Before even beginning to read the poem, my attention was already captured. The subtitle (Guantanamera) alone instantly took me down memory lane. I grew up listening to various renditions of a classic hit titled “Guantanamera” by famous musicians such as Celia Cruz, Jose Feliciano, and Tito Puentes. Without a doubt, curiosity at this point was sky-rocketing because I wanted to know if there was a connection between this poem and the song, so I felt the need to do some quick research. I found that the song is based on this poem. Undoubtably, just as any one else would do, I instantly went on YouTube to listen to the song while reading the poem in its original form (Spanish).
The official lyrics of the song are based on the first poem of Versos Sencillos – “Simple Verses” – written by Cuban poet José Martí. The four verses of the song were adapted from four stanzas of “Versos Sencillos”, each from a different poem.

The first 4 lines of this poem are included in the song and I’ve listed 2 links of different renditions below.

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I am an honest man
From where the palm grows
And before I die I wish
To fling my verses from my soul