Sudden Bright Red Blood And Clots

Yes, yes, I'm back, despite the long absence and the troubles experienced in recent months. Just did not want to disappoint follow my readers that during this break of silence followed by posting glowing feedback or encouragement in this blog . Thank you all for not giving up, to continue there, continue to show some appreciation or giving any value to these trifles. Thanks, really, for being and living. Incidentally, this blog turned its second year of publication last year (2006), in December. Two years already running but not continuous and smooth, but with ups and downs, gaps ( nomen omen, lol), febrile periods of neglect and other publication, joys and sorrows, successes (few) and failures ( many): Is not that the pace in short, normal life?

I will say, in passing, that became a contest to celebrate the merits (of the first edition realized here and here ) for access to a position as professor at the University of Jaén, in December 2006. And to exempt members of the commission, instigation and indoctrinated by the illustrious President of the University, returned to apply the law on mandatory , as in the first edition, but this time in a revised and expanded. I will not pass over in silence this ominous and serious issue, but it takes me an account of the details for another occasion. Now I want to talk about a cultural issue (of which I like), although its content related to the vicissitudes suffered. Ab ipso

ferro "iron itself." That was the slogan that was attached Fray Luis de León. As emblem (that is, by the Latin text with a chart) was used in the covers of early editions of his poetry. The shield emblem appears with a tree with branches pruned and fresh emerging leaf buds. At the foot of the tree, lies a hatchet (which is supposed to just be used for pruning). The legend surrounding the entire reason:

FERRO AB IPSO

The Latin phrase comes from Oda 4.4 of Horace, verses 57-60. Hence the Latin poet states that the Romans are recovering from their losses and emerge with renewed strength, like the oak coppice with redoubled force after being clipped to iron:

Duris ut ilex tonsa bipennibus
nigrae feraci frondis in height,
per Damn, ab ipso per caedis
ducit opes animumque ferro

As the oak tree, pruned by the hard axes, black
of foliage, in the fertile peak,
despite injury and cuts, the same forces and making iron

force Fray Luis de Leon said these verses paraphrased and Horace in several places in his work. In his Ode XII ( A Felipe Ruiz ), vv. 31-35, introduces a translation of the verses paraphrased Horace: Well as

gnarled oak, high cliff with ax felled
powerful

of being torn iron-rich and hard turns;

is not unreasonable to assume that Antonio Machado took account of Horace's verse or the version of Fray Luis (or both) when he wrote the famous poem "To a dry elm" from the book Campos de Castilla (1912). Biographical motivation of this poem is clear. Machado wrote the poem in May 1912, when Eleanor, his young wife was very ill (he would die in July). Dying elm symbolizes Leonor. But the poet must hold a Ray of hope as the elm can spring greenup, Leonor can recover the "hack" of their disease. I can not resist copying here, once again, the full text of this wonderful poem:

DRY AN ELM Al

old elm tree split by lightning
and his half rotten with rain
April and May sun,
some green leaves have emerged.
Elm Hill centennial
lapping the Duero!
yellow moss will stain white crust
the trunk decayed and dusty.
not be, which the singers alamos
that guard the road and the shore, inhabited by brown
nightingales. Army ants

row he is climbing, and deep inside
hatched gray spider webs.
Before you down, elm del Duero,
the woodcutter with his ax, and you become a carpenter
mane hood spear
car or wagon yoke;
before, red in the home, tomorrow
ardas of some miserable hut
the edge of a road;
before uprooting you a whirlwind
and broken the breath of the white mountains,
before the river to the sea will push,
by valleys and gorges,
elm, I note in Portfolio
the grace of your branch Verdeca. My heart hopes

also towards light and to life,
another miracle of spring.

Soria, 1912

Obviously, there are differences between Machado's poem and its sources. Machadian In the text, the tree is almost dry, but not as a result of pruning, but the effect of lightning and abandonment (note, however, Machado also alludes to the ax in verse 16 as probable reminiscence of Horace and Fray Luis). And that tree, half dead already and before perishing of all sprouts by the spring effect. That spring for Don Antonio symbolizes the recovery that he longs for his young wife.

Indeed, a very real spring, not figuratively, is what is sprouting, hovering and trimming, by nature. As a humble celebration of this early spring, as thanks to my readers and as I did once (just a year ago) , firing this post a haiku "spring" in Latin, with English translation:

Nec nec aestum
hiemem: aeternum see
tecum ago. Neither

summer or winter you is how to live

eternal spring.