Paulino Lucero
Paulino Lucero (the full title is: Paulino Lucero. Martín Sagayo recibiendo en el palenque de su casa a su amigo Paulino Lucero or in German roughly: Paulino Lucero. Martín Sagayo receives his friend Paulino Lucero at the post [to tie up horses] of his Haus ) is a gauchesque conversation in 734 verses written by Hilario Ascasubi , agitating against Juan Manuel de Rosas and for the politics of Justo José de Urquiza . The first version was published in Montevideo in 1846. In 1851 a corrected and expanded version was published. The last version appeared in Paris in 1872.
content
The content refers to the third and last version of 1872 published during Hilario Ascasubi's lifetime in the volume Paulino Lucero o los gauchos del Río de la Plata cantando y combatiendo contra los tiranos de la República Argentina y Oriental del Uruguay (1839 a 1851) .
introduction
In the introduction to the Paris edition, Hilario Ascasubi explains that Paulino Lucero is a gaucho from the province of Corrientes and a bitter opponent of Rosas , who always stood by General Lavalle loyally. Among other things, he was one of the heroes who saved Lavalle's body from being seized by Manuel Oribe , who wanted to desecrate him. Paulino Lucero and his comrades made sure that Lavalle was given a dignified burial. After the funeral on Argentine soil, Paulino Lucero and the other heroes fled to neighboring countries, Paulino Lucero to Cuaró . He lived there in the hope that one day the day of freedom would come for his fatherland. And so it came about that General Urquiza rebelled against the tyrants ruling in Argentina and Paulino Lucero went to Entre Ríos to take his service. These are the circumstances in which he meets his old friend Martín Sayago. A brief editorial note follows .
Verses 1-95
As is customary in Gauchesque poetry, the conversation between Martín Sayago and Paulino Lucero begins with an awkward greeting. As if by chance, Lucero rode to see his friend Martín. The contemporary political turmoil is already mentioned in the welcoming scene. The reason for Lucero's visit is that General Urquiza had called for the fight against Rosas, Lucero followed this call and rode from his exile in Cuaró towards Gualeguaychú or the Uruguay River . Martín was therefore on the way. Lucero and Martín obviously know each other very well, as Lucero wonders about the health of his wife, whom he apparently left behind in Argentina on the run from Rosas' henchmen. The woman, Martín says, is fine. She kept asking about Lucero. After this brief introduction to the historical context of the conversation, the welcoming ceremony continues. At Martín's orders, Lucero dismounts his horse, takes the harness from his horse and finally sits down with Martín. Since Martín had claimed at the beginning of the conversation that he had already seen it from a distance, i.e. H. recognized on a nearby hill, Lucero now expresses his astonishment that Martín recognized him after all these years. This, in turn, is an occasion for Martín to flatter his friend and highlight Lucero's special qualities as a gaucho and soldier. Lucero then continues the description of the prehistory. During his time in exile he had crossed half of America and in this way became an educated man, because he was now informed about what was happening in large parts of the region. He was on the road for seven years and in those seven years - he says again, alluding to his astonishment that Martín recognized him from afar - his face was wrinkled. Martin continues his flattery: he would have recognized Lucero even in the greatest crowd. This, in turn, is a key word for talking about your past. He too took part in the chaos of war, fought with saber and rifle, suffered hardship and hunger. He could, however, encourage Lucero, because the fighting in Uruguay as well as Argentina was gradually coming to an end, because Rosas would bow to the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes and found a federal Argentina.
Verses 96-180
Lucero in no way shares Martín's confidence in Rosas. Unlike Martín, he did not originally fight on Rosas' side and ultimately turned away from him in disappointment. Martín replies to his friend that he (similar to the forced recruited Pancho Lugares in Luis Pérez's eponymous story of the same name) followed Rosas out of compulsion. Lucero is nevertheless of the opinion that he has to convince his friend Martín of the wickedness of Rosas. Further details of Martín's past are revealed as the conversation progresses. Lucero looked for Martín's house where his house was, but only found rubble. He found Martín when he asked about his new whereabouts. Martín, for his part, claims that, among other things, he moved from place to place during the chaos of war. Again and again one has set his house on fire. Eventually he settled on the banks of the Clé (near Gualeguays in the south of the Entre Ríos province). Now he lives under the protection of Urquizas (who also financially supported his citizens and subjects) in relative calm.
Verses 181-272
After both gauchos have exchanged friendliness in the previous verses and informed the readers about their history, they now proceed to comment on the current political and social conditions. The commentaries essentially consist of the comparison of the two rulers Rosas and Urquiza, with Rosas being reprimanded and Urquiza being praised. Accordingly, Lucero makes manifest demands that the province (Entre Ríos, probably representative of all other Argentine provinces) must remain stable so that it can prosper. Apart from that, God gave the province fertile soil and water-rich rivers. This is the reason for the excellent pastureland, the excellent arable fields, the ports, haciendas, the traffic and the prosperous production. Rosas, on the other hand, ravage the country through endless and senseless wars. Martín also accuses Rosas of having established a reign of terror , of being corrupt and stingy. Lucero will see that Urquiza protects every respectable man, regardless of whether he comes from Buenos Aires or from Europe. Urquiza does not pursue opinions, only criminals. Lucero will also see what progress the province has made. The progress is even. Buildings would be built everywhere. In the countryside there are state-paid schools with satisfied and capable teachers who teach the children to defend their rights. Of all the benevolent governments, Entre Ríos is arguably one of the best. Lucero Martín again reminds him that he wants to fully enlighten him about Rosas. Martín signals that he is ready to listen to him.
Verses 273-346
Lucero introduces his speech by making it clear that he is speaking not only as a resident of the Corrientes province, but as an Argentine patriot who makes no distinction between porteños , the residents of the Entre Ríos province and other Argentine provinces. He regards all residents, from the province of Entre Ríos to Jujuy, as his compatriots. Every Argentine compatriot, Lucero proudly claims, is free to dispose of his miserable belongings, and strangers (which probably means the inhabitants of other Argentine provinces) could knock on his door and find entry. He despises people who believe the nation is only them or their families. He counts Rosas to that kind of person. Rosas is nominally defending the federalists' cause, but is actually working for her own pocket. After all these years, Rosas should give an account of which province has actually prospered and ruled itself federally. This is by no means the case under Rosas. In practice this was a Unitarian. He had provincial governors killed, pregnant women and pastors and had committed or had other atrocities committed from San José de Flores (now part of the greater Buenos Aires area ). According to Lucero, the present misery lies in the fact that the peoples (of the provinces) are not united, that they are ruled from a single province and that they must live in fear threatened by the knife of Rosas' henchmen. Martín, who offers Lucero mate and schnapps in between , also indicates that his friend's description left a deep impression on him and that if he had Rosas in front of him, he would do a lot with him.
Verses 347-394
Lucero suggests that in 1841, after the Battle of Famaillá, he witnessed Lavalle's retreat to northern Argentina. He saw devastation and slaughter there. Rosas' cruelty destroyed many families and plunged them into poverty. Rosas pursues his opponents with the doggedness of a hungry tiger. Once wealthy people would now live in exile and barely make ends meet. Rosas let the land bleed to death and now absurdly demand that people live together in peace. Still with the intention of completely convincing his friend Martín of the wickedness of Rosas, Lucero asks him whether he would not also hate Rosas infinitely had it happened to him. Martín agrees that he would have followed Rosas to the end of the world if necessary. He will report for a planned campaign against Rosas in order to personally hit him with a saber at his house in Palermo , now a district of Buenos Aires. Since Rosas is such a restless, rebellious person, it is necessary to tame him like a rabid and hound him like an Ñandú .
Verses 395-443
After another exchange of compliments, a few sips of schnapps and mate, as well as the clarification that one is not dealing with the so-called Gaucho Federation, i. H. sympathize with the alliance of Rosas and Oribes, but with the federation decided in 1831 between the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, the two interlocutors begin to celebrate Urquiza's forthcoming campaign against Rosas with guitar and song. Martín then remembers that Juana Rosa, his wife, had broken a foot on the way to the stream. She is currently trying to get her foot back in place. He assures Lucero that she will dance as best she can in the evening, while Lucero intones the guitar to the health of the federalist Urquizas.
Verses 444-543
Lucero agrees. He was once ( as a Unitarian ) Urquiza's enemy, but since Urquiza is now calling on the Argentines to shake hands, he has changed his mind. All Americans would appreciate its policies. Lucero now wants to give his life to the Urquizas cause and help to organize the (Argentine) nation and to settle the outstanding bills with the tyrant Rosas. Rosas is also responsible for the backwardness of Entre Ríos because of the high tariffs and restrictions. Lucero is referring here to Rosas' protectionist policies. This had closed the rivers of Argentina for the passage of non-Argentine ships. After Rosa's fall, shipping was reopened for all ships. According to Lucero, the ships could only have sailed as far as San Nicolás de los Arroyos , if at all, and dock there, and were fleeced there. Today everything is different. The port cities are full of ships, you can see different flags everywhere, wealthy people. Everyone, God willing, get rich. People used to run around in rags from poverty.
Many decent people would now bring goods from Europe. The Europeans would establish settlements in the deserted expanses - an allusion to the European immigration promoted by Urquiza. People shouldn't be chased away who speak a foreign language because they would colonize the country. The local population can learn a lot from the Europeans. Therefore, the claim that the Europeans are doing nothing for the Argentines is absurd. Some would argue that the immigrants are taking advantage of the locals. Lucero denies this rumor. Immigrants could also learn to use the lasso to be able to eat grilled meat themselves. An immigrant who does not speak Spanish lives in his village. This is very generous. They would have fun with him and he showed great interest in handling the lasso. Apart from that: if Lucero asks him to catch Rosas with the lasso, he answers with “Yes!”. Martín agrees that he too knows an immigrant who says “Gui, gui” (French: Oui = German: yes ) to everything and everyone . He had drawn the dagger in his presence. When Martín asked him what that was about, the immigrant named Rosas.
Verses 544-617
Lucero concludes that Rosas is hated everywhere and by everyone. He, Lucero, had traveled from Callao to Corrientes (as a result of Lavalle's defeat at the Battle of Famaillá). In Bolivia, people would have agreed to fight Rosas if they were asked to do so by President José Ballivián . In Lima, President Ramón Castilla would like to tie Rosas to the stake and offer Rosas' protection to every opponent. As an Argentine exile, he had received a gold coin from Ramón Castilla's predecessor, Juan Crisóstomo Torrico. In Chile, too, he met many people who hated Rosas. Even the Chilean government is on the side of Rosas' opponents. The Correntine general Virasoro had declared war on Rosas and it was worse for Rosas to fall into the hands of the Correntines than into the hands of the Moors or Moors. Furthermore, Rosas and his ally Manuel Oribe are in dire straits given the 22,000 men who fought against them on the Brazilian side. The Brazilians would thirst to finish off Rosas (this passage can, however, also be understood to mean that they, like the supporters of Rosas in relation to the Unitarians in La Refalosa, thirsty to cut off a tranche). There is no longer a person on earth who does not abhor Rosas. Even in Paraguay (which had allied itself with Corrientes and) which is still a young state compared to Argentina, they already know that they want Rosas's death.
Verses 618-706
After both of them praise the anti-rust policy of the Paraguayan president, Martín's wife (attracted by the guitar playing) comes over with another woman, they come across a payador , i.e. H. to speak of an impromptu singer named Sandoval who was fatally struck by a bullet in one of the wars Rosas instigated. Lucero instructively admonishes Martín that he was sure to have witnessed this war (and was therefore once again able to convince himself of the wickedness). The fact that Entre Ríos (as a member of the federation) sent soldiers to Uruguay was superfluous. Fructuoso Rivera then moved his army towards Entre Ríos (since Entre Ríos had previously attacked him under the command of Pascual Echagüe). Echagüue had come as far as Santa Lucía , but was then put to flight (in the battle of Cagancha on December 29, 1839). This was the reason why Rosas decided to devastate Uruguay. Uruguay did not owe him anything. Rosas legitimized his war with the fact that he wanted to overthrow the Uruguayan government. Lucero attributes the civil wars taking place in Uruguay to the fact that Rosas has a hand in it. He would like the Uruguayans to find their way back to unity because he grew up in Uruguay.
Verse 707-730
Here it becomes clear again that the conversation is - at least partially - a Payada , i. H. a sung dialogue in verse, as Martín praises Lucero's singing. Lucero should now start a dance song so that the women in the village could dance until dawn. However, he is very tired and asks for sleep. Martín accepts Lucero's request, even though he regrets that his wife will certainly complain because she was looking forward to the pleasure. He would wake him up as soon as a lamb that he had prepared for him had been grilled. He will also slaughter a young cow.
Verses 731-734
Martín goes to the herd of cattle, while Paulino finally starts a few verses.
Further information
- The last name of the title person refers to Manuel de Araúchos Diálogo de dos gauchos: Trejo y Lucero (1835)
- Both Rosas and Urquiza advocated a federal Argentina. In contrast to Urquiza, Rosas postponed a national constitution indefinitely on the grounds that the federal alliance of 1831 was sufficient. The adoption or decree of a constitution must be preceded by a period of political stability. However, Rosas legitimized his dictatorship (1829–1852) with the establishment of order and stability in Argentina and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata , which had previously been plagued by civil wars, and accordingly called himself Restaurador , d. H. Restorer or restorer (of order and stability) .
- The pregnant woman and the pastor who, according to Lucero, had Rosas killed are Camila O'Gorman, daughter of a wealthy family and the Jesuit priest Ladislao Gutiérrez, with whom O'Gorman had an affair, also from a wealthy family . Both fled to the hostile province of Corrientes, but were eventually arrested anyway and sentenced to death. Because O'Gorman denied rumors that she had been raped by the Jesuit priest and claimed that she had instigated him to flee and that O'Gorman was executed in eight months despite her pregnancy, the case attracted great international attention. Sarmiento also saw the O'Gorman case as a prime example of the decline in morals under Rosas' rule. It is said to have been one of the reasons for the fall of Rosas three years later and was later the subject of numerous literary works and film adaptations.
literature
Text output
- Paulino Lucero. Martín Sayago recibiendo en el palenque de su casa a su amigo Paulino Lucero. In: Poesía gauchesca . Biblioteca Ayacucho, Caracas 1977.