Julio Arboleda Pombo (1817-1862) was a Colombian writer, poet, soldier, journalist, lawyer and politician whose life was closely linked to the socio-political events of his nation during the 19th century. He stood firm to the idea of not eliminating or abolishing slavery.
Regarding his literary work, Arboleda began in journalism with the creation of several print media, including The patriot in 1842. The author also wrote political articles in the newspapers The century Y The misophore. His literary activity was limited by his dedication to politics and military activity.
Julio Arboleda's poetic work was framed within the romanticism movement. His verses were characterized by the use of a cultured and precise language. The poems of this author were expressive and reflected sensitivity. His best known work was Gonzalo de Oyón.
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Julio was born on June 9, 1817 in the town of Timbiquí in Cauca, in times of the old Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada. The writer came from a cultured and wealthy family. His parents were José Rafael Arboleda Arroyo and Matilde Pombo O'Donnell. He was the eldest of two brothers.
Julio moved with his family to Popayán in 1819. There he received the first teachings from his grandmother Beatriz O'Donnell, who gave him French lessons, while his grandfather Manuel Antonio Pombo taught him Spanish and geometry..
In 1828 Arboleda went to London with his family to complete his academic training. In Europe he received classes from a private tutor of Irish origin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London in 1830. A year later his father died, but Julio remained studying for eight more years in the Old World..
Arboleda returned to Popayán in 1838 and immediately enrolled at the University of Cauca to study law. At that same time he ventured into journalism with the creation of the newspaper The Independent. After that he put into circulation The patriot (in 1842) and a year later the newspaper The Payanés.
Julio joined the militia in 1839 after the outbreak of the War of the Supreme. The young journalist fought for the government of the day under the rank of lieutenant. His remarkable performance led him to participate in diplomatic agreements with the Ecuadorian authorities.
The life of Julio Arboleda entered a time of rest and serenity from 1842, this was due to the cessation of the conflicts in the country. In that year he married a young woman named Sofía Mosquera. As a result of love, ten children were born: Rafael, Beatriz, Julián, Gonzalo, Daniel, Pedro Pablo, Sofía, Julio, Cecilia and Hernando.
The writer focused on his marriage and developed various businesses. At that stage he produced some texts of political content.
The writer served as a deputy in the House of Representatives in 1844 for the towns of Buenaventura and Barbacoas with the flag of the Conservative Party. That same year he supported the candidacy for the presidency of the military Eusebio Borrero with the publication of the brochure The three candidates.
After the aforementioned, Arboleda was proposed as Minister of Finance in 1846 by Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, but the writer did not accept. Two years later he demonstrated against the government of José Hilario López and supported the opposition leadership of his friend Florentino González.
Arboleda left Colombia with his family in 1851 after the outbreak of the civil war that was caused between liberals and conservatives by the struggle of political and economic interests. He first arrived in Ecuador and then moved to Peru. There he practiced journalism in the newspaper The People's Interpreter and served as an English teacher.
After that, the writer went to New York and dedicated himself to writing poetry. In the mid-nineteenth century he made the decision to return to his country to rejoin political activity.
Arboleda returned to his country in 1853 and served as a senator for the province of Chocó. Some time later he joined the legitimist forces after General Melo's coup. The politician participated in the attack on La Mesa and in other events that elevated him to the rank of colonel.
The writer was nominated as a vice-presidential candidate in 1854 without obtaining good results. A year later he was president of the Congress of the Republic and welcomed Manuel María Mallarino as president. Later, Julio spent time in retirement on his estates.
The politician left his country at the end of the 1950s and settled in Europe to support the academic training of his children. However, Julio Arboleda returned to Colombia in 1860 to intervene in the civil war.
The intellectual participated in several contests and opposed the policies of Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera. Arboleda ran for president and was the winner in 1861. He could not assume the investiture of president because he did not attend the Congress meeting that same year, so Bartolomé Calvo took office..
The last fight that Arboleda fought was the Battle of Tulcán in 1862 in which he defeated the then president of Ecuador, Gabriel García Moreno..
After that, the politician was ambushed on his way through Arenal and was assassinated with three shots on November 13, 1862 in the town of Beríritu, in the department of Nariño. His body was found and transferred to Popayán. There he was fired with honors. His remains rest in the Pantheon of the Próceres.
Julio Arboleda's literary style developed within the ranks of the romantic current. His work was influenced by the reading of the writers Lord Byron and José de Espronceda. The author used a cultured, simple and expressive language.
The poetic work of this Colombian writer was charged with feelings and emotions. It was descriptive in terms of nature and the landscape that surrounded her native Popayán. In Arboleda's verses, the real octave meter typical of the romantic movement was evident. The poet wrote about the homeland, freedom, nature and love.
- The three candidates (1844). User information.
- Gonzalo de Oyón. Poem.
- "I leave". Poem.
- "I never spoke to you." Poem.
- "I love you". Poem.
- "Rest of the immemorial forest". Poem.
- "Unhappy the one who seeks." Poem.
- "To the change of fortune." Poem.
- "Pubenza". Poem.
- "Holy Friday". Poem.
- "After seven years." Poem.
- "To Beatriz." Poem.
- "I'm going!". Poem.
- "To the heroines of Bogotá." Poem.
- "To Miss Dolores Argáez." Poem.
- "Casimir the mountaineer." Poem.
- "Among flowers." Poem.
- "Eden of the heart." Poem.
- "Democratic scenes". Poem.
- "I'm in jail". Poem.
- "To the Granada Congress". Poem.
It was an epic poem by Arboleda, which he wrote in his younger years. A part of the original writing was lost in 1853 when the poet's house was attacked during the civil war. Later, the author reconstructed it and it was published after his death in 1883 by Miguel Antonio Caro.
The content of the work was based on the process of conquest of America by the Spanish. From that episode the writer developed a fantastic story of love and struggle around Gonzalo and Álvaro de Oyón, Pubenza and Fernando. Arboleda incorporated drama, action, symbolism and religious reflections.
"The Iberian hero with prudent wisdom
what he owed to courage, keep wise;
of Payán the empire obeyed
Benalcázar, a tenacious fighter;
And the tribes of wandering barbarians,
around united the raised cross,
the expensive abandoned independence
dare hardly deplore in peace.
… To the shame of a hero and his shame,
but the beautiful, angelic Pubenza,
third stem of greater Pubén.
Sweet as the brown fawn,
that the neck stretches between the native fern,
and in sight of the dog, it lies in wait,
with his eyes of modest fear;
pure as the candid dove ...
Beautiful as the rose, how early,
at the dawn of benign spring,
modest flaunts, virginal, first,
her beauty in the field, unrivaled;
tender as the loving turtle dove ... ".
"I never spoke to you ... If anything the reflections
from your eyes they came from afar
my fascinated eyes to obscure,
of your burning gaze, although calm,
my shy pupil did not dare
the lightning burners to find ...
You are a dream to me. To the fire
from the theater, amidst a dense crowd,
your seductive forms I discovered;
but if I avoided your accent and your gaze,
the engraved impression remained in my soul
of the fantastic woman I saw ... ".
"I love you, yes, because you are innocent,
because you are pure, like the early flower
that opens its fresh chalice in the morning
and exhales around delicious smell.
Virginal flower that the sun has not withered,
whose gentle stem rises erect
by morning zephyr rocked
that kisses the scented flower pure.
I love you yes; but in my stiff chest
already with love the heart does not beat ... ".
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