Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 13 minutes ago
I've been thinking about this poem a lot when reading about the war in Syria. I was surprised to find there are no readings of it on YouTube, so I thought I would rectify that. Reading poems is not my normal custom for this channel, but this one called to me.
Neruda's horrific depiction of the effects of the Spanish Civil war on his beloved country are a gut punch. Though the war he describes is 80 years in the past, his words translate almost flawlessly to what's happening today in Syria. Only the geographical references betray the anachronistic nature of the poem. It is my hope that imposing these images on top of this poem will illuminate both conflicts.
A minor historical note: In the first half of the poem, Neruda makes reference to "Federico", whom he calls his "brother." This is very likely Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet and close friend of Neruda's. Lorca was executed by Nationalist forces, loyal to Francisco Franco, at the start of the war. His death had a devastating and transformational impact on Neruda.
A note on the photographs: Obviously I am using many pictures from many different photographers. I lament the fact that, given the volume, it is impractical for me to give due credit to all of them, but the single largest source was this collection from the L.A. Times:
framework.latimes.com/2012/10/10/aleppo-under-siege
I've been thinking about this poem a lot when reading about the war in Syria. I was surprised to find there are no readings of it on YouTube, so I thought I would rectify that. Reading poems is not my normal custom for this channel, but this one called to me.
Neruda's horrific depiction of the effects of the Spanish Civil war on his beloved country are a gut punch. Though the war he describes is 80 years in the past, his words translate almost flawlessly to what's happening today in Syria. Only the geographical references betray the anachronistic nature of the poem. It is my hope that imposing these images on top of this poem will illuminate both conflicts.
A minor historical note: In the first half of the poem, Neruda makes reference to "Federico", whom he calls his "brother." This is very likely Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet and close friend of Neruda's. Lorca was executed by Nationalist forces, loyal to Francisco Franco, at the start of the war. His death had a devastating and transformational impact on Neruda.
A note on the photographs: Obviously I am using many pictures from many different photographers. I lament the fact that, given the volume, it is impractical for me to give due credit to all of them, but the single largest source was this collection from the L.A. Times:
framework.latimes.com/2012/10/10/aleppo-under-siege
