XVII (I do not love you...)
I do not love you as if you were 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.
Pablo Neruda
Translated by Stephen Tapscott
peace.
I love Neruda too, despite memories of an ex. Thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeletestorm-a beautiful, almost haunting poem. thanks for posting. i love Neruda's work.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading that,, very thought inducing
ReplyDeleteciao4now x
I am glad to share.
ReplyDeleteI love that poem.
The lines...I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul...
is haunting. Its always echoed within me.
Kelly, sorry for the reminder of the ex, but I am glad you are able to love the work still.
AF, I may only be in Chi-town for a day.
het, glad you like it. Neruda is one of my favorites because he does offer a dark element that's not traditionally romantic.