Love Sonnet XVII - A poem by Pablo Neruda


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Pablo Neruda - Love Sonnet XVII

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.

Added: on August 2nd, 2006 at 11:24 AM | Viewed: 54288 times | Comments (32)

Love Sonnet XVII - Comments and Information
Poet: Pablo Neruda Poem: Love Sonnet XVII Volume: 100 Love Sonnets Comment 32 of 32, added on February 27th, 2007 at 6:59 PM. i get it....well not...no...i dont get it.:) bobincock Comment 31 of 32, added on December 6th, 2006 at 10:03 AM. I know exactly how Pablo Neruda was feeling when he wrote this beautiful love sonnet. When he writes "I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul." He is refering to a secret love. One that he has to keep to himself, within himself...yet a love so strong and binding that nothing else can measure up to or compare to it. He did not just sit down and write this sonnet for the heck of it. He wrote this while feeling all of those things and unlike most of us he found a way of putting it on paper. This isn't a sonnet about new love or married love or age old love.. it's clearly a sonnet about a forbidden love so strong that it reaches into him and pulls out everything he's ever known... or not known about himself and what he believes real love would feel like. I understood and could feel every word of the sonnet. Sidney from United States Comment 30 of 32, added on August 2nd, 2006 at 11:24 AM. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Raznoe from USA More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Love Sonnet XVII , has received 32 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Pablo Neruda with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
Love Sonnet XVII Volume: 100 Love Sonnets Last read: 2008-05-16 17:36:47 Viewed 54288 times. Added on August 2nd, 2006 at 11:24 AM.

Neruda Info
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