Sunday, June 14, 2009

I do not love you ....

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way than this:


where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Poem by Pablo Neruda
Translated by Stephen Tapscott

8 comments:

Nooj said...

Zesty and Mj have posted some of Pablo before. But its like an Eid dessert recipe, no matter how often you taste it it always tingles the tongue...

M Junaid said...

That dude rocks :)

http://concerningmjk.blogspot.com/2008/12/concerning-pablo.html

Majestic Elk said...

Wonderful choice! Especially the last two lines, describing the sacred union of two lovers when you cannot separate the dancer from the dance. I recommend another Neruda poem "Every day you play": "I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells, dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.
I want
to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees."
Looking forward to your next poem, especially your original ones.
Elk

shabz said...

*SWOON* I love Neruda's genius :)

Sid said...

"I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;"

I love this line!

desert demons said...

Nooj : If only there were more men like Pablo! I'd be eating dessert everyday!

MJ : He definitely rocks and thanks for the link to your post on him. Wow

Elk : Glad you liked this one. My writing could never match up to the genius of Pablo Neruda.

Shabz : me too

Sid: Wouldn't it be a beautiful life if we all could love without complexities, without pride???

Arjun said...

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul."

I like that... between the shadow and the soul... Lol, it actually sounds a bit obsessive, but I guess love can be like that.

desert demons said...

Arjun,

That's my favourite line in the poem!