Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, had a deep connection with Spain, considering it his second home. He was actively involved in the Spanish Civil War, supporting the Republican side against the Nationalists led by Francisco Franco. Neruda saw himself as a voice for the working class: the peasants, factory workers, and ordinary people whose struggles were often ignored. He believed poetry should be simple. As a Chilean, he was deeply aware of how Spanish colonization had shaped Latin America. Spain was the colonizer, not the colonized. By the time this point was written, the Spanish colonial empire had collapsed, and there were divisions among the inner states. Rather than rejecting Spain, he appreciated the blending of cultures that resulted from colonialism.
In this poem, Neruda portrays Spain as a land once full of life and cultural brilliance, now reduced to hardship and struggle. The backdrop of the poem is Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The war took place from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans—who supported the democratic government—and the Nationalists, a coalition of conservatives, monarchists, and fascists led by General Francisco Franco. The Nationalists were supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, while the Republicans received help from the Soviet Union and Mexico. Franco and the Nationalists gradually gained power and captured several parts of Spain. After the war, Franco established a dictatorship that lasted until his death. During his rule, many Republicans were executed, imprisoned, or forced into exile. Spain also suffered from political repression, economic crisis, and social unrest during this period.
Neruda was accused of treason by Chile’s president and was forced into exile after he publicly opposed the government. During his time in exile, he developed a new poetic voice. He arrived in Spain as Chile’s consul at a time when Spain had recently transitioned from a monarchy to a republic. The nation was struggling—caught between a dying monarchy and uneven economic development—while fascist forces were gaining power. His poetry became a tool of resistance, sometimes even printed by Republican soldiers. Because of the many poets who contributed to the resistance, the Spanish Civil War was later referred to as the “Poets’ War.” The war ended with Franco’s victory, forcing more than half a million Spanish refugees to flee into France. Many ended up in camps, where they suffered from starvation and disease.
Neruda’s poetry was deeply connected to the political struggles of his time. But he didn’t just write about history—he tried to change the way people understood it. He wanted his poems to be accessible and to help people see the world in a different way.