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I Can Write the Saddest Verses
Introduction
“I can write the saddest verses”, is one of the poems that were written by Pablo Neruda to express the pain he felt after he lost his lover. Pablo wrote the poem in 1923. This paper aims at looking at the various aspects of the poem such, as the theme, the styles, and the speaker among other elements. The paper will look at how the poet has used the elements in his poem to bring out his message. The paper will also look at how this poem is relevant to the contemporary society.
Discussion
In every work of art and especially literature, authors use various methods of passing their message. Some of these ways through which an artist or an author can use include styles as well as themes. Through the use of these elements, the authors are able to pass their message in a more appealing way that usually attracts the reader’s attentions. In this poem there are various themes and styles that the poet has used.
Themes
There are various themes that the poet brings out in this poem. One of these themes is memory and reminiscence. In this poem, the poet mainly talks about the memories of his lost love. Through this, the poet shows how loosing someone that you really loved can be painful. In the poems, the poet remembers all the details of their relationship with his lover. The poet is able to juxtapose the various images of the love and the passion that she had once felt for the woman that he loved, with the current loneliness. This shows that it is the pain that the poet had previously experienced that had not elicited the reminiscence of that love. However, the poet is now able to write about the relationship without much pain. This is demonstrated in the line where the poet says that ‘it falls to the soul as dew to the pasture’.
Another theme that comes out clearly in this poem is love and passion. The poet is able to express his immense love for the woman that she had once loved. The poet expresses the physical details of their love when he says that ‘as she once belonged to my kisses, her voice, her light body and her infinite eyes’ (Neruda 123). All these demonstrate how the poet loved his woman, and now she cannot imagine that she is sharing all that love with someone else. This pain is too much that the poet is not able to admit the depth of the love for his lover.
Another important theme that the poet also brings out in this poem is the theme of loneliness and alienation. The poet remembers his passionate love with his lover with sadness. He juxtaposes the love that he had at that time, with the sadness and loneliness that she is undergoing through at the moment. The poet also uses nature to reflect on his present condition. Poets loneliness is demonstrated by him stating that he hear someone in the distance singing. This shows that he longs to be near the person that he hears in the distant. However, the poet is determined to end this condition when he says that those were the last verse that he will write for her. This poem, therefore, was mainly written to help the poet not only remember the good times that he shared with his lover, but also as an act to end his loneliness and accepts the reality.
The speaker
The poet uses first person narration in this poem. It is through the poet voice that the reader gets the message that the poet want to pass. The poet uses the first person narration, so as to ensure that the reader can have the first hand experience. In addition, by using the first person narration the speaker is able to express his feeling deep from his heart. The first person narration also helps in drawing the reader’s attention, as the reader feels that the poet is directly speaking to them. By engaging the reader, the poet makes the reader feel his pain. In addition, first person narration also helps the reader to compare themselves with the poet.
In this poem the poet through the first person narration, is able to describe his love for the woman that she used to love but now he has lost her. For instance, when the poet says that, ‘on night like this I used to hold her in my arms’ (Neruda 123). This helps the reader to understand their relationship better. By further explaining his current feeling, the reader, is able to have an imagination on what is currently happening in the poet live.
Rhythm
Rhythm occurs when the poet uses vowels and consonants sounds in their poems, in a well and organized manner to catch the attention of the reader. The poet has been able to achieve rhythm in this poem by the use of consonance and assonance. For instance, the poet says ‘I can write the saddest poem of all tonight’. The poet uses consonance in this poem to ensure that he is able to emphasize on his message. In this line, the poet tries to show the length that he is ready to go to show how he loved his lover. Rhythm is also usually used in poems to attract the reader’s attention. This usually helps the poet to pass an important point message in such a situation. For instance, the poet says that, ‘we, we who were, we are the same no longer’ (Neruda 123). The poet uses the assonance sound here to show his current situation. Rhythm is, therefore, one of the artistic styles that poets usually use so as to capture their message, as well as attracts the readers’ attention.
Personification
Personification in literature occurs when non living things, are given the characteristics of living things. Personification is usually employed by poets and authors to help them in bringing out a message in a more realistic way. In addition, personification also assists the reader in having a better comprehension of what the feelings and thoughts that the poet is expressing this, by the use of the things that the reader can easily associate with in life. In this poem, the writer uses personification where he says that, ‘the night was full of star, and the stars were shivering in the distance’ (Neruda 123). The poet gives the stars human characteristic of shivering. This, however, helps the writer to drive the message that, even the stars though far were sharing the loneliness that the poet was experiencing at the moment.
Conclusion
In writing this poem, Neruda may have experienced what he was saying, but he was also trying to show the pain that a human being undergoes when they lose what they love most. The relevance of this poem to the contemporary society is that, it shows that, love is an important aspect of every human being. The poem emphasizes the need to protect ones love by all means. The poem also teaches the society how deal with the loss. Through the poet, the society learns that it is right to reflect over the loss of loved one, but it is also important to move on.
Works cited
Neruda Pablo “Twenty Love Poems and a song of despair” (1924) Poem number 123
