Martín Espada looking out
Before reading Whitman and studying the ins and outs of his life and how he wrote about life in general, I couldn’t find him in other poems. But, just as you can trace the origins of Rom Coms to greek mythology, I have realized so much of the modern poetry I have read and learned love is like Whitman’s work. That is not to say that we’re all copying Whitman or that Whitman should be given credit for the work of other poets (because frankly, I don’t think his ego needs that), but his voice has greatly influenced how we read and write poetry today.
That being said, Martín Espada was clearly and openly influenced by the good gray poet, and it is so difficult not to hear Whitman’s voice as a lower-harmony to Espada’s. Whitman would definitely approve of Espada’s poem, “Republic of Poetry,” and maybe even ask, “hey, did I write that? A distinguishing quality of this poem that makes it obviously not a Whitman poem is it’s humor. Especially in the preface to leaves of grass, Whitman was not joking around when he said,
“This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body…”
I really appreciated Martín Espada’s take on this prophetic voice that we’ve come to know as Whitmanian. I think that it may also get the point across a little better, using a less commanding voice than Whitman, but that’s what made him so interesting to read. In “Republic of Poetry, “ each line starts, “In the republic of Poetry,” which continuously brings the reader back to the idea that his place is imaginary. If Espada only said that in the beginning, it would slowly fade from the reader’s mind that this is an imaginary place, but instead he chooses to repeat the phrase, as if constantly making a comment on the fact that this place does not (and probably could never exist). Every stanza begins with that phrase, “In the Republic of Poetry,” except the introductory line which dedicates the poem by saying: “For Chile” in italics. I couldn’t help but think of Whitman’s poem, “Mirages,” and a few others which begin with a phrase in italics. Unlike Whitman’s similar introduction lines, Espada doesn’t set the scene of the poem or make a gesture to certain political things. It is just a simple dedication, which may be a hint at Chile’s need for more poetry.
Espada’s poem makes meaning out of imagery, drawing readers in with the hauntingly beautiful image of a train full of poets running through the rain, horses kicking in the countryside, and a presidential parade where the leader is “shaking every hand,” (11). The images Espada chooses to show are very beautiful and simple, but they speak to many of the themes present in the excerpt included above. Unity, acceptance, and comradery are all present in Whiman’s america, and those sentiments are expressed with a little humor in “Republic.” Readers get a taste of this humor when Espada says “monks print verses about the night / on boxes of monastery chocolate, / kitchens in restaurants / use odes for recipes from eel to artichoke, / and poets eat for free,” (13-18). Without the tone of authority that we get from some of Whitman’s lines like, “This is what you shall do:” Espada shows us what could be.
The images in Espada’s “Republic” only seem to get more surreal when he describes poetry being read to animals in the zoo, and the baboons and primates “scream for joy.” Espada seems to be focused on the same things as Whitman in his preface. They are both sharing their love for poetry, and how they think it could change the world for the better. Another image in “Republic” is of poets floating bookmarks into the sky, and citizens being “blinded by weeping,”(30). That line “blinded by weeping” is pretty powerful, and seems to be the climax of the poem because of how emotionally gripping it is.
The last lines of the poem are simple, light-hearted, but still make readers think about the constructed society and our practices. Instead of going through security at the airport and being patted down and searched and questioned about our identities, Espada imagines a world where the guard at the airport won’t let you leave the country before proving you understand the beauty of poetry. Espada says, “the guard at the airport will not allow you to leave the country until you declaim a poem for her and she says Ah! Beautiful, (32-35). Espada shows in his poem how poetry can light us up, break down our walls, and find peace.
Ivy, I agree that Espada’s poetry, and this poem especially, seems like an accompanying harmony in a song that Whitman is singing. Whitman calls for a poet for president in his preface to “Leaves of Grass” because he believes that the country desperately needs the unifying effect of poetry; he calls a poet president a “common referee,” implying that a figure like that would bring people together. Espada’s poem speaks less to a goal of political unification and more of a unification of everyday people. Like you said, he doesn’t seem to take himself quite as seriously as Whitman! But I think the implications of a “republic of poetry,” where even the kitchens of restaurants and airports are inundated with poetry, are just as serious as Whitman’s loftier-seeming goals of using poetry as connection. Whitman was the poet of everyday people, but I think Espada outshines him in that respect in this poem.
I think the goal of this poem, to Espada, is to bring forth to the common man the powers of poetry. Taking from the ideology of Whitman, Espada understands how poetry can transcend boundaries and unify us as a planet. I think this sentiment is greatly suggested with the airport scene in his poem. While the idea might seem ridiculous, the idea of finding commonality and unity through language and communication is a noble goal to strive towards and can be easily done in Espada.