Sacred Cells, Divine Forces and The Sandinista Revolution in Ernesto Cardenal’s Cántico Cósmico
doi.org/10.31641/ZDYX9226
Adriana Kolijn
University of OttawaPublication
Abstract
Beginning at the very beginning with the Big Bang, Cántico cósmico (1989) written by Nicaraguan priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal, celebrates the universe. This ambitious work, encompassing cosmic time uses a wide range of discourses, from scientific to historical and theological, in its description of the coming into being of the universe, the shaping of planet Earth and the evolution of humanity until its inevitable end. Throughout the text, Cardenal also celebrates the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution which he links to the process of evolution in an ever-expanding universe. Inspired by the ideas of Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), Cardenal believed the divine infused all elements of the cosmos, from natural forces to the composition of cells. I therefore posit that spiritual ecology permeates Cardenal’s poetry in its consideration of the divine as a present force in all levels of existence and implores us to reconsider our place on the planet. In this article, I analyze how the poem explores the interrelationships between parts forming a harmonious whole, how the verses consider consciousness to be present in all elements of existence and, finally, I focus on the representation of cosmogenesis where God is a force pulling creation into the future towards its inevitable but harmonious end. Through this Utopic conceptualization of existence, the verses give readers an alternative and hopeful vision of a joyous future; one much needed in this current moment of crisis.
Keywords
Cántico cósmico, Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaragua, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Sandinista Revolution, Spiritual Ecology
