Literary Analysis of Pablo Neruda's Poetry

Poetry VII

The poet is alone, far away and anxious, feeling disconnected from his beloved's ocean eyes.

"Gallop the night on her sombre mare": A personification of the night, as he cannot ride it himself.

Poetry VI

The beloved is presented as an objectified image. The poem evokes memories of a woman with nostalgia and a touch of sadness.

"Attached to my arms like a vine": A comparison; he compares her embrace to a vine that clings tightly and strongly.

Poetry V

The image of the beloved appears through the floor. This poem is a declaration to a woman he loves, offering beautiful words despite his own anguish and despair, as he begs for her love while he remains lonely.

"They climbed into my old pain as the ivy": A comparison; he compares his pain to ivy climbing a wall.

Poetry XV

The beloved is present only in his thoughts (fictional). The poet speaks of silence, noting that the anguish and despair of that silence will vanish when she smiles or speaks, as those feelings are merely transient.

"Let me also talk with your silence": A paradox, as one cannot literally speak to silence.

Thematic Elements

Time

Tenses alternate, eventually looking toward the future when he assumes the loss. Through these temporal shifts, the reader is left in doubt about the events. There is a clear influence of Symbolism.

The Lyrical Self

The lyrical self transcends the poem, using symbols like the night and nature. It highlights the creative ability to express refuge in melancholia. The use of the Alexandrine verse reflects these sentiments effectively.

The Beloved

The beloved is the great absent figure. Every mention serves to highlight her absence. While the first part of the poem idealizes her, specific images of her eyes and body eventually appear. Her absence is the primary cause of the sadness within the work.

Poetry

Conceived by Neruda as an examination of the self, born from the loneliness of the lyrical subject and the loss of the beloved. Poetry reaches the depths of the soul.

Love

The core of the entire work and a recurrent theme, displayed in different facets throughout each poem.

Sadness

The starting point that leads to poetic creation, always accompanied by melancholy, nostalgia, and loneliness.

Melancholy

The foundational tone of the poem.

The Night

Possesses evocative power and is associated with fantasy.

The Sky

Represents the vastness of his feelings toward her.