Spaniards mesmerise the audience

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Spanish writers Carlos Aganzo, Clara Janes and Jose Maria Munoz Quiros had a mesmerising effect on the audience when they came together for the session titled  My Words, Others’  Words. The entire ambience transformed into a totally different mood when the veena was played along with their Spanish poems, written on the basis of San Jua de la Cruz’s works .Carlos, Clara and Jose, members of the Academia de San Juan de la Cruz, said that their work is a tribute to San Jua de la Cruz. Jose opened the session by reading out a poem and the recital was followed by a translated version. Carlos then proceeded to read out a poem penned by him. He said that San Juan de la Cruz’s different style of poetry had a huge influence on him and his works.Clara Janes’s poem,  ‘The Fountain,’ was accompanied by the music of the veena. She also read out some portions from the Upanishads. Carlos Aganzo, then took the stage again with another one of his beautiful poems, after which Jose Maria Munoz Quiros read out a poem on ‘Flames’, where he compared the flames to life.Clara Janes also recited a poem about water, which she said she was inspired to write after visiting the famous river Ganga.  The poem has been translated to English with the title, ‘A Nocturnal on Riverside’. Clara said that she understood poetry as something full of music and she shared her interest in Spanish poetry and San Juan de la Cruz’s work in the 16th century. It was, according to her, San Juan de la Cruz’s imaginations and sensations and his feelings of being human that had influenced her to compile poems based on the great poet’s work.