opening line, which declares the time of Ignacio’s
death. The time is repeated again in the second
line. It is then repeated another twenty-eight
times, twenty-four of those instances appearing
in an italicized refrain. In the second section of
the poem, the speaker references Ignacio’s end-
less slumber and his own unwillingness to gaze
upon the matador’s demise. The poem’s third
section describes Ignacio’s body being laid to
rest, and the speaker then says that everything
is over, an assertion that is repeated twice. The
final section of the poem also states four times
that Ignacio is deceased for all eternity. In fact,
all but one of the repetitions and refrains in the
poem are related to the inalterable permanence
of Ignacio’s death. It is almost as if, by repeating
it, the speaker will somehow come to terms with
the terribleness and permanence of his loss. The
repetition also affords death the weight and
importance it rightly deserves.
Other aspects of the poem that further
underscore the power of death are the numerous
descriptions of the accoutrements (accessories) of
death. By talking around death, the speaker lends
it additional importance. It cannot be addressed
directly but must be addressed through sheets
and shrouds and decomposition. It is hinted at
in the blood that spurts with lessening vigor from
Ignacio’s body, the lime that will hide the stench
of rot, the elements of the soil that will soon
envelope the matador, and the coffin that has
become his final resting place. Other signs of
death are Ignacio’s horn-pierced body, the morn-
ing he will never see again, the film of death on
the face of his corpse, the last of the air escaping
his lungs, and the silence of the crowd. Addition-
ally, as the speaker points out in section 4, the
world will forget Ignacio, no longer able to rec-
ognize him. All of these oft-mentioned aspects
are the signs and symbols of death, yet they are
not death itself. In fact, as in the poem, death can
only be described simply and straightforwardly.
Notably, no attempts at personifying death are
made in the poem.Grief and Mourning
Though the speaker finds he is unable to define
death and is able only to describe it, the process
that takes place throughout the poem can be
accurately described as mourning. Grief, a
rather powerful word for sadness (specifically
sadness for something lost), can also be felt
throughout the poem. This grief is notably ref-
erenced in the image of depressed tongues (one
of the only repetitions that occur in the poem
outside of those regarding the permanence or
denial of death). Grief is also evident in the
poem’s constant references to rain, the bass
music that begins to play in the opening lines,
the crowd’s silence, and the speaker’s constant
vows to sing Ignacio’s praises (even as he is for-
gotten by everyone and everything else). Grief
can be found in the speaker’s wish (in the seventh
stanza of the third section) to see Ignacio still
breathing. However, the speaker’s grief is just
one aspect of the mourning process. Indeed, the
poem exhibits a rather halting progression as the
speaker first begins to register the shock and
horror of the death in section 1. From there,
the speaker simultaneously refuses to look at
the horror of Ignacio’s death while remembering
him in heroic past-tense terms in section 2. TheTOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Study the paintings of Salvador Dali by
looking them up on the Internet, in a book,
or at a local museum. How does the imagery
in Lorca’s poem compare to that in Dali’s
paintings? Give a class presentation on the
topic, and be sure to use several visual aids.
Do you think that Lorca is advocating bull-
fighting in his ‘‘Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez
Mejı ́as’’? Is he criticizing the sport or is his
stance on the manner of Ignacio’s death
neutral? In an essay, support your argument
with examples from the poem.
Select another artist from the Generacio ́n
del 27 and study his life and work. Write a
research paper on your findings and the
artist’s similarities with or differences from
Lorca.
Write a poem in the manner of ‘‘Lament for
Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as.’’ You can write an
elegy, a surrealist piece, or one that relies
upon repetition. Read your poem aloud to
the class and lead a discussion about the
poem’s meaning.Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as