10 LYRICS BY LORCA: 7 RECLINING WOMAN

This casida might seem to raise questions about why a gay man should write an evidently erotic poem about a nude woman. But remember that the casida was a form devoted to the erotic and, while his other casidas are not always about love and sex, Lorca was interested in writing at least one in this tradition - and tradition meant a man writing about a woman. Another factor is Lorca's connection with the avant garde of the 1920s and 1930s, when reclining female nudes were frequently the subjects of visual artists such as Picasso.  The picture is a detail from Picasso's The Mirror painted in 1932. There are striking parallels between Picasso and Lorca. Both men were close to surrealists, but never formally signed up to the movement, and both were obsessive about Spanish traditions such as bull fighting and flamenco.

Casida de la mujer tendida                                     Reclining woman

Verte desnuda es recordar la Tierra                                       Seeing you naked brings Earth to mind
La Tierra lisa, limpia de caballos.                                           the bald Earth, shorn of horses.
La Tierra sin un junco, forma pura,                                       The reedless Earth, pure of form,
cerrada al porvenir: confín de plata.                                      hidden from future: a silver horizon.

Verte desnuda es comprender el ansia                                   Seeing you naked is to understand
de la lluvia que busca débil talle,                                            the angst of rain, its slim figure lost,
o la fiebre del mar de immenso rostro                                   or the huge fevered sea’s face
sin encontrar la luz de su mejilla.                                          with no trace of a glow in its cheek.                             

La sangre sonará por las alcobas                                            Blood will sound in the bedroom,
e vendrá con espadas fulgurantes,                                          and come with blazing sword                                      
pero tú no sabras dónde se ocultan                                        but you won’t uncover the secreted
el corazón de sapo o la violeta.                                                toad’s heart or the violet’s.

Tu vientre es un lucha de raíces                                              Your belly is where roots ruck
e tus labios un alba sin contorno.                                            your lips are a blurry dawn.
Bajo las rojas tibias de la cama                                                Beneath the bed’s tepid roses
los muertos gimen esperando turno.                                       the dead, moaning, await their turn