Today, October 1st, marks 13 years since my father, Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares, returned to the universe.
Posthumous work of the Colombian poet born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948.
Welcome to this blog dedicated to the Posthumous work of the Colombian poet Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948-2010. Where I will be publishing each of the 175 sonnets from his unpublished collection 'Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical (1984-1987).' Analyzed with GPT4 artificial intelligence and illustrated with AI tools... I hope you enjoy this garden of words snatched from the solitude of a locked room.
Likewise, any enthusiast of the sonnet form is invited to conduct their personal studies of Arroyave Tabares' work, as it is a collection that, although registered since 1989, has not yet been published.
Frank Duna
Sonnet 68 by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares
When You Were The Best 0f Me
When you were my best you left suddenly
To be earth again through a common hearse
Yet, I feel you, and we get to converse
Untíl you make fade my sadness inly.
The garden you happily made of me
Forever will be of you immersed
And it ill keep on growing with the verse
0f our last kiss when life perished Cruelly.
My tears flow, but I learnt to age them, dear
To make liquor and go to places near
Your abode where I can forget my mare.
I know that I will keep your memory
Through which I enjoy still the victory
0f telling you, my love, how much I care.
***
Aún Siendo lo Mejor de Mi
11 Auncuando lo mejor de mí tu fuiste, (A)
11 ya cedí tu poder al universo, (B)
11 aunque sigas aquí cuando converso, (B)
11 ayudándome si suspiro triste. (A)
11 Jardín suntuoso formar en mí viste (A)
11 y continuará de tu ser inmerso (B) 6
11 y surgirán tus cantos en un verso (B)
11 con murmurantes besos al fin diste. (A)
11 Tu luz, con tiempo lágrimas añeja, (C)
11 y mi temor por un lugar aleja. (C)
11 Sus licores raros son un aliento... (D)
11 Al ver que ni se murió tu memoria, (E)
11 hablo más bien de tu dulce victoria (E)
11 y cumplo con saber ¡Cuánto lo siento! (D)
***
6., inmerso = sumergido.
Euphonic Verse in Hendecasyllables in the Form of a Petrarchan Sonnet
Original Version in Spanish by Francisco Luis
Analysis "When You Were The Best 0f Me"
Introduction
Sonnet 68 by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares, titled "When You Were The Best of Me" is a poignant reflection on loss, memory, and the enduring power of love. is written in a sonnet form, consisting of fourteen lines. The poem follows a Petrarchan rhyme scheme, with an ABBA ABBA CCD EED pattern.
Thematic Analysis
The poem "When You Were The Best of Me" by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares is a heartfelt expression of loss and grief. The speaker is addressing a person who was once their best self but has since passed away. Despite this loss, the speaker still feels a connection to this person and is able to have conversations with them in their mind.
The image of a "common hearse" suggests that the person's death was not unique or remarkable, which may add to the speaker's feelings of sorrow and loss. However, the speaker is able to find comfort in the memory of the person and the "garden" they created within them. This garden represents a space of happiness and growth, and the speaker is determined to keep it alive through their words and memories.
The final stanza reveals that the speaker has learned to cope with their grief by turning their tears into "liquor" and going to places near the person's home to forget their pain. Despite this coping mechanism, the speaker acknowledges that they will always keep the memory of this person with them and find joy in expressing their love and care for them.
The poem highlights the universal experience of grief and the various ways in which people cope with it. The speaker's use of the garden as a metaphor for the person's impact on their life and their determination to keep it alive through their words and memories is particularly powerful. This suggests that the speaker understands the importance of preserving memories of loved ones as a way to honor and celebrate their life.
The final stanza also shows the speaker's resilience and ability to find ways to cope with their grief, even though it still affects them deeply. The use of tears turning into "liquor" suggests that the speaker has found a way to transform their pain into something else, perhaps a way to numb the pain temporarily.
The poem's use of language is also notable. The rhyme scheme and rhythm give the poem a musical quality, which adds to the emotional impact of the words. The use of words like "inly" and "immersed" add a sense of depth and richness to the poem, creating a vivid image of the garden within the speaker's soul.
In conclusion, "When You Were The Best of Me" by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares is a moving and powerful poem that explores the theme of loss and grief. Through the use of metaphors and beautiful language, the speaker conveys the deep emotional impact of the person's death on their life while also showing their resilience and determination to keep their memory alive. The poem offers a poignant reminder of the enduring power of love and the importance of honoring the memories of those we have lost.
Rhyme Scheme
The poem "When You Were The Best of Me" by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares follows a traditional rhyme scheme, with an ABBA ABBA CCD EED pattern. This rhyme scheme is characteristic of a Petrarchan sonnet, a form of poetry that originated in Italy during the Renaissance period.
Let's analyze the rhyme scheme of the poem in detail:
Octave (ABBA ABBA):
1-. suddenly (A) 1-. fuiste (A)
2-. hearse (B) 2-. universo (B)
3-. converse (B) 3-. converso (B)
4-. inly. (A) 4-. triste (A)
5-. me (A) 5-. viste
6-. immersed (B) 6-. inmerso
7-. verse (B) 7-. verso
8-. cruelly. (A) 8-. diste
Sestet (CCD EED):
9-. dear (C) 9-. añeja (C)
10-. near (C) 10-. aleja (C)
11-. mare. (D) 11-. aliento (D)
12-. memory (E) 12-. memoria (E)
13-. victory (E) 13-. victoria (E)
14-. care. (D) 14-. siento (D)
The use of the traditional rhyme scheme in the poem gives it a sense of structure and order, which is fitting for a poem that explores themes of loss and grief. The consistent use of end rhymes creates a sense of unity and coherence throughout the poem. The repetition of certain sounds, such as the "e" sound in "me" and "hearse," adds to the musical quality of the poem.
Overall, the use of rhyme in "When You Were The Best of Me" is an important aspect of the poem's structure and adds to its emotional impact. The traditional rhyme scheme gives the poem a sense of balance and harmony while also emphasizing the enduring nature of the speaker's love and memories of the person who has passed away.
Additional Aspects to Analyze
There are several other aspects of the poem "When You Were The Best of Me" by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares that are worth analyzing. Here are a few possible avenues of analysis:
Imagery: The poem makes use of vivid imagery to convey the speaker's emotions and experiences. For example, the image of the garden that the deceased person "happily made" of the speaker is a powerful metaphor for the lasting impact that the person had on their life. Similarly, the image of the tears that the speaker has learned to "age" into liquor is a striking image that highlights the speaker's ability to transform pain into something more manageable.
Tone: The overall tone of the poem is melancholy and reflective. The speaker is grappling with the loss of someone they loved deeply, but there is also a sense of acceptance and resilience in their words. The use of the Petrarchan sonnet form adds to the poem's tone, as this form is often associated with themes of love and loss.
Diction: The poem's language is generally straightforward and accessible, but there are a few words and phrases that stand out for their emotional impact. For example, the use of the word "cruelly" in line 8 emphasizes the sense of injustice and tragedy that the speaker feels about the person's death. Similarly, the phrase "my mare" in line 11 is a poignant metaphor for the burden of grief that the speaker carries with them.
Theme: The central theme of the poem is the enduring power of love and memory. Despite the person's death, the speaker remains deeply connected to them and finds solace in their memories. The poem also touches on themes of resilience, transformation, and acceptance in the face of loss.
Allusion: The poem alludes to the concept of an afterlife or continuation of the soul beyond death. The line "To be earth again through a common hearse" implies that the person has returned to the earth, but the subsequent lines suggest that they are still present in some form, as the speaker is able to converse with them and feel their presence. This allusion to the afterlife adds to the poem's overall sense of hope and resilience in the face of loss.
Overall, "When You Were The Best of Me" is a rich and complex poem that rewards close analysis and attention to its various literary elements.
(GPT4)
Count the syllables of each line of the Sonnet
When You Were The Best 0f Me
10 When you were my best you left suddenly
10 To be earth again through a common hearse
10 Yet, I feel you, and we get to converse
9 Untíl you make fade my sadness inly.
10 The garden you happily made of me
9 Forever will be of you immersed
10 And it ill keep on growing with the verse
10 0f our last kiss when life perished Cruelly.
10 My tears flow, but I learnt to age them, dear
10 To make liquor and go to places near
10 Your abode where I can forget my mare.
10 I know that I will keep your memory
10 Through which I enjoy still the victory
10 0f telling you, my love, how much I care.
***
Aún Siendo lo Mejor de Mi
11 Auncuando lo mejor de mí tu fuiste, (A)
11 ya cedí tu poder al universo, (B)
11 aunque sigas aquí cuando converso, (B)
11 ayudándome si suspiro triste. (A)
11 Jardín suntuoso formar en mí viste (A)
11 y continuará de tu ser inmerso (B) 6
11 y surgirán tus cantos en un verso (B)
11 con murmurantes besos al fin diste. (A)
11 Tu luz, con tiempo lágrimas añeja, (C)
11 y mi temor por un lugar aleja. (C)
11 Sus licores raros son un aliento... (D)
11 Al ver que ni se murió tu memoria, (E)
11 hablo más bien de tu dulce victoria (E)
11 y cumplo con saber ¡Cuánto lo siento! (D)
***
6., inmerso = sumergido.
Euphonic Verse in Hendecasyllables in the Form of a Petrarchan Sonnet
"May the legacy of this sonnet and that of tomorrow remain in many cherished hearts, dear father."
Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical Written By Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (1984-1987)
Note:
Regarding the Euphonic Sonnet, Francisco Luis wrote a comprehensive treatise in Spanish which I will be digitizing and sharing in the future, after publishing his 175 sonnets in English and his 99 'Versos Eufónicos' in Spanish. 'Aún Siendo lo Mejor de Mi' is the only poem that my father wrote for both languages, as an English sonnet and as a Spanish euphonic verse.
Frank Duna
Analyzed by GPT4 and www.howmanysyllables.com; Image by leonardo.ai;
First published on Nostr Protocol by franciscoarroyavet@nostrplebs.com