Here I Love You: Pablo Neruda

 

Poem: Here I Love You by Pablo Neruda

About the Poet

        Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) was a Chilean poet and diplomat, known for his diverse works exploring love, nature, social justice, and politics. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, his writing style ranged from love sonnets to political manifestos. A committed activist, Neruda aligned with the Communist Party and served as a diplomat and senator for Chile. His death in 1973, shortly after a military coup, remains controversial.

The Theme of the Poem

The poem ‘Here I Love You’ is written by the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poem presents the theme of the melancholy of separation from his beloved. He is trying to come out of the grief of separation.  This love poem highlights the sadness that occurred due to separation. The poet has used different symbols in the poem. ‘The dark pines’ symbolizes the mysterious life of his beloved. The word ‘dark’ suggests the unseen.

Summary of the Poem

The speaker is sad because of his separation from his girlfriend. His girlfriend (beloved) is not with him. She is far away in heaven. The speaker uses ' here ' to suggest this mortal world and ' there ' to suggest beyond this world. He feels alone in this mortal (physical) world.

His love for her is still the same as it was in the past. He remembers his memories with her. He loves too much his separated beloved though she is in another world, i.e. in heaven. He still remembers his joyful time with his beloved. They would enjoy the beauty of dark pine wood as well as moonlit waters. They would visit different places in the snowy evenings.

Now, he sends kisses to his girlfriend through the sailing ships that move toward darkness but never gets any reply from her. All his efforts are in vain because the horizon has hidden her. When he sees the black cross of the ship, it reminds him of his beloved's funeral. His days are passing slowly due to his monotonous life without his beloved. He is suffering from a bad dream that is haunting him after his separation from her.

He compares himself to the old anchors because he is also forgotten. His days and nights are filled with sadness. It is very difficult for him to spend his evenings without her. He is living without any love, hope, or purpose. He feels a little bit comfortable talking with her at night in his dream. He finds his beloved in the big stars as well as in the pine trees. He thinks that the pine trees are celebrating his beloved's death by singing her name. He also gets consolation by looking at the big stars because he finds her image in them.

Analysis of the Poem

This poem is a poignant exploration of longing, solitude, and the enduring power of love amidst separation. The speaker expresses their deep affection for someone distant, conveying a sense of unrequited love or a love that is hindered by circumstances. Imagery of the natural world permeates the poem, creating a vivid and evocative atmosphere. The "dark pines," "vagrant waters," and "dancing snow" paint a picture of a desolate and melancholic landscape, reflecting the speaker's inner turmoil and emotional isolation. The "silver gull" and "black cross of a ship" symbolize loneliness and longing, emphasizing the speaker's separation from their beloved.

The repetition of "Here I love you" throughout the poem serves as a constant reminder of the speaker's unwavering love despite the challenges they face. The speaker's love is depicted as a force that transcends physical distance and time, enduring through both joy and sorrow. The poem also explores the speaker's sense of longing and unfulfilled desire. They express a yearning for what they do not have, a longing that is intensified by the vastness of the sea and the seemingly endless horizon. The speaker's "kisses" are sent out on "heavy vessels" that cross the sea towards no arrival," symbolizing the futility of their longing and the uncertainty of their love's reciprocation.

The poem takes a turn towards introspection as the speaker reflects on their emotional state. They describe feeling "forgotten like those old anchors," evoking a sense of abandonment and loneliness. The "piers" that "sadden when the afternoon moors there" suggest a longing for connection and companionship, a desire for a place of belonging.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.     What do "here" (1.1) and "there" (1.19) refer to?

Here refers to the present in which he is alone due to his believed death. This indicates the past when he was with his beloved.

2.     Why does the speaker look at the ships sailing away?

The speaker looks at the ships sailing away because he thinks that he might see her, talk to her, and send his kisses to his hidden beloved on the horizon.

3.     What does the "black cross" symbolize?

The black cross is the symbol of death because it echoes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

4.     What's the meaning of "even my soul is wet"?

"Even my soul is wet" may mean that his soul is also weeping in his separation from his beloved. The poet may think that human beings' souls also burst it tears in the time of melancholic and painful situations. In the poem, seeing the speaker's condition in his present, we also cannot control our weeping.

5.     Why is he happy at night?

He is happy at night because he talks to his beloved in his dream and feels as if pine is singing about his beloved and also thinks that the biggest stars are his beloved's eyes that are looking at him.

6.     How is the poem structured? Why are the stanza lengths different?

The poem is structured in different lengths. The first stanza has an irregular line that suggests his frustration and sadness at the separation from his beloved. The third stanza is so irregular because it talks about death. The fifth stanza is a little bit regular because he can heal his tense mind by hearing Pine's singing. The final stanza's wording and line are parallel in comparison with others because he finds consolation in the biggest stars.

7.     What are the images in the poem? Classify them according to natural and man-made images.?

The images in the poem are: sea, pine, snow, the black cross of a ship, the horizon, old anchors, piers, stars, and so on. Sea, pine, snow, horizon, and star are natural images. Old anchors, piers, and crosses of a ship are man-made.

8.     What is the connotation of the word "dark" in "dark pines?"

"Dark" in "Dark Pines" is a natural image that highlights the theme of separation.

9.           Explain the simile "moon glows like phosphorus".

Phosphorus is a kind of chemical that shines in the dark. Similarly, the moon also shines at night. So, the poet compares the moon with phosphorus.

10.       How does the poet try to send his message to his departed?

He tries to send his message and kiss by using the heavy sailing vessels.

11.       Is the poem pessimistic from top to bottom?

The poem is pessimistic at the beginning (top), but it ends (bottom) with a little bit of consolation as he thinks biggest stars' outlook and the song of pine trees.

12.       What different subject might the poet discuss if he/she were?

The poet discusses if she were here in this way: He might say he was the luckiest lover to have a lovely and beautiful beloved. He would say that they have the habit of going on a date in pine trees and seashore. He would say they exchanged their kiss late at night in the seashore. In the twilight, they would walk among the pine trees and would hear the song of the pine

13.       Discuss "Here I Love You" as a love poem.

It is a pure love poem in which the speaker has become a preacher of a true lover. Even in separation, his love, feelings, and emotions toward her same. Though she is no more in the mortal world, she remains forever in his heart. He shows her purity and softness compared with natural imagery. Nature is the same and spring never comes, but only human beings go but never return. However, his beloved never fades away but remains blooming in his heart. The poem is pure love because, in most love poems, poets talk about pine trees and stars. They compare their beloved voice with pine song, eyes with stars and facial complexion with snow.

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