Pablo

Some thoughts on Neruda.

This should be a verb.  To Neruda is to be swept away in moment of blissful beauty, of romance, of love and warmth.

I cannot say whether I'd feel this way if he wrote his poems first in English but if for him along I am so fortunate to know Spanish.

I know little of his work, mostly I've read the Veinte poemas de amor (20 Love Poems) and the Cancion desesperada (Desperate Song, but usually with very little focus, always wanting to return to the 20 poems), and the Cien sonetos de amor (100 Love Sonnets). 

While some lines, so lyrical and seducing in spanish, seem almost spooky in english (I like when you are silent because it's like you're absent sounds so tender when it's Me gustas cuando callas porque estas como ausente...)* some seem to have a love in them that transcends literal reading in any language.  Se que existes no solo porque tus ojos vuelan / y dan luz a las cosas como ventana abierta  he writes - I know that you exist not only because your eyes fly / and give light to things like an open window.** 

Read more poetry.  Learn another language.  Love bigger, love more, and love with beauty. 


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Please excuse the lack of spanish punctiation as I can't figure out how to do that on here.
*Poema 15 de Veinte poemas de amor
**Soneto XV de Cien sonetos de amor
Poems by Pablo Neruda, with [loose and probably mistaken, but who cares it's poetry] translations by me.