Love Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda by Pablo Neruda — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

Love Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda I do not love you as if you were a salt rose, or topaz or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; So I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep

Translation (English)

I don't love you like a salt rose or topaz, or like the arrow of carnations that fire shoots off. I love you like some dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you like a plant that doesn't bloom but holds the light of hidden flowers inside; thanks to your love, a solid fragrance rises from the earth and lives deeply in my body. I love you without knowing how, when, or from where. I love you simply, without complications or pride; I love you because I don't know any other way than this: where I don't exist, nor do you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

About the Poet

Pablo Neruda (20th Century)

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Known for his passionate love poems, Neruda wrote in various styles, including surrealist and historical epics. He served as a diplomat and was a close advisor to Chile's socialist president Salvador Allende.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Sonnet
When Written: Published in 1959
Background: This poem is part of Neruda's collection 'One Hundred Love Sonnets,' which expresses deep and passionate love. It reflects his ability to convey complex emotions through simple yet profound imagery.

Sources: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49236/one-hundred-love-sonnets-xvii, https://poets.org/poem/one-hundred-love-sonnets-xvii-i-dont-love-you-if-you-were-rose, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Neruda

Detailed Explanation

Pablo Neruda's 'Love Sonnet XVII' is a profound expression of love that transcends the ordinary. The poet begins by rejecting conventional comparisons of love to beautiful objects like roses or jewels. Instead, he loves in a deeper, more mysterious way, akin to the love for dark, secret things. This love is intimate and profound, existing between the shadow and the soul. Neruda uses the metaphor of a plant that doesn't bloom but holds the potential for beauty within, symbolizing a love that is not always visible but deeply rooted and enduring. The poem conveys a sense of unity and oneness, where the boundaries between the lovers blur, emphasizing a love that is straightforward, devoid of pride, and all-consuming. The imagery of hands and eyes closing together suggests a deep connection and shared existence, where the lovers are so intertwined that they become indistinguishable from one another.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
topaz	a precious stone	a valuable gemstone, often yellow	toh-paz
carnations	a type of flower	flowers often used in bouquets	kar-nay-shuhnz
fragrance	pleasant smell	a smell that is nice	fray-gruhns
complexities	complicated aspects	things that make something difficult	kuhm-plek-si-teez
pride	self-respect	feeling good about oneself	prahyd
shadow	dark area	a dark spot where light is blocked	sha-doh
soul	spirit	the invisible part of a person	sohl
straightforwardly	directly	in a simple and honest way	streyt-fawr-werd-lee
exist	to be	to be alive or present	ig-zist
bloom	to flower	to make flowers	bloom
hidden	concealed	not seen	hid-uhn
darkly	in a dark way	in a mysterious way	dahrk-lee
close	near	not far apart	klohs
hand	part of the body	the part at the end of the arm	hand
chest	upper body	the front of the upper body	chest