Costas Montis & Miguel HernandezComparing poems

ANDREAS PAVLOU

THE MOTIVE OF PAINPOEMS

ELEGEIA MIGUEL HERNANDEZ I want to be, crying, the peasant that works the earth you occupy and fertilise, companion of my soul, so soon.My grief without instrument feeds the rains, makes horns and organs sound, and to the dispirited poppies. I will give your heart as food. So much pain gathers in my side, that it even pains me to breath.A hard slap ,a frozen blow, an invisible and murderous stroke of the axe ,a brutal shove has brought you down. There is nothing longer than my wound, I weep for all my misfortunes and I feel more for your death than for my own life.I walk on the stubble of the dead, and with warmth from no-one and unconsolable, I make my way from my heart to my daily business. So soon death has risen up in flight, so soon dawn has dawned ,so soon you are rolling on the ground.I cannot forgive that lover, death, I cannot I forgive thoughtless life ,I cannot forgive the earth, nor the void. In my hands I raise a storm of strident stones, bolts of lightning and axes ,thirsting and hungering for catastrophes.I want to scrape at the earth with my teeth, I want to split he earth apart bit by bit with dry, hot bites.

ΓΙΑ ΕΝΑ ΠΑΙΔΑΚΙ ΠΟΥ ΠΕΘΑΝΕΚι ήταν η ζωούλα τουσαν κάτι λεπτές, ντροπαλές σταγονούλες βροχήςΠου όταν πέφτουν στον νερό δεν κάνουν καν κύκλους

THE DEATH OF A KID-COSTAS MONTISThe death of a kid causes the poet’s laments who similes his life with the rain drops. In this way the poet wants to show that life is valuable and can be easily lost.

I want to mine into the earth until I find you and kiss your noble skull and take your shroud from you and bring you back.

You will come back to my garden and my fig tree: among the high flowery trellises your soul will flit like a bee in its hive. Sewn with the wax of angels. You will come back to the murmuring of farm-workers at their beloveds’ windows.

You will cheer up the shadow over my eyebrows, and from either side your beloved and the bees will argue over your blood.

Your heart, now wrinkled velvet, calls my greedy lovers’ voice to a field of foaming almonds .I want to be with you under the winged souls of the roses of the cream-coloured almond tree, for we have many things to talk of companion of my soul, my companion.

ELEGEIA MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

Lyrics :A. Elegeia MIGUEL HERNANDES

11-12:So much pain gathers in my side that it even pains me to breathe.

18-20:

There is nothing longer than my wound, I weep for all my misfortunes

49-53:

I want to mine into the earth until I find you and kiss your noble skull and take your shroud from you and bring you back

B. For the death of a child COSTAS MONTIS The Cypriot poet wails for the death of a kid and expresses his

sorrow by comparing his life with the drops of the rain.

Elegeia (Miguel Hernandez)-The death of kid (Costas Montis p.150)

Subject: Death In his poem Miguel Hernandez wants to express his feelings

about the death of his best friend. In addition, he wants to express his desire to be with his friend by caring and protecting the tomb of his friend and showing how important his friend was for him. Moreover, in the lines 11-12 and 18-20 he complains about his luck which deprived him of his friend. Furthermore, lines 49-53 express the sorrow of the poet which increases. At the same time Costas Montis refers to the death of a kid and makes a simile of life with the drops of the rain. He also wants to show that life is valuable. To conclude the Cypriot poet wails for the death of a kid whereas Miguel Hernandes mournes for the death of his friend.

THE SUBJECT OF FREEDOM POEMS

THE WOUNDED MAN MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

For freedom I bleed, I fight, I keep on living.For freedom, my eyes and my hand, like a tree made flesh, generous and captive, I give to the surgeons.For freedom I feel more heart than sand in my breast:my veins give foam and I go into the hospitals, and I go into the cotton sheets as into lilies.For freedom I tear myself away, with bullets, from those who have toppled its statue into the mud. And I tear myself away, with blows, from my feet, from my hands, from my home , from everything.

1955-59 COSTAS MONTIS

The power of freedom was the mainly reason which brings closer all

Cypriots. I addition at the liberation struggle of 1955-59 Cypriot fought Turks

to achieve their freedom.

For where empty eye-sockets dawn, freedom will place two stones looking towards the future, and will make new arms and new legs grow in the felled flesh.Relics of the body I lose with each wound will sprout again with wings of sap that has no autumn. For I am like the felled tree, I sprout again: for I still have life

THE WOUNDED MAN MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

Lyrics :

Freedom A. MIGUEL HERNANDES 1-2:For the freedom I bleed ,I fight, I keep on living. 14-17:For freedom I tear myself away, with bullets from those who

have toppled its statue into the mud. 22-28 :For where empty eye-sockets dawn freedom will place two

stones looking towards the future and will make new arms and new leg grow in the felled flesh.

B. COSTAS MONTISCostas Montis underlines that freedom was the target of the

Cypriots who fight with any way to achieve it, because the dream of all Cypriots was the freedom of Cyprus.

The wounded man (Miguel Hernandez)-1955-1959(Costas Montis p.90)

Subject: Freedom In his poem Miguel Hernandez expresses his desire for

freedom in various ways. First of all, lyrics 1-2 show the poet’s determination to fight, bleed and keep on living for freedom. Moreover, lyrics 14-17 refer to the poet’s decision to fight against the people who do not mind about freedom and cause fatal wars. He wants to show that freedom is everything. Moreover, lyrics 22-28 underline that freedom is vital for life and show that the poet was a patriot and a soldier of freedom. At the same time Costas Mondis refers to the liberation war of 1955-59 and his dream to see Cyprus freed .To sum up Costas Montis underlines that freedom was the target of the Cypriots who fight with any way to achieve it. The same target comes up in the poem of Miguel Hernandez.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR

Enlightened I proceed in the darkness Miguel HernandezMiguel Hernandez in his poem expresses his misery about the war. In addition he parallels the life in the war with darkness, because it is too bad .In this way, the poet wants to show his pain which causes the Spanish war to him.

Turkish invasion- Costas Montis The Cypriot poet refers to the Turkish invasion which deprives many Cypriots from of their properties. In addition he mentions now many of the Cypriots’ properties belongs illegally to the Turks. Moreover, Costas Montis through the conversation of a child with his mother wants to underline that a lot of people lost their lives in the war and now a big part of Cyprus belongs to Turks.

LYRICS:

Enlightened I proceed in the darkness

Miguel Hernandez

The poet expresses his sorrow about the Spanish war and the bad consequences of the war. In addition, he underlines the bad life in the war which makes him think that death is preferable.

Turkish invasion - Costas Montis

The Cypriot poet refers to the consequences of the Turkish invasion which deprives the Cypriots of their properties.

Enlightened I proceed in the darkness ( Miguel Hernandez)- Turkish invasion (Costas Montis p.54)

Miguel Hernandez underlines the consequences of the war and the misery that the war causes. Also, lyrics 5-14 make a simile of the war as darkness because life in the war is too bad and force people to prefer death to life. In addition, mourning dominates and many people die. At the same time, Costas Montis refers to the occupied Cyprus places by the Turks and lyrics12-21 wail about the death of many Cypriots and the loss of their properties which now belong to the Turks. Consequently, both poets are inspired by the same incentives and write poetry which expresses their response to similar circumstances.

THE END