Saturday, July 21, 2007

The Poem

Here's the poem I'm reading at the wedding. It's lovely, isn't it? It's Pablo Neruda's Sonnet 17.

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
in which there is no I or you
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand
so intimate that when you fall asleep
it is my eyes that close

2 comments:

Absurdity said...

I love Neruda. What a beautiful piece.

longvowels said...

so beautiful...