Spain

I almost went to Spain five years ago—but then my friend Felicity and I opted to go for Corsica instead. And while I have no complaints (Corsica was beautiful) I am a little sad I didn’t make it to Spain. Still, someday I hope to take the pilgrims walk to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Someday. In the mean time, today is Spain’s Dia de la Hispanidad.

So, back during the days of the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean coast of Hispania was under Roman control, with other parts of the country displaying various degrees of Roman influence. Apparently agriculture was big business, as Spain acted as a granary for the Romans, as well as exporting gold, wool, olive oil and wine. Hey! I never knew Seneca was born in Hispania! I also didn’t know that the name “Andalusia” tells the history of the area’s separartion from Rome. When the Vandals established a kingdom, it was named “Vandalusia”—later transformed to Andalusia.

Fast forward a few centuries, and there’s the Muslim conquest of sections of the Iberian peninsula. The capital of the caliphate—Córdoba—was the important in the Europe of the day. Important? The superlatives largest, richest and most sophisticated have been applied. And let’s not forget that without Arabic scholars—including those present in Spain at this period—Greek learning would have been revived much more slowly.

Of course, Muslim rule didn’t last either, and over centuries it broke up leading eventually to the Spanish Empire. Which of course came to include large swathes of South and Central America, Mexico and sections of what is now the United States along with plenty of islands. Of course, within Europe Spain faced plenty of challenges from Barbary pirates (pirates!) to new threats of Islamic invasion.

So, Spain has had plenty to do. The twentieth century was no difference—following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic came the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939. The Nationalist forces—under General Franco—emerged the stronger side. Who was on their side? Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Sometimes the Spanish Civil War is called the first battle of the Second World War. Franco came out of the Civil War as dictator. He died in 1975. At a Davis Cup match in Australia a few years ago the officials committed a major faux pas, playing the Spanish national anthem from the Franco years, and not the current anthem. Not surprisingly, the players were very upset. Oh, and Spanish tennis players? All kinds of amazing.

More recently, we think of the bombs that exploded in commuter trains in 2004: initially Basque separatists were suspected, but last year it was concluded that the perpetrators were from a local Islamist militant group.

And when we talk about the Spanish language, we’re referring to Castilian, which is the only language with an official status through the whole country. Other major languages are Basque, Catalan and Galician—and there are plenty of other languages spoke.

The arts? Well, Don Quixote is one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Velázquez’s paintings are amazing, as are El Greco’s. And, yes, we know Picasso was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Still, for me the greatest Spanish artist will always be Goya. There’s cinema—including the greats Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almadóvar. And then there’s flamenco. I took flamenco lessons for a year. I want to go back to them. Time, money. The eternal inhibitors.

For a poem I have chosen a piece by Lorca. I love Lorca. This is actually the opening poem to his early volume Poem of the Deep Song. The book is a wonder.

Little Ballad of the Three Rivers

             To Salvador Quintero

The river Guadalquivir
winds through orange and olive trees.
The two rivers of Granada
descend from the snow to the wheat.

Ay, love
that went away and never returned!

The river Guadalquivir
has whiskers of garnet.
The two rivers of Granada,
one weeping and the other blood.

Ay, love
that went away through the air!

For ships with sail
Sevilla has a route;
in the waters of Granada
only righs row about.

Ay, love
that went away and never returned!

Guadalquivir, a tall tower
and wind in the orange groves.
Darro and Genil, dead little 
towers rising from the lakes.

Ay, love
that went away through the air!

One could say that the water carries
a will-o’-the-wisp filled with cries!

Ay, love
that went away and never returned!

Carry orange blossom, carry olivers,
Andalusia, down to your seas.

Ay, love
that went away through the air!

—Federico García Lorca
translated from the Spanish by Carlos Bauer
from Poem of the Deep Song