The first poem that Jorge Luis Borges published, at the age of twenty, was called “Hymn to the Sea.” It was in the magazine Grecia of Seville, in the year 1919. He never included it in any poetry collection or anthology, as it belongs, as he himself said, to his period of ultraist error. Years later he writes in his Autobiographical Essay: “Today, I hardly think about the sea, not even about myself (…) when I arrived in Madrid a few months later, since this was the only poem I had ever printed, people thought of me as a singer of the sea.” Despite this, almost 50 years later, he writes the poem we quote here.
The Sea
Before sleep (or terror) wove mythologies and cosmogonies, before time was coined into days, the sea, the always sea, was already there.
Who is the sea? Who is that violent and ancient being that gnaws at the pillars of the earth and is one and many seas and abyss and splendor and chance and wind?
Whoever looks at it sees it for the first time, always. With the amazement that elementary things leave, the beautiful
afternoons, the moon, the fire of a campfire. Who is the sea, who am I? I will know on the day beyond the agony.
In his Autobiographical Essay, Borges reflected that he hardly thought about the sea or himself anymore. When he arrived in Madrid a few months after publishing the poem, people thought of him as a singer of the sea because it was the only poem he had ever printed.
Just the Sea trae a España dos publicaciones maravillosas, Sirene Journal y Elementum journal. Auténticas joyas, únicas, especiales, inspiradoras que conectan directamente con el alma. Las puedes comprar en nuestra web o en tiendas físicas seleccionadas como La Fábrica, librería náutica Robinson, La tienda del Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid o La Boutique de la …
_Original text in English If I had to choose a person of the year, it would undoubtedly be Richard P. Feynman. I don’t follow other people’s calendars. Do you? Or do you also make up your own? Why let the world dictate when you should be having your “aha” moments? My timeline is my own, …
Hymn to the Sea by Jorge Luis Borges: Poetry at Just the Sea
The first poem that Jorge Luis Borges published, at the age of twenty, was called “Hymn to the Sea.” It was in the magazine Grecia of Seville, in the year 1919. He never included it in any poetry collection or anthology, as it belongs, as he himself said, to his period of ultraist error. Years later he writes in his Autobiographical Essay: “Today, I hardly think about the sea, not even about myself (…) when I arrived in Madrid a few months later, since this was the only poem I had ever printed, people thought of me as a singer of the sea.” Despite this, almost 50 years later, he writes the poem we quote here.
The Sea
Before sleep (or terror) wove
mythologies and cosmogonies,
before time was coined into days,
the sea, the always sea, was already there.
Who is the sea? Who is that violent
and ancient being that gnaws at the pillars
of the earth and is one and many seas
and abyss and splendor and chance and wind?
Whoever looks at it sees it for the first time,
always. With the amazement that elementary things
leave, the beautiful
afternoons, the moon, the fire of a campfire.
Who is the sea, who am I? I will know on the day
beyond the agony.
(The Other, the Same, 1964)
If you want to read more publications from Just the Sea’s Journal click here.
FAQs
The first poem Jorge Luis Borges published was titled “Hymn to the Sea.”
Borges published his first poem at the age of twenty in the magazine Grecia of Seville, in the year 1919.
Borges never included “Hymn to the Sea” in any of his poetry collections or anthologies because he considered it part of his period of ultraist error.
In his Autobiographical Essay, Borges reflected that he hardly thought about the sea or himself anymore. When he arrived in Madrid a few months after publishing the poem, people thought of him as a singer of the sea because it was the only poem he had ever printed.
Yes, almost 50 years later, Borges wrote another poem about the sea.
Related Posts
Ode to the Sea by Pablo Neruda: Poetry at Just the Sea
Explore Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to the Sea” and immerse yourself in his poetic tribute to the majesty and timeless allure of the sea
Discover the Brilliance of Álvaro Cunqueiro’s “Fables and Legends of the Sea”
Immerse yourself in the poetic tales of Fables and Legends of the Sea by Álvaro Cunqueiro, where each story reflects the beauty of the ocean
Revistas que vienen del mar. Just the Sea trae a España Sirene y Elementum, el mar en tus manos
Just the Sea trae a España dos publicaciones maravillosas, Sirene Journal y Elementum journal. Auténticas joyas, únicas, especiales, inspiradoras que conectan directamente con el alma. Las puedes comprar en nuestra web o en tiendas físicas seleccionadas como La Fábrica, librería náutica Robinson, La tienda del Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid o La Boutique de la …
Person of the Year 2024: Timeless Encounters That Transform Your Life
_Original text in English If I had to choose a person of the year, it would undoubtedly be Richard P. Feynman. I don’t follow other people’s calendars. Do you? Or do you also make up your own? Why let the world dictate when you should be having your “aha” moments? My timeline is my own, …