Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"One Hundred Love Sonnets: 17" by Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basualto, better known as Pablo Neruda, is an evocative meditation on love that transcends superficial, objectifying affection to explore a deeper, almost elemental connection between two souls. In contrast to traditional sonnets that often employ flowery language and idealized portrayals, Neruda's sonnet is remarkable for its intense realism and the profundity of its sentiments.

The poem commences by rejecting conventional similes of love: "I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off." The poet dismisses the cliché comparisons that may beautify but inevitably simplify the complex experience of love. Instead, Neruda offers an alternative kind of love, one that is more nuanced and exists "between the shadow and the soul." This form of love is not easily accessible; it is shrouded in mystery and fused into the very fabric of one's innermost being.

Similarly, the poet's love is like "the plant that never blooms but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers." There's an inherent tension between visibility and invisibility here-the love may not be externally evident, but its unseen luminosity profoundly affects the lover. Due to this love, a "solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body." Neruda crafts an intimate relationship between the body and the earth, signaling a love that is rooted in natural, almost tectonic, depth.

This love is paradoxically described as being both straightforward and unknowable: "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride." Neruda's admission that he doesn't understand the origin or methodology of his love isn't a declaration of ignorance, but rather an acknowledgment of love's complex, inexplicable nature. The fact that love exists "where I does not exist, nor you" suggests a dissolution of ego, a merging of identities so intense that the boundaries between self and other become indistinguishable.

The closing lines perfectly encapsulate the intimacy of this communion: "so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep." The poet paints a scene of such closeness that the physicality of the individual ceases to be relevant. Here, love is not just an emotion but a state of being, a form of existence that obliterates individuality to forge a collective identity.

Thus, Neruda's sonnet serves as an exquisite exploration of a love that is deeply personal yet universal, a love that challenges conventional metaphors and transcends mere emotional or physical engagement. It portrays a love that is simultaneously a mystery and a revelation, as inscrutable and elemental as life itself. In doing so, the poem invites us to reconsider the dimensions and the depths of our own understanding of love.

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