Dario Death

Ruben Dario (1867-1916), “was the first poet of Modernismo-a movement that revolutionized Spanish American poetry. He was inspired by the French Symbolists, and he fused their poetic innovations with a range of traditions, including his own indigenous ancestry, occult science, and ancient Greek mythology, to create a startling new sensibility” (689). Dario’s work was and still is studied and has inspired many poets. Dario himself admired Walt Whitman. Dario did have problems; he suffered from cirrhosis of the liver. His involvement and interest with occult science may have contributed to his focus on death as a theme in his poem “Fatality”.

Ruben Dario wrote “Fatality” which is found in The Norton Anthology of World Literature by Martin Puchner. Longer 3rd ed. Vol. 2.”Fatality” has three stanzas with four lines for stanza one and two and five lines for the fifth stanza.”Fatality” has a major theme of death. Dario used the literary devices tone, symbols, and personification.

For tone, Dario kept reminding the reader about the mortality present in through nature elements. Dario did not allow the reader to drift away from any kind of knowledge of death. Dario kept drawing the reader deeper in the poem with the knowledge, fears, and facts of death.

For symbols, Dario used tree, rock, funeral sprays, tomb, and grapes. The tree is alive, but will die. The grapes are cool, like death. The choices of symbols that Dario used were to help establish the continual connection to death.

For personification Dario had the tree and rock take on humanlike characteristics. Dario wrote “The tree is happy because it is scarcely sentient” (ins.1). He also wrote “the hard rock is happier still, it feels nothing” (ins.2). Tombs are made of rock and the connection of hard rock to the tomb is clear. Dario wrote “…and the tomb that awaits us with bunches of cool grapes” (ins.10). Death is associated as being cold and not life like anymore.

For death, Dario wrote, “And the sure terror of being dead tomorrow” (ins. 7). Dario’s last three lines were according to Dario “and the tomb that awaits us with funeral sprays, / and not to know where we go, / nor whence we came!...”(ins. 11-13).  It is no coincidence that Dario wrote thirteen lines, thirteen being an unlucky number.

Dario used the literary devices tone, symbols, and personification in “Fatality,” the poem was quite effective in carrying out the theme of death through the literary devices Dario chose. When the Dario’s life is examined it does make sense on why the theme of death was used in his poetry.

Works Cited

Dario Rubén. "Fatality." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. By Martin Puchner. Longer 3rd ed.

Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 689-695. Print.

“Ruben Dario”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. By Martin Puchner. Longer 3rd ed.

            Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 689-695. Print.