Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Saddest Poem - Pablo Neruda

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.

Write, for instance: "The night is full of stars,
and the stars, blue, shiver in the distance."

The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her.
How could I not have loved her large, still eyes?

I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
To think I don't have her. To feel that I've lost her.

To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the poem falls to the soul as dew to grass.

What does it matter that my love couldn't keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.

That's all. Far away, someone sings. Far away.
My soul is lost without her.

As if to bring her near, my eyes search for her.
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.

The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, we who were, we are the same no longer.

I no longer love her, true, but how much I loved her.
My voice searched the wind to touch her ear.

Someone else's. She will be someone else's. As she once
belonged to my kisses.
Her voice, her light body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, true, but perhaps I love her.
Love is so short and oblivion so long.

Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is lost without her.

Although this may be the last pain she causes me,
and this may be the last poem I write for her.

5 comments:

kj said...

It is an incredible poem. I never heard it before and I am blown away. Oh that I could learn to write half this well

And love. remains. Even long. after

Love from me hdwk
kj

How do we know said...

hi kj: long time!!! good to see you!!

yes, love remains for a long time after.. and yet it hurts so much.

Neruda is a master of his craft, maybe because he doesnt make the craft bit primary. i love how his emotions tumble straight out... and touch u where so little does... :)

Manish Raj said...

Love is so short..oblivion so long.. goodness :)

Onkar said...

speechless

How do we know said...

Guruji: nahi... love carries a long shadow, that stretches to fill up the rest of our lives. the sad part is we dont realise it when we trade the person for the shadow.

Onkar sir: thank you.