Chilean Snapshots

  
     
 
A Tour of Chile Past and Present by C. John Holcombe 

Chile is a land of contrasts, from the high deserts of the north through the pleasant farmlands of the centre to the forested mountains and glaciers of the south. Equally varied are the towns, cities and their people: cosmopolitan Santiago, small farmers and cattle breeders in the Central Valley, the indigenous people of the north and the Araucanian Indians of the south, still agitating for independance. Even more varied have been the political experiments: authoritarian central government, libertarian reform, coups, right-wing, socialist and communist administrations, militrary rule and currently a democracy with a free market economy.

All these are reflected in this snapshot tour of the country that draws out the relevance of history and customs in sharp sketches of the present day country. One hundred poems in a free-verse form, introduced by a balanced essay on Chile's history. Free
POEM TWENTY-EIGHT (To the New World)
This is a strange country, and you must be
careful not to confuse how the sun flares out
on the far mountains or exults on the rivers
with the large brilliance of trees that are
here brought to uproar, shouting hoarse
into the shadows, yet, if you watch, will
later unleaf into the Ur-lands of evening,
at one with but sad at the smell of dust.
Hosannas are not as they seem, and
the fashioning of bridles or lace for tourists,
or the vast Church festivals or the open air
concerts are made as expected and every place
has its plaza de armas, where perambulating
children under the palm trees know the names
of the warriors, the conquistadors
quiet on their plinths that are set in granite.
Walk round at evening. When light drains away
you will stand on the earth and know how hard it is,
and feel stamped on the soul the recusant nights
when the Cross would go forward, with all to lose.