Analysis by Aili Scott
“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.
I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries
the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
from the earth lives dimly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you directly without problems or pride:
I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,
except in this form in which I am not nor are you,
so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,
so close that your eyes close with my dreams.”
– Pablo Neruda, Sonnet 17
We, as human beings, love to love and be loved. Pablo Neruda’s 17th sonnet is no exception to this notion. In the traditional 14 lines, Neruda’s words dance on the page. He uses vast metaphors to try to explain the love he carries. Ultimately, he succumbs to the idea that he cannot describe his passion. He explains that he doesn’t love her for her beauty but for everything she is. The lovers would never be separated, as if they live and die together based on their bond. The themes conveyed by Neruda prove that true love surpasses definition.
One technique Neruda utilizes is repetition. He often repeats the phrase “I love you,” which works to convey the overall message of this piece. This also sets up most of his metaphors/similes. An example is, “I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul” (Neruda, lines 3-4). The next lines follow the same pattern with similar meanings: “I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself” (Neruda lines 4-5). His repeating the words “I love you” emphasized the simple message. He loves her in this way, but also this way. Both lines share themes of hidden and secretive feelings, which could allude to the lovers being forced to hide their relationship or its importance. Also important to note is the shadow and soul connection, along with the inner flower. The love he holds is impossible to see or compartmentalize but rather is built into his being. The flower metaphor further represents how he knows her inner beauty without needing exterior beauty. He values privacy in their relationship, as told in his comparison, to hide feelings toward specific things that are difficult for others to understand. Pablo Neruda also uses repetition in the last two lines of his sonnet, as traditional Petrarchan sonnets do: “So close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams” (Neruda, lines 13-14). This subgroup represents how effortless their connection is and how they’re destined to fit together. Neruda’s use of repetition places proper emphasis on the quantity and quality of his love for her.
An interesting choice of Neruda’s is his use of second-person POV. This provides the reader with a more intimate view of the narrator’s thoughts and feelings. It immerses us in the scene. While he writes directly, his artistic expression shines through this point of view. He’s able to proclaim his feelings to us as readers, like in the simple line, “I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love” (Neruda, line 11). This line doesn’t need to be complicated to portray an artistic scene. We see this in many media forms — the ultimate love confession. Using the second-person perspective provides relatability and sets a dreamy setting. A similar choice of his is to forgo a rhyme scheme. The lines have fluidity, but they aren’t typical rhymes. This gives us a realistic perspective, much like the second-person POV does. Rhymes being forced and overused deceive reality. Neruda provides the reader with a submersible experience when reading his poetry by utilizing unique POVs and realistic language.
Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet 17 conveys many themes of love. However, in a broader sense, this sonnet attempts to share human passion with the world. Passion, art, and love have many similarities and are some of the most important forms of expression. He encourages us to express our feelings and form irreplaceable bonds with one another. This text may also warn us about the dangers of passion and love. Because he feels so deeply, he’s become one with the other and becomes speechless. With the gradual decrease in imagery and metaphors throughout the stanzas, we could infer that he loses a sense of himself as he falls deeper in love. The best and most dangerous things happen to be indescribable, in Neruda’s words.
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Sources
Neruda, Pablo. “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII.” Poetry Foundation, 2014, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49236/one-hundred-love-sonnets-xvii.