The Poems of Gabriela Mistral: Dame La Mano

     In my last post, I discussed the life and awards of the writer Gabriela Mistral. In today's post, I will be reading one of her most popular poems, analyzing themes in this poem, and relating it back to her personal life. 

    The poem I will be analyzing is titled "Dame La Mano" or in English, Give Me Your Hand. This poem pulls at the heart strings and is very minimalist and tender. It's themes include love, relationships, vulnerability, and human connection. Overall, the tone of the poem is very gentle and sincere. It has a good rhythm and musical quality. The language is very plain while the symbolism is deep and rich. 

    The first line of the poem says "Give me your hand and give me your love." The 'hand' referred to in the poem is a motif for connection between two people. The word love here suggests emotional intimacy and solidarity. 

    The second line in the poem says "Give me your hand and dance with me." Given the symbolism of the words 'hand' and 'dance', this line most directly means give me your hear solidarity and emotions and live a joyous life with me. The idea of dancing together gives a sense of harmony and rhythm to the poem. It brings out the theme of unity and mutual support. 

    Also, a flower is used to further deepen the symbolism rooted in the poem. In the third and fourth line of the poem, Mistral writes "A single flower, and nothing more. A single flower is all we are." When you think of a flower, especially one standing on its own, you think of the words beautiful, delicate or transient. It represents two singular lives merging into one. The fourth line relates the flower to human beings more generally as she uses the phrase "is all WE are". She is describing how all human beings are like a flower, individual but still in need of emotional care and intimacy from someone else. This line gives the reader a sense of humility. 

    Like I said in my last post, her themes often revolve around love, motherhood, sorrow, and human nature. Her life was marked by personal loss and empathy for the marginalized, which really comes through in the poems she writes. 

    In my next post, I will be analyzing a different poem by her titled "Piececitos" or "Little Feet." I find it interesting how she uses human body parts (hands/feet) and relates them to the nature and needs of humanity in general. 


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