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La Atlantida De Verdaguer UN GRAN POEMA EPICO HISPANICO: LA ATLANTIDA DE VERDAGUER Por el Profesor de la Universidad de Estudios Extranjeros de Kyoto Angel Ma Ferrer i Casals C.M.F. Conferencia pronunciada en la Universidad SOPHIA de TOKYO el dia 6 de Noviembre de 1964, con motivo de la reunion anual de la Sociedad Japonesa de Lengua Espaftola.- INTRODUCCION. -Una vez mas-Senores miembros de la Sociedad Japonesa de Lengua Espanola, nos hallamos reunidos para intercambiar experiencias sobre nuestra labor docente en el campo de las letras his- panicas. La ensenanza de idiomas en el pais ha adquiridoun gran desarrollo en estosultimos anos, y con referenciaal ingles,los metodos didacticos han alcanzado una relativaperfeccion. Ello es debido a la dedicacion podriamos decir masiva a la ensenanza de este idioma, que es desde luego medio indispensablede comunicacion y culturay no perdera,antes ganara en su posicionde preeminencia. Aun puesto en su debido punto de distancia,le faltaal espanolaun mucho que avanzar, y ellono solamente en el campo didacticosino en el terrenode la estimacioncomun. Es necesariodifundir entre el mundo estudiantiljapones un mayor conocimiento de la culturahispanica junto con la oportunidad e inclusonecesidad de inclinarlas masas a su estudio, que-en mi humilde opinion-es de mas urgencia en el orden del desen- volvimiento externo del pais,que no lo son el aleman y el frances,que actualmente ocupan el segundo y tercerlugar en el aprecio comun de los japoneses,desde luego antes que el espanol,que ni siquieratiene media hora semanal de programa televisado. No es este el momento de hablar sobre las causas de elloy lo que 37 podriahacerse para mejorar las actuales condiciones. Por nuestraparte procuraremosperfeccionar progresivamente los medios de ensenanza,sin coartarnuestros contactos al sectorpuramente pedagogico o linguistico, sino dandoleun mas abiertomarco al mundo de la cultura,de la que el lenguajeno es mas que un mero vehiculo. Por esta razon celebroen parte no haberrecibido a tiempo unos librosindispensables que necesitabapara perfeccionarel trabajoque se me habiasolicitado como espanolnativo de hablacatalana, es a saber: "Estudiosemantico comparativo entre el castellanoy el catalancon relaciona su comun lenguamadre, el latin".Asi, sinabandonar funda- mentalmenteel tema, tocaremosun aspectocultural del mismo, presen- tando una gran epopeyacon algunasrecitaciones en la lenguaoriginal, lo cual para losque no han tenidola fortuna de visitarEuropa, y con ellaa Espana,constituira posiblemente una doblesorpresa. Hablare,pues, de la obra capitalde uno de los mayores poetas modernos espanoles,escrita en lalengua-tambien espanola-que univer- salizoel inmortalfilosofo-mistico medieval Raimundo Lulio. Me refieroal poetaReverendo Jacinto Verdguer y el tema es: "UN GRAN POEMA EPICO HISPANO, LA ATLANTIDA". De "L'ATLANTIDA" se ha dicho "que por su concepcionverdadera- mente extraordinaria,la grandiosidad de sus imagenes,la vivezade sus relacionesy sus admirablesdescripciones, excede con mucho a todas lasepopeyas modernas." Laureada en losJuegos Floralesde Barcelonaen 1877,obtuvo desde sus principiosfama universal,que en nuestrosdias ha cobrado nuevo auge con su representacionen la Scalade Milan,musicada por eltambien mundialmenteconocido maestro espanol D. Manuel de Falla. Aparte de sus mas de 20 edicionescatalanas en Espana y sin dar un elenconi mucho menos completo,se ha publicadosu textooriginal en Buenos Aires,Nueva York, Manila y San Petersburgo(Leningrado). Ademas de trestraducciones diferentes al castellano,una de ellasen verso,existen 5 al frances,2 al checo-en verso-y dos al portuguesy ademas al aleman,ingles, italiano, provenzal y esperanto. Aunque no 38 he podidocomprobarlo personalmente se diceque estapublicada en Japon con su correspondientetraduccion la partemusicada por el maestroFalla y concluidapor su discipuloespanol Halffter. Sirvacomo resumen de loselogios que se le han tributadola frase que el poetacontemporaneo frances MISTRAL escribioal autor: "Despuesde Milton en su "ParaisoPerdido" y Lamartineen "La caida de un Angel" nadie ha sabido describirun mundo de tanta grandeza". EL CATALAN.-Antes de hablarde la obra en si se nos hace im- prescindibledecir dos palabrasacerca del idioma en que fueescrito. De todos es sabidoque el idioma de comun uso y oficialen Espana no es unicoen uso,pues existenademas del catalanel galaicoportugues y el vasco. "Elconglomerado linguistico de ti po romance que sobrevivea lain- vasionvisigoda, se escindiopor la presenciade una fuerzalinguistica mas tardiapero mas originale impetuosa, que descendiendode Cantabria (Menendezy Pidaldice "como una cuna")desplazo al este de la Peninsula las formas especificasdel romance anteriorque se llaman catalany gallego,cuyas evidentessemejanzas se explicanpor aquel periodode dominiocomun. Esta realidadhace imposibleque lasdos dichasienguas litoralespuedan depender de la lengua centralpor imposibilidadcro- nologicay linguistica".Estas palabrasde GuillermoDiaz-Plaja con- tradicena losque en contrade la misma definiciondel Diccionariode la Real Academia de la Lengua hacendel catalan un simpledialecto del castellano,y mas a losque ven en el un intermedioentre el castellano y elfrances "que seria-enexpresion jocosa de D. MarcelinoMenendez y Pelayoque escribiay hablabael catalana la perfeccion-comodecir que el murcielagoes un hibridode gorriony rata". Lengua viva para unas cincomillones de personas entre Cataluna, Valencia,Baleares, el Rosellon de Franciay Alguerde Cerdena,no puede pasardesconocida para quiense considereconocedor del tesoro cultural hispanico."Sostengo-dice Miguel de Unamuno-que losque en Espana se tengan por cultosy se interesanpor la literaturaespanola o si se 39 quiere ibericacontemporanea, no tienen derecho a ignorar sus excelsos poetas y escritores."(catalanes.) Mas acreedor de ello que ninguno, el mayor de los que lograron el Renacimiento iniciadopor Buenaventura Carlos Aribau, es el poeta de que nos ocupamos, JacintoVerdaguer . EL POETA.-Mosen JacintoVerdaguer y Santalonacio en la pequena aldea campesina de Folgueroles(Barcelona, Espana) el 17 de Mayo de 1845. A los 10 anos ingreso en el Seminario Diocesano de Vich y en Octubre de 1870 fue consagrado sacerdote. Destinado de Vicario a Vinyoles d'Oris,tuvo que dejar la parroquia a los tres anos por causa de enfermedad. Habiendole prescritolos medicos airesmarinos , ingreso de capellanen la compania Transatlanticaen cuyos barcos navego por espacio de otros dos anos. Dice de si mismo en una de sus notas autobiograficas: "Eran losprime ros arranquesde mi juventud,y por lotanto mas perdo- nable,cuando poco satisfechode coplasy canciones, intenteponer las manos en estaobra (La Atlantida),estando aun arrinconadoen una masia de laplana de Vich,sin habervisto mas tierraque laque se pueda con- templar desde un altozano de las sierras que lo rodean y conociendo el mar como si solo lo hubiese visto en pintura… Cien veces quise retroceder como quien entra en una sima espantosa cuyos abismos nadie hubiese sondeado todavia… En esta lucha terrible una enfermedad me hizo dejar los dulces aires de la patria por las olas del mar… y mi horizonte poetico se ensancho como un cielo sin niebla"… Rehecha su salud ocupo durante 18 anos el cargo de limosnero en el palacio del Marques de Comilas. Serios litigios con su Obispo lo tuvie- ron retirado durante tres anos en el Santuario de La Greva sin poder ejercersus funciones sacerdotales . Cuatroanos mas tarde,rehabilitado ya y en posesion de un beneficio en la iglesia barcelonesa de Belen fallecioen 1902. En sujuventud seempapo de lecturasy conocio los, clasicoslatinos que tan buen influjo tuvieron en el . Ramon Llull,los misticos castellanos y la poesia de Victor Hugo completaran su for- macion literariay determinaran las influenciasexternas de su poesia . Hombre del pueblo poseia un lenguaje jugoso, lleno de matices y un 40 extensisimo vocabulario; hombre de buen gusto sabia comprender la musicalidad del nombre geografico. Su poema nacio de la impresion que le produjo la gran inundacion del llano de Vich en 1863, la lectura de Platon y unos pasajes de Juan Eusebio de Nieremberg, donde se describen las grandes catastrofes de la humanidad. Mas tarde el conocimiento de la obra de Roisel "Les Atlants", el recuerdo de ciertos mitos de las Metamorfosis de Ovidio y del pasaje del gigante Adamastor de Os Lusiadas de Camoens junto con sus viajes marinos, le hicieron perfeccionar el grandioso poema que enlaza la catastrofe mitologica con el descubrimiento espanol de las Indias Oc- cidentales. Verdaguer supo percatarse de la importancia de los recursos de la fabula poetica. Pero esencialmente mediterraneo y humanista escogio como protagonista a la divinidad mas humana y simpatica del Olimpo: a Hercules, que en manos del poeta adquiere un tono pirenaico y familiar medio ganan y medio heroe que le otroga una fisonomia particularisima. Sus grandes dotes epicas dan a l'Atlantida una insuperable grandiosidad y una dramatica emocion. LA HISPANIDAD. -En el poema se sienten palpitar gloriosos de- signios de Patria y su hermoso y brillante porvenir de grandeza. "Las antiguas cronicas de Cataluna y de Espana-dice el poeta-de las que me gustaba releer sobre todo las primeras paginas, me llenaban la fantasia de aquellos hechos, que de tan lejanos y cubiertos por la oscuridad de los tiempos primitivos la historia va olvidando....Vi Cadiz, la de cien torres de marfil, Avila y Calpe, que parecen dos gigantes que acaba de despedir el Mediterraneo bruscamente, abriendose paso entre sus pies
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