Classic and Contemporary Poetry
CASTILIAN, by ELINOR WYLIE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Velasquez took a pliant knife Last Line: Miraculously shaped. Alternate Author Name(s): Benet, William Rose, Mrs. Subject(s): Velazquez, Diego (1599-1660) | ||||||||
Velasquez took a pliant knife And scraped his palette clean; He said, "I lead a dog's own life Painting a king and queen." He cleaned his palette with oily rags And oakum from Seville wharves; "I am sick of painting painted hags And bad ambiguous dwarfs. The sky is silver, the clouds are pearl, Their locks are looped with rain. I will not paint Maria's girl For all the money in Spain." He washed his face in water cold, His hands in turpentine; He squeezed out colour like coins of gold And colour like drops of wine. Each colour lay like a little pool On the polished cedar wood; Clear and pale and ivory-cool Or dark as solitude. He burnt the rags in the fireplace And leaned from the window high; He said, "I like that gentleman's face Who wears his cap awry." This is the gentleman, there he stands, Castilian, sombre-caped, With arrogant eyes, and narrow hands Miraculously shaped. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CHRIST OF VELAZQUEZ: BULL by MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO ON A PICTURE OF CHRIST BEARING THE CROSS; PAINTED BY VELASQUEZ by FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS ROKEBY VENUS by GEORGE ROBERT ACWORTH CONQUEST NOTES ON VELAZQUEZ by TONY TOWLE BRONZE TRUMPETS AND SEA WATER; ON TURNING LATIN VERSE INTO ENGLISH by ELINOR WYLIE LET NO CHARITABLE HOPE by ELINOR WYLIE |
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