The metaphor of the river in Unamuno's el Cristo de Velazquez: subversive text or devotional reading?

Evans, Jan E.

In his introduction to the poetry volume of Unamuno's Obras Completas, Manuel Garcia Blanco records Unamuno's first known comments on his extended poem, taken from a letter of July, 1913 to the Portuguese poet Teixeira de Pascoaes.

A mi me ha dado ahora por formular la fe de mi pueblo, su cristologia realista y ... lo estoy haciendo en verso. Es un poema que se titulara Ante el Cristo de Velazquez, y del que llevo escritos mas de setecientos endecasilabos. Quiero hacer una cosa cristiana, biblica y ... espanola. Veremos. (24)

It is interesting to note that this "Christian," "biblical" and uniquely "Spanish" work was begun in the same year that Unamuno wrote his defining philosophical treatise, Del sentimiento tragico de la vida and was not finished until 1920. If Unamuno intended the work to be Christian and biblical, the Church and subsequent literary critics have found reason to question such a view. (1)

Felipe Lapuente points out that in 1948 a seminary professor, J. M. Cirarda, claimed that Unamuno only sought to undermine the Catholic faith, and he gave as evidence the book-length poem El Cristo de Velazquez (32). The early studies of Calvin Connan and Vicente Marrero found Unamuno's Christ a mythic one rather than the Christian Son of God, based on the symbols of moon, sun and earth. The most recent work that has been done on the heterodox nature of Unamuno's image of Christ is that of Linda Bartlett in "The Sanctity of the Creative Act in El Cristo de Velazquez." In this insightful and persuasive study Bartlett looks closely at the metaphors for Christ as the Word and Text, the creator and created. Though the first of the metaphors is wholly biblical, the Text refers not just to the human side of Christ, but also to the production of the artist that becomes the vehicle through which he becomes immortal. She concludes, "as the linguistic metaphors for Christ display, the hope for immortality projected in El Cristo de Velazquez rests not in a traditional concept of Christian salvation, but rather in the holy and unorthodox artistic enterprise described and realized in its verses" (44).

Nevertheless, this same poetical work has been used by believers for the deepening of their faith. A devotional book written by Roberto Lazear in 1979 uses appropriate passages from scripture to illumine fragments of Unamuno's poem. The author then adds his own commentary and suggests prayers to form a daily discipline or "office." How are such different readings possible? I will try to explain the divergence of opinions about this text by looking at Unamuno's use of yet another metaphor in El Cristo de Velazquez, the metaphor of water in the forms of a river and a wellspring. Following the pattern in Bartlett's article, the metaphor will be found to have a solid foundation in the Bible, but Unamuno's use of it will reflect his own particular passions, anxieties and remedies for the human condition.

Unamuno makes use of important Biblical images associated with the River Jordan and that of a stream as source or "wellspring," as he describes the image of Christ on the cross, painted by Velazquez. Here there is nothing heretical about Jesus, Son of God, and Savior. But he also uses the metaphor of the river to further advocate themes found in many other places in his work, that of the yearning for immortality and the omnipresence of tension and conflict that bring to fore the questioning Unamuno, the Unamuno inquieto. I suggest that the use of these Biblical images is evidence of Unamuno's desire to believe, querer creer, as it is articulated in Del sentimiento tragico de la vida. The latter uses of metaphor of the river remind us of the ongoing struggle that characterizes Unamuno's perspective on existence.

Some have reacted negatively to the overwhelmingly human picture of Christ in the poem. However, we can see that in the Biblical associations with the River Jordan and a wellspring, a clear image of an orthodox, Trinitarian God comes to light. In Poem XIV of the "Primera parte," entitled, "Arroyo-fuente," Unamuno likens the body of Christ to that important Biblical scene where Christ himself is baptized. "Nos banamos en Ti, Jordan de carne, / y en Ti de agua y de espiritu nacimos" (6: 431).2 John the Baptist had preceded Jesus, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but he had merely baptized with water. John announced the coming of the one who would also baptize with the Holy Spirit. That one is Jesus, whom Unamuno calls the River Jordan, recognizing that it is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. "Tu bautizas con Espiritu Santo y nos sumerges en la mar increada, que es luz pura" (6: 431).

The presence of the Holy Spirit is found in the image of the dove. "De tu haz en el cristal -- ondas de plata--/ de la paloma el blanco vuelo vemos: / sus alas se confunden con las ondas, pareciendo volar en lo profundo / del lecho de tus aguas" (6: 431). While the dove evokes the person of the Holy Spirit, the voice that is heard as the dove descends declares the relationship between God the Father and this Christ who is our River Jordan. According to Mark's Gospel the voice heard as the dove descended said, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11 NIV).

Unamuno underscores the importance of the presence and the power of the dove as he says, "La vision del espiritu en tu pecho / se espeja y a nosotros su paloma, blanca lengua de fuego, como copo / vemos que nieva desde tu regazo" (6: 431). Victor Garcia de la Concha points out two important aspects of these verses. The first is the idea of Christ being a mirror to show us what God is like. With Christ we have some knowledge of God. Second, the image of the dove is crucial to our understanding of the relationship between Christ and the Holy Spirit because here we see clearly that it is Christ who sends the Spirit (121n). The image of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is affirmed.

The River Jordan appears in at least two more poems. In Poem XXX, "Leche," still in the "Primera parte," the milk that is celebrated is Mary's milk, the source of the nourishment of Jesus' body as he grew in strength, wisdom and grace. The last lines refer again to the River Jordan, "creciste en fortaleza y en saber y en gracia, / morando en los desiertos hasta el dia / cuando, a la obra maduro ya, surgiste / de las aguas corrientes del Jordan" (6: 442). The waters of the river are characterized as corrientes--in motion--giving impetus to the work of Jesus on earth. The baptism in the River Jordan marked the beginning of his ministry but the baptism also authenticated his ministry by the presence of the dove and the Holy Spirit declaring that Jesus is the Son of God.

The final mention of the River Jordan is in the "Tercera Parte," in Poem XXV, "Pies." The River Jordan is used in this poem to underscore the mystery of the incarnation: God made flesh. Here the feet of Jesus, once again seen in the River Jordan, are described in very human terms, with their feeling of the stones on the bottom of the river and the water of the river rushing past them. But the feet are said to be held fast by the anchor of eternity. "carne sobre tierra que con su desnudez santificaste --; / los que el Jordan cinera con las linfas / de su caudal corriente como a presa de ancla de eternidad" (6: 482-83). The same feet are called submissive feet at the end of the poem. The blood that flowed from the submissive feet made eternity possible, "y ese polvo que un dia corazones / fue que latieron con afan pesares / bebe la linfa de la eternidad!" (6: 483).

We turn now to Unamuno's use of the figure of the wellspring. There are not many representations of a triumphant Christ in this work, but at the end of the "Arroyo-Fuente" poem in which the River Jordan was the foundational image, we see one. The last metaphor of this poem is that of Jesus as fountain of life that sings songs of eternal love in the thick darkness of the forest. "Eres, Jesus, cual una fuente viva / que canta en la espesura de la selva / cantares virgenes de eterno amor" (6: 431). "La espesura de la selva" does not quiet the songs of eternal love.

Garcia de la Concha helps us by noting that this image of the fountain of life, the source of all life, is anticipated in Poem XII, "Alba," (120n). There Christ's snow white body is the spring or source of all rivers, implying the source of all of life, and Christ's body is thus the peak or summit of all humanity. " asi tu cuerpo niveo, que es cima / de humanidad y es manantial de rios, / en nuestra noche anuncia eterno albor!" (6: 429). Though Christ is the peak of humanity, as the source of all rivers, the source of all life, he is also capable of announcing eternal dawn. Here the image of the river is coupled with the image of light, another solidly Biblical metaphor for Christ, the light of the world.

Further, in the "Cuarta parte," in Poem V, "Verdad," Christ is the torrent of pure water that takes away our thirst. "siendo Tu la verdad, cuando tu sangre / nos lava del error del nacimiento. Eres Tu la verdad, la que consuela / de la muerte; el raudal del agua pura / que nos quita la sed" (6: 488). The Biblical passage that this verse brings to mind is the promise of Jesus to the Samaritan woman, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14 NIV). The Spanish word manantial does not appear in the poem, though. The word is raudal, picturing the rushing water of a fast flowing stream. In Unamuno's poem, the sweet, pure water of the stream who is Christ is contrasted with the water of the ocean that would never satisfy thirst, though its waters are enough to fill our sight. Unamuno's text suggests that Christ is the truth, the source of living water, whose blood washes from us the error of our birth; he is the truth who consoles us in death.

We have seen that Unamuno's use of the Biblical figures of the Jordan River and the wellspring support an orthodox, Trinitarian view of God, fulfilling the poet's desire to make of his work, "una cosa cristiana, biblica y ... espanola." But there are other uses to which the poet puts the metaphor of the river which reveal more of the conflicted side of Unamuno's writings.

In the "Primera parte," Poem III, which has no other title, the first mention of the metaphor of the river in this long poem appears. During an invocation the poetic voice asks God to bless his endeavors in the creation of this work. " Broten del recondito / de mis entranas, rios de agua viva, / estos mis versos, y que corran tanto / cuanto yo viva, y sea para siempre!" (6: 419). His poetic creation is a river of life, one that will flow after the poet's death. This is the artistic product of which Bartlett speaks, the created text that becomes the means for eternal life.

Unamuno's desire for immortality permeates all of his work as in Del sentimiento tragico de la vida where he says, "No quiero morirme, no; no quiero, ni quiero quererlo; quiero vivir siempre, siempre, siempre y vivir yo, este pobre yo que me soy y me siento ser ahora y aqui y por esto me tortura el problema de la duracion de mi alma, de la mia propia" (7: 136). But Unamuno will not be consoled with Christ as guarantor of salvation; there must be another way to gain immortality, the way of the artistic work that will live on. That Unamuno sees his work in such terms is confirmed in Agonia de cristianismo where Unamuno writes, "El que se hace un alma, el que deja una obra, vive en ella, y con ella en los demas hombres, en la humanidad, tanto cuanto esta viva. Es vivir en la historia" (7: 317). Unamuno finishes Poem III with a desire for his verses to be of benefit to others, reserving nothing for himself, but he has the satisfaction of knowing that his verses will live on after he does not.

Turning to another of Unamuno's frequent themes, the poet uses the metaphor of the river in Poem XXVII of the "Primera parte," entitled, "Espada," to evoke the idea of the necessity of conflict. Here Christ's body is likened to a sword. "Tu cuerpo como espada al sol relumbra; / como una espada, al sol luce tu cuerpo" (6: 441). Christ's Word is a two edged sword. Because of Him, children quarrel with their parents, brothers quarrel with brothers, husbands with wives. "Eres espada de la paz, que hiere / para acabar la Guerra con la Guerra; / eres acero que divide y junta, pues solo junta aquello que divide" (6: 441). This sword also burns and dissolves our pain into a river that flows into the sun, a sea of fire. Here we have a sense of the river of fire as a means of purification, but it is a purification that comes about only through pain. The conflict continues as the river flows and does not stop.

In the "Oracion final" we see the strength of Unamuno's vision of querer creer, of what the philosopher Unamuno stated in Del sentimiento tragico de la vida as his fundamental view of faith. For Unamuno to want to believe is belief, and that is enough. "[La fe] no es en su esencia sino cosa de voluntad, no de razon, como creer es querer creer, y creer en Dios ante todo y sobre todo es querer que le haya" (7: 177). In the "Oracion final" the lyrical voice reveals his longing to believe, though it contrasts sharply with the immediately preceding Poem VIII, "Saduceismo." There the poet says, "la vida toda / no es sino embuste si no hay otra allende" (6: 490), a common Unamunian theme. If there is no resurrection from the dead then this life is worth nothing. It is the epigram with which Unamuno begins San Manuel Bueno, martir found in Corinthians,"Si solo en esta vida esperamos en Cristo, somos los mas miserables de los hombres todos" (1 Cor. 4: 19). But a few verses later the poet reverses the import of that statement, " que vida es esta si esperamos solo / a lo que sea cuando no seamos?" (6: 490). The poet ends this questioning poem, "Saduceismo," wondering if Christ is only a dream.

In the "Oracion final," Christ's humanity is named and celebrated, but he is also called "Lamb of God," "la que ensena como Dios es quien es" (6: 491). Nevertheless, the faith of the poet is characterized as "fragile," that will only be sustained by "las alas del Espiritu que flota / sobre el haz de las aguas tenebrosas," (6: 491). This returns to the image of the dove over the River Jordan.

The last image of the river that we find in "Oracion final" helps Unamuno to contrast this life in time with that of life eternal. "Danos vida, Jesus, que es llamarada / que alienta y alumbra que al pabulo / en vasija encerrado se sujeta; / vida que es llama, que en el tiempo vive / y en ondas, como el rio sucede" (6: 492). The flame refers to this life and is characterized as fleeting, though it can give heat and light. The waves of the river will continue their course forever in eternity. The poet's hope for what will come in the flow of that river depends on God's being there. He characterizes that hope as "solida ... mientras haya Dios" (6: 492). Here we see the poetic rendering of "[La fe] no es en su esencia sino cosa de voluntad, no de razon, como creer es querer creer, y creer en Dios ante todo y sobre todo es querer que le haya" (7: 177). If God exists, then there may be hope, but Unamuno and the poetic voice are not sure of God's existence.

For the officials of the Catholic Church over the course of the last century Unamuno's version of faith, his querer creer, has not been enough to keep Unamuno's books from being condemned. The image of the river in El Cristo de Velazquez evokes the River Jordan and within that biblical image, an orthodox, Trinitarian God is proclaimed. Nevertheless, the river also reveals the undercurrent of Unamuno's thought that is not orthodox. In the image of the sword that divides families and people from people we see the predicted conflict of those who would believe, whose lives are only purified through the river of fire. Unamuno's legacy of poetry and prose are his assurance of immortality, not the Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who would bring him into eternal bliss.

Though the devotional reader has in El Cristo de Velazquez a powerful, rich rendering of the essentials of orthodox Christian faith, the poem also reflects the conflicted themes found elsewhere in Unamuno's writings. So is the work edifying or subversive? It can be either or both, depending on who is reading. Whether the work is primarily spiritually edifying or whether it seriously undercuts faith will be determined by the heart and mind of the reader. Both readings are justifiable; the text is ambiguous. Multiple readings are in line with what the career author, Unamuno, embraces in another text, Como se hace una novela, where he emphasizes the responsibility of the reader to be active and to make herself the author of the text. "Y todo lector que sea hombre de dentro, humano, es, lector, autor de lo que lee y esta leyendo. Esto que ahora lees aqui, lector, te lo estas diciendo tu a ti mismo y es tan tuyo como mio. Y si no es asi es que ni lo lees" (8: 761). It is not by chance that divergent readings of the poem can be justified fully within the text, as our study of Unamuno's use of the metaphor of the river has shown.

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

WORKS CITED

Barlett, Linda. "The Sanctity of the Creative Act in El Cristo de Velazquez." Hispanic Journal 21.1 (2000): 37-45.

Cannon, Calvin. "The Mythic Cosmology of Unamuno's El Cristo de Velazquez." Hispanic Review 28.1 (Jan., 1960): 28-39.

Garcia Blanco, Manuel. Introduccion. Poesia. Por Miguel de Unamuno. Vol. 6. Obras Completas. Madrid: Escelicer, 1969. 7-117.

Garcia de la Concha, Victor. Ed. El Cristo de Velazquez. Por Miguel de Unamuno. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1987.

Lapuente, Felipe. "Unamuno y la Iglesia Catolica: Reaccion y critica." Actas del X Congreso de la Asociacion Internacional de Hispanistas; Barcelona, 21-26 de agosto de 1989. Barcelona: PPU, 1992. 25-32.

Lazear, Roberto. El maestro de dolores: Reflexiones intimas sobre la poesia El Cristo de Velazquez. Miami: Editorial Caribe, 1979.

Marrero, Vicente. El Cristo de Unamuno. Madrid: Ediciones Rialp, 1960.

Renart, Juan Guillermo. "El Cristo de Velazquez" de Unamuno: Estructura, Estilo, Sentido. Toronto: Toronto UP, 1982.

Unamuno, Miguel de. Obras completas. Ed. M. Garcia Blanco. 9 vols. Madrid: Escelicer, 1966-71.

--. La agonia de cristianismo. 1926. Obras completas, 1967. 7: 307-64.

--. Como se hace una novela. 1927. Obras completas, 1968. 8: 707-69.

--. Del sentimiento tragico de la vida. 1913. Obras completas, 1967. 7: 106-302.

--. El Cristo de Velazquez. 1920. Obras completas, 1969, 6: 417-93.

(1) No claims are made here that about Unamuno's personal faith. I take seriously J. G. Renart's caution about the danger of equating a poetical voice and the author (4-5). Nevertheless, the extant texts that Unamuno produced need to be examined and evaluated in relationship to each other.

(2) All Unamuno references are taken from his Obras completas, ed. Manuel Garcia Blanco, Madrid: Escelicer, 1966-1971). The initial number indicates the volume number and the page numbers are indicated thereafter.