Antonio Machado's image of the Centaur

Abstract

The image of the centaur is a minor one in Antonio Machado's poetry; in fact, only on two occasions is it used in a full poetic sense. These two poems, however, are important, and the sudden mention of the mythological monster comes in a completely unexpected way in the metaphorical context. Its first appearance occurs in the well known poem, ‘Por tierras de Espana’, in which Machado describes the hispanic alma de Cain: in arid Castile, which centuries of struggle have deprived of old forests and whose rivers carry to the sea the last remains of fertility, a tough, cruel, envious man dwells; his soul, embittered by a long and terrible battle, is saddened by ambition and jealousy. The last strophe of the poem sums up the poetical sense of the previous description: Spain with its warlike, desert plateau, is a part of our planet marked by the curse of Cain.