(1821-1889) and Eduardo BUSTILLO, the author of _Las
cuatro estaciones_ and _El ciego de Buenavista_. Somewhat
of the tradition of the Sevillan school persisted in the
verses of Manuel CAÑETE and Narciso CAMPILLO (1838-1900)
and in those of the poet and literary critic José AMADOR
DE LOS RÍOS.

The Sevillan Gustavo Adolfo BÉCQUER (1836-1870) wrote
perhaps the most highly polished Spanish verse of the
nineteenth century. His _Rimas_ are charged with true
poetic fancy and the sweetest melody, but the many
inversions of word-order that were used to attain to
perfection of metrical form detract not a little from
their charm. His writings are contained in three small
volumes in which are found, together with the _Rimas_, a
collection of prose legends. His prose work is page xl
filled with morbid mysticism or fairy-like mystery. His
dreamy prose is often compared to that of Hoffmann and his
verses to those of Heine, although it is doubtful if he
was largely influenced by either of these German writers.
Bécquer sings primarily of idealized human love. His
material life was wretched and it would seem that his
spirit took flight into an enchanted land of its own
creation. Most human beings love to forget at times their
sordid surroundings and wander in dreamland; hence the
enduring popularity of Bécquer's works and especially of
the _Rimas_. Bécquer has been widely imitated throughout
the Spanish-speaking world, but with little success. In
this connection it should be noted that the Spanish poets
who have most influenced the Spanish literature of the