Poem & Analysis of 'Poem' by Pablo Neruda

POEM

Poem

Pablo Neruda (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973)

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don't know how or when,
no they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from the others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.

I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my own way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the first faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened
and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.

And I, infinitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
felt myself a pure part
of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.

ANALYSIS

Being Embraced by Creativity - Poetry of Pablo Neruda

   Pablo Neruda’s poem Poetry (1964) deals with the idea of poetic inspiration. It is about how the poet gets inspiration to write poetry. The poem talks about the basic impetus, sources behind writing poetry.

   In this poem Pablo Neruda vividly captures the very essence of what it is to be intensely captivated and inspired by creativity. Unlike many well known poems, this is not a tragic account of unrequited or lost love or a joyous verse regarding the beauty of nature. The theme of the poem is about the experience of being embraced by creativity and finding one’s passion and calling.

   At the beginning of the poem he says,Poetry arrived in search of me/ I don’t know/I don’t know/where it came from.These lines indicate that poetic inspiration came in search of him.They force him to compose poetry. The poet does not know the origin and he does not know where they come from.

   The poet tries to say that It came from winter or river. Both winter and river are the symbols of nature. They inspire the poet to compose poems. He says that he is not very sure how or when he is inspired. He further says No, they were not voices/ they were not words nor silence/ But from a street/ I was summoned”.

   He says that the inspiration may have come from the branches of night or from violent fires.Whatever may be the origin but all of them motivate the poet to compose poems.

   In the second stanza, the poet says about how he wrote his first line. He says his eyes were blind at that time and something started in his soul. He does not know whether it was a kind of fever or forgotten wings. Finally he selected his own way and wrote his first faint line. He says that his first line was feeble and without substance. It may be an outburst of pure nonsense or pure wisdom.

   While writing the first line, the poet is not sure about when he started to write the poem. Suddenly he saw the heavens unfastened before him and the planets being opened and the plantations palpitating before him. Shadows get perforated.Fire, flowers, the winding night and the universe seems to show up before him. He seems to be surrounded by a range of new experiences.

   In the third stanza, he says,”And I infinitesimal being/ I was drunk with the great story void”.feels himself to be a pure part of the abyss. The poet starts wheeling with the stars. Finally his heart breaks loose on the wind. He becomes free to compose poems.

Prajwal A.P

3rd Yr. B.A (HEE)

Sahyadri Arts College

Shivamogga