Week 4 - Twenty Love Poems & A Song of Despair, Pablo Neruda
Hello everyone! This week I read Twenty Love Poems & A Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda. After having taken my first ever introduction to poetry class last semester, I learnt that poetry is not typically my favourite style of writing. Although I can certainly appreciate some specific poems or even single lines at times, I often feel a little bit lost or unsure about the theme or message I was supposed to retain. However, I am always open to reading more poetry to try and expand my taste and learn to better appreciate complicated writing (especially if it is poetry as well known and famous to these twenty).
After having read this collection of poems, there were definitely some poems that I liked, as well as some that I needed to read over a few times to better understand them. Something that I really enjoyed was how the poems seemed to flow in chronological order of his relationship with this woman. Initially, I felt that his poems emphasized this woman by focusing greatly on her physical body, or superficial aspects of the relationship. Yet I think that there was a shift nearing the ending poems as he realized how powerful his love for her really was, and perhaps that his time with her might be nearing its end, for example, “You are more than this white head that I hold tightly as a cluster of fruit, every day, between my hands” (53). It seems as though there is a shift in what he values. Moreover, I felt that he wrote about the end of a relationship, specifically here,“I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe! love her. Love is so short, forgetting is so long. Because through nights like this one, I held her in my arms my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.”(79)
In my poetry class last term, we talked about how poetry is a wonderful way to express our emotions when other means can't quite capture that feeling or experience. Whether that be to read others’ work and relate to it, or to create your own. This reminded me of what was said in the lecture that “love, (or any strong affect) both challenges and inspires the drive to write, to put words in order, to shape a form that becomes recognizable…” This leads me to my question…do you think Neruda was successful in capturing the genuine emotions associated with love and loss?
Hi Daisy. Certainly, although it is not a book of stories we can see a kind of "dramatic progression" of the lyrical voice. Not only the tone is modified, but other aspects such as the type of verse are modified in the change of affect. Don't worry, we will read poetry again so that you become a little more familiar with this genre.
ReplyDeleteHi Daisy! I think it's super interesting you found a story in this collection - the evolution of a relationship. I am big into poetry and one thing I've learned is there's no wrong way to read poetry, and certainly no wrong way to interpret a poem or a collection. In response to your question, I don't think a poet can unsuccessfully capture their own emotions, unless they themselves believe they didn't do them justice. I do believe Neruda captured and shared what he wished to with us. Are these emotions genuine? Maybe, but only he would know for sure.
ReplyDeleteGreat blogpost! I definitely agree that the the narrator underwent a change of emotions by the end of the story. I also enjoyed the chronological nature of the chapters. To answer your question, I do think Neruda was succesful in conveying the emotions related to love and loss. The imagery, metaphors, etc. were so resonating and at times heartbreaking. In addition, I also think Neruda was successful in representing the narrator as a 'writer'. The last poem before the song of despair certainly showed that for me.
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Hi Daisy, I enjoyed reading your blogpost! I think Neruda was successful in capturing the genuine emotions associated with love and loss because of his own personal and genuine feelings felt attached to the poem. Even though we may not agree on his idea of love/lost, we can still admire that at the age of 19 he was able to pour his soul into these poems and write such meaningful work.
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