La Poesía de Juanes es como la Poesía de los Dioses

Juanes is one of the most popular musicians in Latin America.  His pop hit "A Dios le Pido," which literally means "I ask God," was released in 2002 and has been both a Latin-American and international anthem ever since.  I chose to defend this song as poetry because it has a lot of meaning to me in context.  We listened to it almost daily on my study-abroad trip to Spain two summers ago, so it reminds me of my friends on the trip and my whole experience in general.

For the purposes of this analysis, I will be using the English translations of the lyrics, but some of the phrasing in this version of the lyrics will be a little awkward because some of the words and expressions do not translate perfectly.  (This version of the English lyrics is not perfect, but it is the best I could find.)  I highly recommend listening to the song in Spanish, though, as it is a beautiful piece when it is all tied together.

The song is a call for peace, love, and unity.  I believe that Juanes wanted to portray the persona of a regular young Latin-American person as the speaker in the song.  The concepts addressed in the lyrics, like peace, love, and posterity, are things that many young people living in the often poor, violence-filled, and corrupt countries of Latin America wish for.  The audience, thus, is the entire world population that is faced with the ugly realities of war, violence, and injustice.  The song involves the speaker recalling how he asks God to bless and protect his family, friends, and community in times of crisis in order to ensure peace and justice in the lives of future generations.  The song, then, serves the purpose of making a call for peace.  Also, according to Perrine, poetry both broadens and deepens an experience.  I believe that "A Dios le Pido" does just this by giving the listener an introspective look at the wishes of a regular man but taking them beyond country borders to reveal a collective worldwide desire for peace.  We would not know this person's deep thoughts if they were not revealed to us in such as catchy a way as through poetry.  The "border-less" aspect of these lyrics fits Perrine's definition of poetry as being universal.

Juanes's poetic lyrics include many examples of multidimensional language.  The frequently used word "God," for example, has many interpretations when used in the context of the other lyrics.  The use of "I pray to God that" followed by numerous wishes throughout the song adds to the universal plea for peace that serves as the song's purpose.  When the speaker says "I pray to God that that my people not spill so much blood," the context implies that the "God" receiving the plea is not just God himself, but the people of the speaker's country whom he wishes to bring to peace.  The poem also utilizes parallel syntax with the lines "I pray to God/ That my mother not die/ And that my father remembers me" and "I pray to God/ For the children of my children/ And the children of your children."  The lines have similar structure with the reference of multiple people and the use of the word "and." The fact that the speaker is wishing for these people to be blessed also adds depth to the universal and community aspects of the poem's meaning by creating a multi-generational image of the world that needs peace to thrive.  Finally, the lines "I pray to God/ If I die, may it be of love/ And if I fall in love, may it be with you" use multidimensional language in that the "love" in question can be either romantic love or love as peace.  The "you" that is the object of the love, then, can either be a romantic interest or one's community.  These dimensions add even greater depth to the song's "universal peace" purpose.

I strongly believe that "A Dios le Pido" qualifies as a poem, and how incredible is it that the lyrics can be poetic in TWO languages?????  That's pretty impressive, if I must say so myself.