario de Ruben Dario 2

I. Biography of Rubén Darío

Rubén Darío stated the following:

¨Poetry will exist as long as long as there is an issue of life and death. Art is a superior gift that allows entering what is unknown about the past and what is forgotten later; this is achieved either in daydreams (fantasy) or meditation. There is a perfect music and oral rhythm, which is not a matter of schools: it is a matter of poets. The true artist understands every form, finding beauty in everything. A poet´s glory and eternal memory depend on human consciousness¨ El canto errante (The Wandering Song).

Rubén was born in a humble hamlet named Metapa (today Ciudad Darío), northern Nicaragua, Central America, on January 18, 1867, and he died on February 6, 1916. His father was Manuel García Rojas and his mother Rosa Sarmiento Alemán. His original name was Félix Rubén García Sarmiento. His parents were from León, and they separated when he was two. His great-uncles adopted and raised Darío in León. However, Darío wondered if there was black and Indian blood in his veins because his physique showed features of different races. Darío was baptized at León Cathedral on March 3, 1867.

The poet grew up in an old colonial house in León, Nicaragua, where he heard many local legends and wonder tales. Since there was no electricity at night, the boy used to read long our hours during the day. Darío lived in a world in which there was no separation between reality, magic, religion, and myth.

The couple Ramirez and Sarmiento loved the curious boy. Doña Bernalda Sarmiento taught him to pray, and Colonel Ramirez, who was a liberal, taught him how to ride horses. Living in a tropical country, Darío learned—through children´s stories—about snow, apples in California, and the countryside in France.

The boy, a prodigy, could read at the age of three. He attended a Jesuit-run school and began writing verse at 12. He was able to describe his experiences lived as a child with his foster parents. He described the city and his trips to other farms, travelling on ox-drawn carts in the tropics. Although his real name was Félix Rubén García Sarmiento, he began to sign as Rubén Darío since he was 14. As an adult, he remembered his pure life as a child in this poem.

Far Away       

Ox whose steaming clouds of breath I saw as a boy

Under the Nicaraguan hot burning sun

On the rich plantation filled with tropical harmonies

Woodland dove, of the woods that sang

With the sound of the wind

Of axes, birds, and wild bulls

Receive greetings all of you

Since you are the very same stuff of life…

When Darío was a child, one day he was visited by a strange woman dressed in black. She hugged and kissed him; she cried without saying a word. His neighbor told Darío later that such woman was her real mother. Rosa had come from a distant place. Darío did not understand at that moment the tender words and advice uttered by such strange woman. She gave him some sweets and little gifts. To Darío, this was a rare vision, which vanished later. He would see his mother twenty years later.

As a child Darío read Don Quixote, the Bible, Thousand and One Nights, La Corina by Madame de Stael, many classic Spanish comedies and novels. This cocktail of readings was enough to start the curious and creative mind of Darío at an early age. Doña Bernalda discovered his verses, and soon these verses caught the attention of his relatives and friends, who even asked Darío to write epitaphs when somebody passed away.

At children´s parties, although his cousin played the piano very well, Darío was always the first one to perform. There he met Luis H. Debayle, who would be one of his closest friends.

Nicaraguan intellectuals listen to Darío´s poems

Colonel Felix Ramirez died, and Darío felt the need to work at the age of 12. The child poet went to help a tailor—Trinidad Méndez— to learn such trade, but he did not like this job. His teacher, Felipe Ibarra, and his friends have told Darío to continue attending school and use his talent. His uncle Pedro Alvarado helped the child, as an intern, to enter the school named Instituto San Francisco.

Bernalda Sarmiento de Ramirez

Doña Bernalda was an important influence on Darío. According to Edgardo Buitrago Buitrago, Bernalda was a beautiful, smart, funny, and conservative wife. She was also a great reader. Darío had an opportunity to be exposed to discussions on philosophy, politics, art, etc. parties, trips, religious processions, and friendly neighbors in town. The woman even played the piano and harp, reciting poems, and she was known as Bernalda Darío.

So, Darío published his first poem in a Rivas newspaper called Termómetro. This poem was some sort of elegy dedicated to a friend who had just lost his father.

Your father passed away, right?

You´re right, when you´re crying.

But get this over

There´s eternal life

Where there´s no strife

And good guys will rest

On one bed of lilies

Immortal ones there live

Having fun and happiness

Listening to the harmony

Of heavenly lyres

Darío remembers in his autobiography that his erotic desire was aroused for the first time, when he saw a US acrobat/trapeze girl performing in a circus by 1880. Her name was Hortensia Buislay. Since Darío did not have money to go to the circus everyday, he entered by carrying a musical instrument (violin) of a band. When the circus was leaving the town, Darío wanted to go with the circus to be close to Hortensia. Darío took the test for clowns, but he did not pass.

He quit attending school at 14, and he became a grammar teacher at school. Also, he began to contribute to La Verdad newspaper, starting his career as a journalist in León. Working at this liberal newspaper, he began to write against the conservative government. Once he was brought to trial, but the religious principal of his school helped him.

His teachers had instilled in him Catholic beliefs, but as a young writer, he became familiar with different ways of thinking. He got a masonic book and began to write libertarian and anti-religious verses. The ideas of the liberal colonel Félix Ramirez—foster father— also influenced him. Likewise, he always supported the Central American Union. When liberal general Máximo Jeréz died, he read a very long poem to pay tribute to him. Darío put together his ideas for his first book. Poesías y artículos en prosa (Poems and Articles in Prose).

At that time, Darío was already known in the rest of Central America. Liberal politicians invited Darío to move to Managua, asking Congress to send Darío to Europe to complete his education. However, one day Darío read some of his anti-religious ideas at the presidential palace, and the Conservative government of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Alfaro did not approve the idea of sending Darío to be educated in Europe.

Nevertheless, Darío´s influential friends—Guatemalan historian Lorenzo Montúfa and Cuban speaker Antonio Zambrana got Darío to work at the National Library, where the teenager spent months reading classic books. Antonio Aragón, an educated polyglot, guided Darío in regard to his reading.

Darío was staying at the house of Modesto Barrios, and one day Barrios took Darío to visit a family, where Darío felt in love with a beautiful girl, Elena, whom Darío referred to in ¨brown herons¨ in the story contained in Azure. To the poet, Azure or this blue color meant illusion, fantasy, the color of art—Greek color, the color of the ocean and the sky. This young poet wrote verses with passion for his love. But Darío also dreamt of travelling to faraway countries.

While in the capital city, Managua, he fell in love with Rosario Murillo, the `brown heron´ of the story `White Doves and Brown Herons.´ To prevent an undesirable marriage with her, his friends suggested to him move to El Salvador in 1882, where one of his admirers was the Salvadorian President Rafael Zaldívar. At 15, he began his wandering, visiting El Salvador and becoming a bohemian boy. Rubén got interested in a foreign artist staying at the same hotel. The President knew this female artist, and he decided to have Darío work as a grammar teacher, where he enjoyed teaching verses to students. Darío read some excellent verses when marking the centenary of Simón Bolívar. And the President let him leave the school.

Without government support, the poet led a poor bohemian life with some of his friends like Francisco Gavidia, who admired Victor Hugo who was the great genius of Romanticism. Through Francisco, Darío had the revelation of a great poet of the Légende des Siécles, discussing a lyric reform, which would mark his fate. Darío began to get familiar with French literature. Then, Darío got smallpox and was about to die. After some nurses had taken care of him, he decided to come back to Nicaragua.

Reprint Edition of First Notes by Rubén Darío (Romantic poems written in 1883-1884), published under President Adán Cárdenas

Back in Nicaragua in 1883, he worked as a journalist and librarian; he got a job under the administration of Adán Cardenas del Castillo. Rubén resumed his literary work, by writing in the newspaper. He also began to see his `brown heron,´ but he was disgusted by Rosario´s infidelity. Then, he sought solitude walking along the coast of Lake Managua in the evenings. At the age of 19, he went to Chile in 1886: this country was crucial for his literary development.

Darío wanted to go to the United States, but Salvadorian general and poet, Juan José Cañas, who was his friend, advised Darío to go to Chile. This general had fought against William Walker, and he had been a diplomat in Chile. Amid political commotion in Nicaragua, our poet, with little money but high hopes, took a ship at Corinto port. He reached Valparaíso, Chile, on June 24, 1886, and one of his friends Eduardo Poirier was managing the Telégrafo Nacional. Poirier, a young Valparaíso journalist, helped Darío, who was carrying his credentials.

Darío showed his recommendation letters written by general Juan José Cañas. These letters were addressed to Agustín Edwards Ross, an influential politician and director of La Época newspaper in Santiago, Chile. Eduardo McClure gave him a room and job at La Época headquarters. Darío described Santiago as a progressive modern city with some European influence, with theaters, libraries, and bars. This city claimed to be democratic, but it was very aristocratic and religious at that time.

Darío enjoyed big-city life for the first time. While he was working at La Época, the son of the country´s president was his friend, so he had access to a vast collection of French books. Also, he got in contact with intellectuals and European contributors such as Gladstone, Jules Simon, Sarcey, Emilio Castelar, Ramón de Campoamor, Ortega, etc. He got collaboration from the country´s best writers, building his literary movement.

However, Darío was not welcome enthusiastically as it happened earlier in Managua and San Salvador. Originally those writers did not recognize Darío, but Vicente Grez, Alfredo Irarrázabel, Narciso Tondreau Valín, and Samuel Ossa Borne liked him. He also got in contact with Pedro Nolasco Préndez, Narciso Tondreau, Galleguillos Lorca, etc. Manuel Rodríguez Mendoza and Pedro Balmaceda Toro, son of the president of Chile, became Darío´s good friends. Manuel was very familiar with Spanish literature, and Pedro kept reading French writers.

After work, they used to go to elegant restaurants, and they might end up at the house of some nice girls. They talked about literature, love, scandals, projects, and hopes. Pedro Balmaceda was a very generous friend of his, and they had a lot to talk about since the very first time they met. They talked about fine arts, the latest French books, dreaming of Paris and exotic countries. They made plans about Paris and its French writers, later they would travel to Italy, Spain and the East—China, Japan, India.

The originally humble Nicaraguan poet soon became very eloquent about the latest literary trends in France; he was so creative particularly around friends after some alcoholic drinks. He talked about his homeland, but he also listened to his friends, while writing verses on any piece of paper. His verses were commented later by Manuel Rodríguez Mendoza.

The poet did not earn a lot of money as a reporter at La Época, and sometimes he felt homesick, afraid of cholera, and with a broken heart. Later, he was invited by Pedro Balmaceda to visit Viña del Mar. He collected some of his verses and wrote `Abrojos´ (Thisthles) book, which was published in 1887 through the support provided by Manuel Rodríguez and Pedro Balmaceda at the Ministry of Education.

He lost his job at La Época, but he became a contributor to La Libertad Electoral newspaper. Soon he was poor and had to live at his friend´s house. Eduardo de la Barra and Eduardo Poirier helped the Nicaraguan poet in Valparaíso: Eduardo de la Barra got him to work at El Heraldo newspaper, and Poirier let Darío use his house, asking him for help in writing a novel in a short time for a literary Varela contest. This novel `Emelina´ got a prize, but not the first one.

On the other hand, Darío visited Eduardo de la Barra, spending long hours reading at his friend´s library. He also spent some of his time along the coast, being invited by literary friends on ships. Then, Balmaceda Toro let Darío know about a new literary contest, asking him to write by following the style of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and an epic song to honor Chilean heroes. Darío took this opportunity, writing `Otoñales´ (Autumnal Colors) a number of short poems and an extensive composition titled ¨Epic Song for Glorious Chilean People,¨ which won the first place in 1887.

Despite his bohemian life, Darío kept writing verses. Once he met a homeopathic doctor, who brought Darío to his house and tried to help him. Darío published some of his poems and stories in other papers. He put together his poems in a manuscript, using an unusual titled `Azul´ (Azure). Eduardo de la Barra and Eduardo Poirier turned to subscribers to be able to publish this manifesto.

A landmark for Darío personally was the first edition of Azure. Critical acclaim in Spain put Darío and `Modernismo´ on the international map. Modernismo is used exclusively to refer to the literary movement led by Darío. Through his contacts, he became a Santiago correspondent who wrote for an important Buenos Aires newspaper, La Nación. Spending two and a half years in Chile helped the young Nicaraguan poet. Darío learned more about European literature and arts in Chile. Eventually, Darío got homesick, and his friends helped him to return to Nicaragua in 1889.

Back home, the poet was already a full-fledged writer, owning a literary trend that would influence the Spanish language. Juan Valera and Alcalá-Galiano praised Dario´s Azure in El Liberal newspaper in Madrid, Spain.

He spent several months in León and Chinandega, Nicaragua, getting involved in some love affairs. For instance, a groom was giving a party to her bride and when Darío got drunk, he began to say horrible things about the host and the bride´s family. He was kicked out of the party. Darío´s friends suggested him to go to El Salvador. He met some of his old friends in El Salvador: he stayed with one of his friends, Rubén Rivera, in Sonsonate city, writing the poem `Claro de Luna.´

Later, he moved to La Fortuna farmhouse, where he enjoyed the peaceful tropical life, reading and writing enthusiastically. He wrote the second Edition of Azure published in 1890. On this farm, he thought about another book `El libro del Trópico,´ writing fresh verse and prose. He wrote Symphony in Grey Major poem—Worldly Verses, From the Tropics, and Tropical Nature. His close Chilean friend had died on July 1, 1889, so Darío wrote a book dedicated to him.

The President of El Salvador, Francisco Menéndez, was a Central American unionist, and he gave Darío funds to run a newspaper. Soon the poet became the director of `La Unión Centroamericana´ newspaper. The Nicaraguan poet got the country´s best writers, including a political journalist from Costa Rica, Tranquilino Chacón and the Costa Rican poet Aquileo Echeverría. Chacón did a good job, and he advised and warned Darío about the high expenses incurred because of poet´s bohemian life.

            Rubén Darío in Costa Rica

The position in El Salvador became untenable, so he moved on to Guatemala, where he was in charge of another newspaper. In 1891, this newspaper was shut down, and he moved to Costa Rica for a while.

The Nicaraguan poet has a prolific sojourn—August 1891 to May 1892—in Costa Rica. Among his most important works are ¨Tutecotzimí, El Clavicordio de la abuela, Los Centauros¨ (Palimpsesto), and a great deal of prose.

According to Pablo Steiner Jonas in his book Intermezzo en Costa Rica, Darío´s statements in El Heraldo are true even today. ¨…Uncle Sam is a legitimate father of Barnum—American showman and businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes… We do not accept the motto America for the Americans… they preach false doctrines for the sake of peace and harmony; the Yankees… Home sweet home, but the claw of the eagle soon will be stuck in our necks…¨

Earlier in La Unión newspaper in El Salvador, Darío met the two Costa Rican writers, Aquileo J. Echeverría and Tranquilino Chacón. As soon as A. de Gilbert was published, Echeverría praised such book. Darío called Tranquilino his brother, because he was the first one to make an effort in promoting Azure in Central America.

When Darío and his Costa Rican wife, Rafaela Contreras, arrived in Costa Rica, the Nicaraguan poet was warmly welcome with nice messages through the different newspapers in Costa Rica. He had the freedom to work for any newspaper, and he could share his contributions with other papers. He was a newspaper editor at La Prensa Libre, September 3 – November 10, 1891; Diario del Comercio, December 1, 1891 – March 1, 1892; and El Heraldo de Costa Rica, March16 –May 9, 1892, according to Pablo Steiner.

Here is Darío´s literary production—poems, stories, columns, essays, followed by newspaper and date—while in Costa Rica. This is just a Costa Rican snapshot of what Darío used to do as a writer.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I recommend you get the complete book to understand and enjoy Darío´s works.