Although sometimes it appears so, it’s no secret that history repeats itself and that human beings lack absolute originality. In her poem “I well know there is nothing” Rosalia de Castro simplistically conveys an obvious but profound truth about the trite character of human existence. While her poem is short, De Castro’s style of writing and diction artfully expresses her message and allows the reader to understand the deeper meaning behind the few words she uses.
In the first four lines of the poem De Castro tells us that she fully understands that nothing she has done or will do is anything special. She acknowledges that there have been many people before her that have had identical experiences, interests, and ideas in their lifetime. She further emphasizes this point when she says “there is nothing new under the sky…”. Her use of the word “sky” in this poem can be seen as an illustrative metaphor for the vast number of humans who have lived through the same emotions, decisions, and events that human life encompasses. Through this metaphor De Castro depicts the idea that humanity is as seemingly endless but also as monotone as the sky.
Following the realization and acceptance of her lack of uniqueness she then questions why she continues to perform the things that validate her existence, such as writing. She questions why, if her work is nothing distinctive in the immenseness of humanity, she creates art. Her answer “because we are so clocks that repeat forever the same”, can be seen as another metaphor for the essence of human existence. By saying humans are clocks De Castro tells us we continue to live in the same repetitive way because that is our nature. Like a clock, all of humanity is programmed and thus destined to continue in the same fashion as it has since the beginning. Whether it was hundreds of years in the past or just a few weeks ago the human experience will not change.