12 Most Popular Poems by Pablo Neruda

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  • Walking Around

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    in Famous Sad Poems

    "Walking Around" by Pablo Neruda delves into the disquieting thoughts of the speaker, exploring their disillusionment with life and a profound desire to break free from societal constraints. Through vivid imagery and metaphor, Neruda uses the repetitious line "It so happens I am sick of being a man" to create a rhythmic structure that emphasizes the speaker's growing discontent. The poem also employs contrasting imagery, such as the juxtaposition of a "swan made of felt" and "water of wombs and ashes," to evoke a sense of emotional and existential turmoil. Neruda's use of surreal and unsettling scenes, like wanting to "terrify a law clerk with a cut lily" or "kill a nun with a blow on the ear," further contributes to the poem's dark and introspective tone. The poem's vivid language and exploration of existential themes make it a thought-provoking piece that invites readers to reflect on the complexities of human existence.

    It so happens I am sick of being a man.
    And it happens that I walk into tailorshops and movie houses
    dried up, waterproof, like a swan made of felt
    steering my way in a water of wombs and ashes.

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  • When I Die I Want Your Hands On My Eyes

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    in Famous Love Poems

    In this poem, the speaker talks about wanting his spouse to remember him after he passes, but he doesn’t want her to mourn his loss so much that she doesn’t continue living her life. Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet who lived from 1904-1973, and his first wife did not speak his native language of Spanish. This poem is made up of quatrains (four-line poems) and tercets (three-line poems).

    When I die I want your hands on my eyes:
    I want the light and the wheat of your beloved hands
    to pass their freshness over me one more time
    to feel the smoothness that changed my destiny.

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    While I feel the love that he has for his beloved, I find the last sentence of the last stanza of the poem physically difficult to read. It just feels awkward. It is very touching and...

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  • Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines

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    in Famous Sad Love Poems

    This poem was published in 1924, just as Pablo Neruda entered his 20s. In this poem, the speaker is dealing with the end of a relationship and longing for the woman to be back in his arms. The repetition of, “Tonight I can write the saddest lines,” brings the reader’s attention to that theme throughout this sad love poem. Pablo Neruda used alliteration throughout this poem with many words beginning with “s” (saddest, shattered, stars, sky, soul, etc.).

    Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

    Write, for example, 'The night is shattered
    and the blue stars shiver in the distance.'

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    • Poem of the Day
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    Neruda's poem resonates. Letting go is a process, when love is not requited anymore. How is it possible to do so easily? It is not. Today we are constantly surrounded by memories. The pain...

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  • One Hundred Love Sonnets

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    in Famous Love Poems

    Many of Pablo Neruda’s love poems helped him get known as an important Chilean poet. In this poem, he can’t fully explain his love, but he feels it deeply. It’s not one of show. Instead, it’s a love that’s simple and humble, a love that sees the beauty hidden within a person. The repetition of “I love you” brings attention to the poet’s desire to convey his feelings for the subject of this poem.

    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.

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    This poem touched my heart in ways that I didn't even know was possible. I never thought I would be able to understand my own heart as well as I do now. This poem completely captures the way...

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  • If You Forget Me

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    in Famous Love Poems

    This poem was written while Pablo Neruda was in exile from Chile, during which time he was also having an affair with Matilde Urrutia, the woman who would become his third wife. It is presumed the poem was written with Matilde in mind, perhaps while she was in his presence. This poem shows how when an individual consumes your thoughts, everything you see, hear, touch, or experience reminds you of that person. It also shows that love can only last when a relationship is cared for and not ignored. As soon as one person does not see it as important, the relationship begins to wither.

    I want you to know
    one thing.

    You know how this is:

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    Once during the elective courses I teach - visualisation of poems by different poets- one of my students made a video artwork with her own drawings, illustrating this poem. It is one of the...

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  • Love

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    in Famous Sad Love Poems

    The narrator struggles with a broken heart and wants to stop loving someone, but he can’t. As time passes, the memory starts to fade, but there will always be things that trigger remembering everything once loved about the person. Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) wrote a lot about love and heartbreak, as he experienced both throughout his life.

    Because of you, in gardens of blossoming
    Flowers I ache from the perfumes of spring.
    I have forgotten your face, I no longer
    Remember your hands; how did your lips

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  • Don't Go Far Off, Not Even For A Day

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    in Famous Love Poems

    Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) writes this poem about the intense love between two people. A man is so strongly connected to his lover that he fears what will happen if she ever decides to leave. He doesn’t want her to be away from him, even for a day, for he doesn’t know how he will survive without her. Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, had three wives. This poem is made up of quatrains and tercets that contain descriptive language.

    Don't go far off, not even for a day, because --
    because -- I don't know how to say it: a day is long
    and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station
    when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep.

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    I really feel the same when she is away.

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  • Love Sonnet XI

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    in Famous Love Poems

    In this sensual love poem, Pablo Neruda compares a hunting puma to desiring his lover. He is starving for her touch and love, and he is seeking after her. Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was a Chilean poet well-known for his passionate love poems. He was married three times, and his first wife did not speak Spanish.

    I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
    Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
    Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
    I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

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  • I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

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    in Famous Love Poems

    Pablo Neruda was born in 1904 in Chile. His real name was Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He wrote in green ink as a symbol of love and desire. Many of his poems have been translated from the original Spanish.

    I do not love you except because I love you;
    I go from loving to not loving you,
    From waiting to not waiting for you
    My heart moves from cold to fire.

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    • Stories 2
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    • Rating 4.19
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    Sounds like what every humble man goes through 'till he wins her heart or someone comes along and steals her away from him.

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  • A Dog Has Died

    Famous Poem

    in Famous Friendship Poems

    Anyone who has ever had and lost a pet will be able to relate to this poem by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). When people pass away, a eulogy is usually shared at the funeral to talk very highly of that person and all that will be remembered. This poem could be considered a form of a eulogy but for a pet. The specific poetic form is called an elegy, which is a poem of reflection that can also show lament for someone who has passed away.

    My dog has died.
    I buried him in the garden
    next to a rusted old machine.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 457
    • Favorited 7
    • Votes 109
    • Rating 4.17
    • Poem of the Day

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