When folks are swinging from moon icicles, then you know you are dealing with alternative versions of reality. In the case of "Romance Sonambulo," the poem's take derives directly from the philosophy of surrealism. Briefly, surrealism borrows heavily on dreams and dream images to create innovative artistic expressions. The idea was to delve into the depths of a common, but often-overlooked, alternative reality that we experience while unconscious. We can dig it. Check out our own surrealist haiku:
Snake that wears a vest,
Rolling donuts down the street:
Have you seen our bike?
Yeah… looks like we'll leave the surrealist poetry to Lorca.
Questions About Versions of Reality
- Why do you think that so many of the other-worldly descriptions in the poem are associated with the gypsy girl?
- Why do you think the forest is bristling like a "cunning cat"?
- Lorca aside, what do you think the "thousand crystal tambourines" represent in the poem? What makes you say so?
- Given the surrealist imagery in this work, do you think that Lorca wants to us to "understand" this poem entirely? Why or why not?
Chew on This
The poem advances a dream-reality that cannot be understood by our own concepts of waking reality. So, like, don't even try it, man.
The poem's alternate version of reality is only included to encourage us to examine our own, daily realities of life.