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Every Day You Play -Pablo Neruda

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By Devendiran BalrajPublished about a year ago 4 min read
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Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was a titan of Latin American poetry. He commands great influence not only among the Spanish speaking countries but throughout the world of poetry. He is known for writing surrealist poems, poems about history and blissful love poems. This poem is an example of the latter from his second collection titled “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair”

Translated from the Spanish by W.S. Merwin.

Every day you play

Every day you play with the light of the universe.

Subtle visitor, you arrive in the flower and the water.

You are more than this white head that I hold tightly

as a cluster of fruit, every day, between my hands.

You are like nobody since I love you.

Let me spread you out among yellow garlands.

Who writes your name in letters of smoke among the stars

of the south?

Oh let me remember you as you were before you existed.

Suddenly the wind howls and bangs at my shut window.

The sky is a net crammed with shadowy fish.

Here all the winds let go sooner or later, all of them.

The rain takes off her clothes.

The birds go by, fleeing.

The wind. The wind.

I can contend only against the power of men.

The storm whirls dark leaves

and turns loose all the boats that were moored last night to

the sky.

You are here. Oh, you do not run away.

You will answer me to the last cry.

Cling to me as though you were frightened.

Even so, at one time a strange shadow ran through your eyes.

This poem by Pablo Neruda is a love poem that expresses the speaker's deep affection for their beloved. The speaker compares their love to the light of the universe, and the beloved to a visitor that arrives in the form of a flower and water. The speaker desires to remember their love forever and to have their name written among the stars. The wind and rain symbolize the passing of time and the transience of life, but the speaker's love remains constant. The beloved is present and the speaker clings to them, even though they sense a fleeting shadow in their eyes.

The poem ends with the speaker urging their beloved to cling to them as if they were frightened, because the speaker feels that their love is the only constant in an ever-changing world. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses vivid imagery and metaphors to express their love, and the themes of time, nature, and eternity run throughout the text. This poem is considered a masterpiece of Neruda's work and a testament to the power of love. It continues to inspire and captivate readers with its beauty and depth.

The language used in the poem is lyrical and evocative, and the use of the wind and rain as symbols of the transience of life adds to its emotional impact. The poem is also notable for its use of Spanish cultural references, such as the "letters of smoke" written among the stars, which adds to its richness and depth. Overall, the poem is a testament to the power of love, and to the ability of poetry to capture the essence of human emotions and experiences. It remains one of Neruda's most beloved and widely read works, and is a classic example of Latin American poetry.

In addition to its themes and language, the poem is also notable for its style. It is written in free verse, with no regular rhyme or meter, which allows the poem to flow naturally and creates an impression of intimacy and sincerity. The lack of a strict structure also allows the speaker to express their feelings with greater freedom and creativity, adding to the poem's impact and effectiveness. The use of repetition, such as the repeated refrain "the wind, the wind," also contributes to the poem's emotional power, as it emphasizes the speaker's feelings of awe, wonder, and love.

In conclusion, this poem by Pablo Neruda is a beautiful and powerful expression of love, and continues to be widely read and admired by poetry lovers around the world. Its themes of love, nature, and eternity are timeless, and its style and language are a testament to the artistry of one of Latin America's greatest poets.

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About the Creator

Devendiran Balraj

I am a interests facts deliverer.

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