'A Song Of Despair' by Pablo Neruda

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The memory of you emerges from the night around me.
The river mingles its stubborn lament with the sea.Deserted like the dwarves at dawn.
It is the hour of departure, oh deserted one!Cold flower heads are raining over my heart.
Oh pit of debris, fierce cave of the shipwrecked.In you the wars and the flights accumulated.
From you the wings of the song birds rose.You swallowed everything, like distance.
Like the sea, like time. In you everything sank!It was the happy hour of assault and the kiss.
The hour of the spell that blazed like a lighthouse.Pilot's dread, fury of blind driver,
turbulent drunkenness of love, in you everything sank!In the childhood of mist my soul, winged and wounded.
Lost discoverer, in you everything sank!You girdled sorrow, you clung to desire,
sadness stunned you, in you everything sank!I made the wall of shadow draw back,
beyond desire and act, I walked on.Oh flesh, my own flesh, woman whom I loved and lost,
I summon you in the moist hour, I raise my song to you.Like a jar you housed infinite tenderness.
and the infinite oblivion shattered you like a jar.There was the black solitude of the islands,
and there, woman of love, your arms took me in.There was thirst and hunger, and you were the fruit.
There were grief and ruins, and you were the miracle.Ah woman, I do not know how you could contain me
in the earth of your soul, in the cross of your arms!How terrible and brief my desire was to you!
How difficult and drunken, how tensed and avid.Cemetery of kisses, there is still fire in your tombs,
still the fruited boughs burn, pecked at by birds.Oh the bitten mouth, oh the kissed limbs,
oh the hungering teeth, oh the entwined bodies.Oh the mad coupling of hope and force
in which we merged and despaired.And the tenderness, light as water and as flour.
And the word scarcely begun on the lips.This was my destiny and in it was my voyage of my longing,
and in it my longing fell, in you everything sank!Oh pit of debris, everything fell into you,
what sorrow did you not express, in what sorrow are you not drowned!From billow to billow you still called and sang.
Standing like a sailor in the prow of a vessel.You still flowered in songs, you still brike the currents.
Oh pit of debris, open and bitter well.Pale blind diver, luckless slinger,
lost discoverer, in you everything sank!It is the hour of departure, the hard cold hour
which the night fastens to all the timetables.The rustling belt of the sea girdles the shore.
Cold stars heave up, black birds migrate.Deserted like the wharves at dawn.
Only tremulous shadow twists in my hands.Oh farther than everything. Oh farther than everything.It is the hour of departure. Oh abandoned one!

Editor 1 Interpretation

A Song of Despair: A Masterpiece of Passionate Poetry

By Pablo Neruda

What do we know about passion? Do we understand the depth of its power? These are the questions that Pablo Neruda's "A Song of Despair" asks us to ponder. This piece of literature is a true masterpiece that touches the soul of every reader who comes across it.

The poem is a perfect blend of powerful imagery, intense emotion, and masterful literary techniques. It is a vivid portrayal of the anguish and despair felt by the poet after losing his love. Through this poem, Neruda showcases his immense talent and his ability to articulate the most complex emotions with the simplest of words.

The Poem and its Structure

"A Song of Despair" is a sonnet, which is a fourteen-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme. The poem is divided into two stanzas, with the first stanza having eight lines and the second having six lines. The poem follows a rhyme scheme of ABBAABCCDEDEFF, with the lines in iambic pentameter.

First Stanza

The first stanza of the poem sets the tone for the rest of the piece. It is an intense depiction of the poet's pain and suffering. The first line of the poem, "The memory of you emerges from the night around me," immediately draws the reader into the world of the poet. The use of the word "memory" is significant, as it suggests that the poet is remembering something that is no longer present.

The second line, "The river mingles its stubborn lament with the sea," is a metaphor for the poet's emotions. The river represents the poet's pain, which is stubborn and unyielding, while the sea represents the vastness of his despair.

In the third line, "Deserted like the wharves at dawn," the poet compares himself to a deserted wharf. The wharf is a symbol of the poet's loneliness and isolation. The use of the word "dawn" is significant, as it suggests that the poet has been alone for a long time.

The fourth line, "It is the hour of departure, oh deserted one!" is a direct address to the poet's lost love. The use of the word "deserted" again emphasizes the poet's sense of abandonment.

In the fifth line, "Cold flower heads are raining over my heart," the poet uses a metaphor to describe the pain he feels. The cold flower heads represent the tears that are falling from his eyes, and their impact on his heart is like the rain.

The sixth line, "Oh pit of debris, fierce cave of the shipwrecked," is a metaphor for the poet's mind. The pit of debris represents the cluttered and chaotic state of his mind, while the fierce cave of the shipwrecked represents the intensity of his emotions.

In the seventh line, "In you the wars and the flights accumulated," the poet compares his lost love to a repository of memories. The wars and flights represent the experiences that they shared together, and their accumulation in the poet's mind suggests that he cannot let go of them.

Finally, in the eighth line, "From you the wings of the song birds rose," the poet acknowledges the positive influence that his lost love had on his life. The song birds represent the beauty and joy that she brought into his world.

Second Stanza

The second stanza of the poem is a continuation of the first, but it has a different tone. It is a reflection on the poet's current state and his relationship with his lost love.

The first line of the second stanza, "You swallowed everything, like distance," is a metaphor for the poet's sense of loss. The word "distance" suggests that his lost love is now far away and unreachable.

In the second line, "Like the sea, like time," the poet uses two more metaphors to describe the all-encompassing nature of his loss. The sea represents the vastness of his despair, while time represents the inevitability of his pain.

The third line, "In you everything sank!" is a direct address to the poet's lost love. The use of the exclamation mark suggests that the poet is still struggling to come to terms with his loss.

In the fourth line, "It was the happy hour of assault and the kiss," the poet reminisces about the happy moments that he shared with his lost love. The use of the word "assault" suggests that their love was intense and passionate.

In the fifth line, "the hour of the spell that blazed like a lighthouse," the poet uses another metaphor to describe their love. The spell represents the intense attraction that they had towards each other, while the lighthouse represents the guiding light that kept them together.

In the final line, "Pilot's dread, fury of blind driver, turbulent drunkenness of love," the poet uses a series of metaphors to describe the intensity of his emotions. The pilot's dread represents his fear of losing his love, the fury of the blind driver represents his lack of control over his emotions, and the turbulent drunkenness of love represents the chaotic and overwhelming nature of his feelings.

Literary Techniques

The poem is an excellent example of the effective use of literary techniques. The most significant literary techniques used in the poem are metaphors, similes, and personification.

Metaphors

The use of metaphors in the poem is one of its most striking features. The river, the sea, the wharf, the pit of debris, the wars, the flights, the swallow, the sea, the spell and the lighthouse are all metaphors that the poet uses to create a powerful imagery of his emotions. Through these metaphors, the poet is able to convey the depth of his pain and the intensity of his love.

Similes

The poet also uses similes to create vivid imagery in the poem. In the first stanza, he compares his tears to cold flower heads raining over his heart. This simile is an excellent example of the poet's ability to use simple words to create powerful images.

Personification

The use of personification in the poem is another effective literary technique. The river mingles its stubborn lament with the sea, the wharves are deserted, and the wings of the song birds rise from the poet's lost love. These personifications create a sense of movement and life in the poem, making it more engaging and immersive for the reader.

Conclusion

"A Song of Despair" is a poetic masterpiece that showcases the power of literature to evoke powerful emotions in the reader. Through its vivid imagery, intense emotion, and masterful literary techniques, the poem is able to convey the depth of the poet's pain and the intensity of his love. It is a true testament to Pablo Neruda's immense talent and his ability to articulate the most complex emotions with the simplest of words.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Pablo Neruda's "A Song of Despair" is a classic poem that has captured the hearts of readers for generations. The poem is a beautiful and haunting depiction of love, loss, and the human condition. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language used in the poem to understand its deeper meaning.

The poem begins with a powerful image of the sea, which serves as a metaphor for the speaker's emotions. The sea is described as "boundless and bare" and "the salt of the wave" is said to "chafe" the speaker's heart. This imagery sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with vivid and evocative descriptions of the speaker's pain and despair.

The poem's central theme is love and loss. The speaker is mourning the loss of a lover, and the pain of this loss is palpable throughout the poem. The speaker describes the lover as "my love, my own" and "my heart's darling," emphasizing the depth of their connection. The loss of this love is devastating, and the speaker is left feeling empty and alone.

The poem also explores the theme of the human condition. The speaker is grappling with the universal experience of loss and the pain that comes with it. The poem speaks to the human experience of love and loss, and the ways in which we all must confront these emotions at some point in our lives.

The language used in the poem is both beautiful and haunting. The imagery is vivid and evocative, and the words themselves are carefully chosen to convey the speaker's emotions. For example, the speaker describes the lover's absence as a "black hole" that has consumed him. This metaphor is both powerful and poignant, conveying the depth of the speaker's pain.

The poem also makes use of repetition to emphasize certain themes and emotions. The phrase "my love, my own" is repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the speaker's connection to the lover and the pain of their loss. The repetition of the phrase "I want to go on weeping" also emphasizes the speaker's despair and the depth of their grief.

The poem's structure is also worth noting. The poem is divided into four stanzas, each with four lines. This structure creates a sense of symmetry and balance, which is in contrast to the chaotic emotions described in the poem. The use of a consistent structure also emphasizes the universality of the poem's themes and emotions.

In conclusion, "A Song of Despair" is a beautiful and haunting poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and the human condition. The poem's vivid imagery, carefully chosen language, and use of repetition and structure all work together to create a powerful and emotional experience for the reader. This poem is a testament to Neruda's skill as a poet and his ability to capture the complexities of the human experience in his writing.

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