Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"One Hundred Love Sonnets: 83" by Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basualto, commonly known as Pablo Neruda, meditates on the profound intimacy between two lovers, as experienced in the silent hours of the night. With nocturnal imagery and metaphors of journey and growth, Neruda portrays love as an evolving entity-alive, intricate, and illuminated even in the darkness. This sonnet delves into the paradoxes of love's transient nature, suggesting that although love changes from night to dawn, from presence to absence, it leaves an indelible mark, drawing us "into the light of life."

The poem commences with the speaker's acknowledgement of his lover's closeness even when she is "invisible in [her] sleep, intently nocturnal." This paradox encapsulates the crux of the poem; the lover is both present and absent, seen and unseen. Her heart is metaphorically "withdrawn," navigating through the realm of dreams, while her body is left behind, "relinquished," breathing in the physical world. This opening vividly captures the dichotomy of sleep-where the mind wanders in a landscape unfathomable to the waking world, while the body stays tethered to the tangible realm.

Neruda employs the metaphor of "twisted nets" to describe the speaker's anxieties. Like a fisherman, he is involved in a meticulous, lonely task of disentangling his "worries." In this task, he is comforted by his lover's unconscious presence. Her sleeping body, "seeking [him] without seeing [him]," serves to "perfect" his dream, as if their love is a "plant that seeds itself in the dark." This botanical metaphor suggests the potential for growth and renewal, even in obscurity, reinforcing the idea that love is an organic entity that can flourish in even the most unlikely conditions.

As dawn approaches, the lover is expected to wake up as "that other, alive in the dawn," a different self from her nocturnal existence. Yet, "from the frontiers lost in the night," from the blurred lines between "presence and absence," an ineffable "something remains." This ambiguous "something" is the essence of their love, which draws them into "the light of life," as if illuminated by an inner flame. The poem concludes with an enigmatic imagery, "as if the sign of the shadows had sealed / its secret creatures with flame," suggesting that their nocturnal experiences have marked them, infusing their love with a luminous permanence.

Overall, "One Hundred Love Sonnets: 83" grapples with the complexities and contradictions inherent in love. It explores the rich tapestry of feelings experienced in the quietude of the night, acknowledging the transformative nature of love while cherishing the enduring marks it leaves. Even as individuals undergo metamorphoses from night to day, from dream to reality, the poem asserts that the love between them remains a constant, guiding light.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...