Almost nine decades after his passing, his legacy has not faded: it vibrates in every stanza that extols freedom and in every verse that rises like a clarion call of sovereignty. On July 5th, 1936, in his native Matanzas, the physical voice of Bonifacio Byrne Puñales was silenced. But his words—ardent, rebellious, in love with his homeland—continue to wave like the flag he so loved. Almost nine decades after his passing, his legacy has not faded: it vibrates in every stanza that exalts freedom and in every verse that rises like a clarion call of sovereignty.
He was born in the Athens of Cuba on March 3rd, 1861, and from a young age, he cultivated a passion for literature that led him to found the newspapers «La Mañana» and «La Juventud Liberal.» His poetic debut with «Excéntricas» in 1893 was hailed by figures such as Julián del Casal, who recognized in him a bold, innovative spirit and impeccable versification. Although he did not wield a machete in the jungle, his poetry was a trench. Since 1896, his verses denounced colonial oppression and exalted the rebellious soul of the island.
His sonnet on the execution of Domingo Mejía forced him into exile in the United States, where he joined the Revolutionary Club of Tampa and contributed to the newspaper Patria, as well as to El Porvenir and El Expedicionario.
He was called the «Poet Singer of Liberty» after the publication of Effigies, a lyrical tribute to heroes such as Céspedes, Agramonte, Calixto García, and the Maceo brothers.But it was his return to his homeland on January 4th, 1899, that marked his work with a deeper sorrow: upon seeing the Cuban flag waving alongside the American flag, he realized that independence had been scorned.
From this disenchantment came «My Flag,» an emblematic poem from the volume «Lyre and Sword,» in which the defiled flag becomes a symbol of resistance and national pride. Beyond poetry, Byrne served as Secretary of the Provincial Government of Matanzas, founded the newspaper El Yucayo, wrote plays such as «Man at the Door,» «Rays of the Sun,» and «The Spirit of Martí,» and won awards at the Floral Games of Sancti Spíritus and Matanzas. He was also a corresponding member of the National Academy of Arts and Letters.
With its solitary star, its insurgent Mambi triangle, and its stripes of light and sky, our national flag—that silent companion of Cuba’s liberation struggle—found in Byrne the most fervent of its troubadours.His pen, like a lyrical sword, defended the dignity of the homeland even when independence seemed a betrayed promise.
Today, as we remember him on the 89th anniversary of his death, we remember him not with mourning, but with gratitude, because his word lives on, waving like his beloved flag, the one that—even torn to pieces—the dead, raising their arms, will forever know how to defend.
