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Trilce, Poema Xxxii, Marianella Machado

Marianella P. Machado

Poem XXXII, Trilce, written by the Peruvian poet César Vallejo, appeals to the sounds of words and onomatopoeic expressions (rather than to their actual meaning) to both move and shock the listener and make him/her aware of the particular situation the work presents. The extensive use of nonsense words and harsh sounds makes this work very difficult, if not impossible, to translate without altering the effect of the poet’s intention.

Two opposite dimensions are dealt with in the poem. The first, reality or the outer world, is symbolized by heat and warmth. It expresses chaos, oppression, injustice, and the absurd …