Polen

Enrique Bunbury's song 'Polen' is a mesmerizing exploration of the ethereal and the transient. The repeated invocation of 'polen' (pollen) serves as a central metaphor, symbolizing something delicate, pervasive, and life-sustaining. Pollen, in its natural context, is a fine powder that plants use to reproduce, carried by the wind to fertilize other plants. In the song, it represents a force that prolongs life and brings fascination, yet remains elusive and transient, much like the fleeting moments of beauty and inspiration in life.

The lyrics delve into a state of reverberation and fascination, suggesting a hypnotic allure that pollen holds. Bunbury describes pollen as a 'neutral state' and something that 'acudes al centro' (comes to the center), indicating its central role in the cycle of life and its neutral, almost meditative quality. The imagery of 'esos ojos quebrados de vidrio' (those broken glass eyes) and 'edredón de nubes' (quilt of clouds) adds a surreal, dreamlike quality to the song, enhancing its mystical atmosphere.

The song also touches on themes of life and death, with lines like 'prolonga mi vida' (prolong my life) and 'el abismo de siempre' (the abyss of always). This juxtaposition of life-giving pollen and the ever-present abyss suggests a contemplation of mortality and the desire for transcendence. The final lines, 'venid y decidme qué deseo... ¡poleeen!' (come and tell me what I desire... pollen!), encapsulate a yearning for understanding and fulfillment, a quest for something that is both tangible and intangible, much like the pollen itself.