1914: Juan Ramón Jiménez - Platero and I
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1StevenTX
Platero and I by Juan Ramón Jiménez
Serialized 1914, first book publication with added chapters 1917
English translation by Eloïse Roach 1957
Platero and I is a collection of 138 prose poems in which the poet addresses himself to his donkey, Platero, as they wander the streets of his native Andalusian town and the nearby countryside. There are many simple tales of the joys that Jiménez shares with Platero and often with the village children--eating pomegranates, picking flowers, and telling stories. There are sad tales as well of seeing animals abused, of families in poverty, and of the deaths of children. But many of the prose poems simply celebrate the beauty of nature--sunsets, falling leaves, butterflies, raindrops caught in roses--all against the backdrop of the passage of the seasons of a single year.
The following chapter, titled "Promenade," seems to capture best the essence of the poet's simple and joyous view of life.
Serialized 1914, first book publication with added chapters 1917
English translation by Eloïse Roach 1957
Platero and I is a collection of 138 prose poems in which the poet addresses himself to his donkey, Platero, as they wander the streets of his native Andalusian town and the nearby countryside. There are many simple tales of the joys that Jiménez shares with Platero and often with the village children--eating pomegranates, picking flowers, and telling stories. There are sad tales as well of seeing animals abused, of families in poverty, and of the deaths of children. But many of the prose poems simply celebrate the beauty of nature--sunsets, falling leaves, butterflies, raindrops caught in roses--all against the backdrop of the passage of the seasons of a single year.
The following chapter, titled "Promenade," seems to capture best the essence of the poet's simple and joyous view of life.
How pleasantly we go along the deep, honeysuckle-hung roads of summer. I read or sing or recite verses to the sky. Platero nibbles the thin grass on the shady roadside, the dusty blooms of the mallows, the yellow vinegar flowers. He spends more time standing than walking. I let him...Jiménez finds beauty and nobility everywhere he looks, and his lyrical prose conveys a simple philosophy of living and loving each moment to its fullest.
The infinitely blue sky, receiving the arrows of my ecstatic eyes, rises to glorious space above the laden almond trees. The entire ardent and silent countryside is gleaming. In the river a small sail stands still in the windless water. The compact smoke of a fire swells in round black clouds toward the hills.
But our journey is short. It is like a sweet defenseless day in the midst of multiple life. Not the apotheosis of the day, nor the sea to which the river goes; not even the tragedy of the flames.
When in the smell of orange blossoms the gay, cool sound of the well pulley is heard, Platero brays and frisks with delight. What a simple daily pleasure. At the cistern I fill my glass and drink that liquid snow. Platero sinks his mouth in the dark water and sips greedily here and there in the cleanest spots.
3baswood
Platero and I by Juan Ramon Jiminez
A magical book that transports the reader, through the eyes of a poet, to a small town in Southern Andalucía (Spain). Jiminez writes about a life shared with his best friend: Platero a young donkey. It is a simple life in tune with nature as the two friends go about their daily business and Jiminez tells his little stories, which are imbued with colour, with the changing seasons and the characters in the town and the surrounding countryside.
The little stories take the form of vignettes rarely more than 300 words each and although in prose form have the feel of a sonnet. Typically they are three or four paragraphs long with the first paragraph setting the scene: introducing the main character, which might be human, or an animal or the countryside and usually referring to Platero. The second paragraph enhances the subject and tells the story; there is usually a change of direction in the third paragraph as Jiminez concludes his story with some more thoughts of his own or imagines how Platero might be feeling. Some of the stories are simple, perhaps with some humour, others can delve deeper into the imagination, with a note of sadness that lingers long after the story has finished, while some evoke a feeling of overwhelming well being. The reader travels with Jiminez and Platero feeling the colours, feeling the warmth of their friendship and feeling the world around them.
Most of the stories were published in 1914 and so describe a timeless existence before the inroads of the 20th century. There is a peace and simplicity about their lives that reaches out and makes one yearn to be part of it, least it does for me when I am at my most wistful. I am going to keep this book on my reading desk and dip into these stories when I want to revel in the special atmosphere of Jiminez prose: food for the soul perhaps, food for our lives that miss so much of what the poet tells us. A four star read.
A magical book that transports the reader, through the eyes of a poet, to a small town in Southern Andalucía (Spain). Jiminez writes about a life shared with his best friend: Platero a young donkey. It is a simple life in tune with nature as the two friends go about their daily business and Jiminez tells his little stories, which are imbued with colour, with the changing seasons and the characters in the town and the surrounding countryside.
The little stories take the form of vignettes rarely more than 300 words each and although in prose form have the feel of a sonnet. Typically they are three or four paragraphs long with the first paragraph setting the scene: introducing the main character, which might be human, or an animal or the countryside and usually referring to Platero. The second paragraph enhances the subject and tells the story; there is usually a change of direction in the third paragraph as Jiminez concludes his story with some more thoughts of his own or imagines how Platero might be feeling. Some of the stories are simple, perhaps with some humour, others can delve deeper into the imagination, with a note of sadness that lingers long after the story has finished, while some evoke a feeling of overwhelming well being. The reader travels with Jiminez and Platero feeling the colours, feeling the warmth of their friendship and feeling the world around them.
Most of the stories were published in 1914 and so describe a timeless existence before the inroads of the 20th century. There is a peace and simplicity about their lives that reaches out and makes one yearn to be part of it, least it does for me when I am at my most wistful. I am going to keep this book on my reading desk and dip into these stories when I want to revel in the special atmosphere of Jiminez prose: food for the soul perhaps, food for our lives that miss so much of what the poet tells us. A four star read.
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