Poem & Analysis of 'If You Forget Me' by Pablo Neruda

POEM

If You Forget Me

Pablo Neruda (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973)

I want you to know

one thing.

You know how this is:

if I look

at the crystal moon, at the red branch

of the slow autumn at my window,

if I touch

near the fire

the impalpable ash

or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you,

as if everything that exists,

aromas, light, metals,

were little boats

that sail

toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,

if little by little you stop loving me

I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly

you forget me

do not look for me,

for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,

the wind of banners

that passes through my life,

and you decide

to leave me at the shore

of the heart where I have roots,

remember

that on that day,

at that hour,

I shall lift my arms

and my roots will set off

to seek another land.

But

if each day,

each hour,

you feel that you are destined for me

with implacable sweetness,

if each day a flower

climbs up to your lips to seek me,

ah my love, ah my own,

in me all that fire is repeated,

in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,

my love feeds on your love, beloved,

and as long as you live it will be in your arms

without leaving mine.

ANALYSIS

Reciprocity of Love in Neruda’s If You Forget Me

   If You Forget Me is written by Ricardo Elice Neftali Reyes Basoalto, whose pen name is Pablo Neruda. Pablo Neruda is well known for his passionate love poetry. His first collection of poetry Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair is world famous for intense love poems. The popular love poems of Neruda are I do not love you, I like for you to be still, Tonight I can write, Love, I crave your mouth, Don’t go Far off, May be you will Remember, You will remember and so on.

   The present poem is from Neruda’s Captain Verses Collection. The poet in the poem explains the consequences of forgetting him to his beloved love.

   In the beginning of the poem, Neruda presents a loving and romantic picture of his love. He wants his beloved to know how much he loves her. The poet describes if he looks at the crystal moon, if he looks at the red branch of the slow autumn through his window he remembers his beloved. He says if he touches the impalpable ash of the fire or wrinkled body of the log, he feels all these are carrying him towards his beloved. All these are exist for his love itself. He also uses the images like aromas, light, metals, are as little boats that takes him towards the island of his love.

   Then, he explains the consequences of forgetting him. He says to his beloved that, if she stops loving him, the poet also stops loving her. If suddenly she forgets him, the poet may have already forgotten her. If she leaves the poet, if anything happens to his life the poet won’t mind at all. He seeks another land for his roots of his heart.

   In the last stanza of the poem, the poet expresses his love in a romantic way. He says each day, each hour if she loves him and destined to him, he will give back that love. He will never leave her and forget her. As long as they live he will shower all his love to her.

   The poem shows that the poet does not want “unrequited love”. The poet believes in such love which is reciprocal to each other. Such a love develops mutual understanding and trust in each other. All he wants is true love and his beloved should never forget him. He conveys that she will get back whatever she does to him. If she forgets him, the poet also does the same thing. If she loves him without forgetting him, he gives his love to her all their life.

Amrutha G.T

2nd Yr. B.A. (PJE)

Sahyadri Arts College

Shivamogga