In the opening of the poem, Guillén introduces himself but immediately questions his identity:
Despite the erasure, the poem serves as an act of resistance. Guillén reclaims his African heritage by shouting his grief and pride into the world. Key Stanzas and English Translation Analysis
It also echoes his earlier Sensemayá (a chant about killing a snake, symbolizing the lynching of Blacks) and Balada de los dos abuelos (Ballad of the Two Grandfathers), where a Spanish grandfather and African grandfather fight inside the poet’s blood. El apellido is the bitterer sequel: the African grandfather has no name. el apellido nicolas guillen english translation
To fully appreciate the English translation, one must understand Guillén’s unique literary style, known as (Black Poetry) or Afro-Antillean poetry . 1. The Use of "Son" Rhythm
My last name? The Spaniards gave it to me. (They were the first ones to give it to me.) But I don’t ask it of anyone, nor do I owe it to anyone. My last name is mine, mine, mine; but my grandparents did not give it to me — only the conquerors did. I carry it like someone carries a scar. And if anyone asks me for my last name, I tell them: — I have a last name, but I don’t know where it comes from. Could it be from some Black man of my blood? Could it be from some Congo, some Bantu? I don’t know. I only know that I am now named like those who stole my homeland from me. My last name? My true last name? The one the master took from me along with the chain and the whip? I lost it. I lost it like a ring lost in the sea. I lost it like a voice is lost. I lost it like the land is lost. I lost it. Oh, my lost last name, my last name stolen by the executioner, my last name! Will it return? Will it return one day? Will it return from the root of fallen trees? Will it return from the entrails of minerals? Will it return from the depths of rivers? Will it return from the night? Will it return from silence? Will it return from nothingness? Will it return from this very hatred that beats inside me and burns my guts? Oh, my last name! My last name! In the opening of the poem, Guillén introduces
: The poem is available in anthologies like My Last Name / El Apellido , translated by Roberto Márquez.
" (El gran zoo) , translated by Aaron Coleman, which captures his mastery of rhythmic "son" poetry in English. Introduction: Nicolás Guillén and “The Great Zoo” El apellido is the bitterer sequel: the African
I have a name of stone and iron,a name that smells of the whip and the sugar mill.But I also have an invisible name,a name made of air, of wind, of shadow.A name that sings in the night,a name that dances in the fire,a name that roars in the thunder.
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Slavery in the Americas relied heavily on psychological and cultural erasure. Upon arrival in the New World, enslaved individuals were baptized and stripped of their African names. Surnames like "Guillén" or "Castro" were markers of property, signifying which Spanish master owned them. Guillén highlights this historical trauma by treating his own name as a mask or a question mark. 2. The Concept of Antillanidad and Negristmo
Nicolás Guillén (1902–1989) was a Cuban poet, journalist, and activist. He is widely considered the national poet of Cuba and a leader of the Afrocubanismo movement. This cultural movement in the early 20th century sought to recognize and celebrate African roots as a core pillar of Cuban identity.