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"El todo por el todo".

 

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Old August 29, 2013, 11:44 PM
somediego somediego is offline
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"El todo por el todo".

Hi everybody, another question from me:

In Borges's "ELEGÍA DE LA PATRIA", I encountered this phrase "El todo por el todo". The poem is:

De hierro, no de oro, fue la aurora.
La forjaron un puerto y un desierto,
Unos cuantos señores y el abierto
Ámbito elemental de ayer y ahora.
Vino después la guerra con el godo.
Siempre el valor y siempre la victoria.
El Brasil y el tirano. Aquella historia
Desenfrenada. El todo por el todo.
Cifras rojas de los aniversarios,
Pompas del mármol, arduos monumentos,
Pompas de la palabra, parlamentos,
Centenarios y sesquicentenarios,
Son la ceniza apenas, la soflama
De los vestigios de una antigua llama.

I checked my dictionary, there is only "jugarse el todo por el todo" which means "take the plunge" but I'm still confused. Can anyone explain to me the true meaning of the phrase? Thanks!
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  #2  
Old August 30, 2013, 06:56 AM
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poli poli is offline
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The all-out/ the give it your all/ all stops out.
It's an interesting poem. Is it meant to be patriotic or ironic? I think it's meant to be patriotic.
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Old August 30, 2013, 07:12 AM
somediego somediego is offline
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Gracias poli! Yes it's patriotic with some bitterness.
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