Feel the poetic voice in The Black Heralds

Abstract

The article is based on the theory of M. H. Abrams “The four dimensions of a poem” (2012), which it highlights four levels of interpretation of a poem: literal, figurative, symbolic and physical. That is, entering this fourth stage of significance requires recogni­zing that a poem exists to to be read aloud and be heard. Thus, it is necessary to pay atten­tion to both the sound of the verses and the action of reciting them; even when we read a written poem, we must pay attention to the movement of the tongue, throat and mouth, –and also the sensation of words in the ears. Applying these ideas to The Black Heralds (1919) of César Vallejo, we see that from his early poetry the poet worked on the presence of the word and poetic creations in the real world of sounds, revelations, sensations, touches and emotions of ideas. In this way, we see the connection between abstract experimentation, transcendental exploration and social commitment.