Neruda Love Sonnet

Before we go today, I want to share with you a poem that I really love.

It’s by Pablo Neruda, the great Chilean poet.

And it’s from his 100 Love Sonnets.

This one is number 17.

Are you going to read the English translation or the original Spanish?

Yeah, I’m going to read the English translation.

Although, you know what, Grant?

It is so beautiful that I think we should link to video and audio of people reading this poem in Spanish.

Oh, great.

Because it is just so beautiful in Spanish.

But the English is pretty darn good, too.

This is a translation by Mark Eisner.

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire.

I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom, but carries the light of those flowers hidden within itself,

And thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you directly without problems or pride.

I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

Except in this form in which I am not, nor are you,

So close that your hand upon my chest is mine,

So close that your eyes close with my dreams.

That’s wonderful.

Isn’t that lovely?

That’s beautiful.

There are lots of different translations of this.

I didn’t know you felt that way about me.

There was a period in my life where I read Pablo Neruda all the way through as best as I could.

Yeah.

And I think I need to do it again because I was young then and I hadn’t experienced life.

And poetry, I think, is for people who have lived.

You’re 100% correct about that.

And his work is timeless.

And as I said, there are many different translations online and there are different ones that I like for different reasons.

But it’s great just to listen to the Spanish, too.

So we’ll link to both of those on our website.

And we’d love to hear your favorite poems.

You can send us text or link to a video or link to audio.

Send us a small mp3 if you’d like.

Send it to words@waywordradio.org

Or call us on the telephone.

Read it, 877-929-9673.