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Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973 / Parral / Chile)
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Pablo Neruda was born in Parral, Chile. He studied in Santiago in the twenties. From 1927 to 1945 he was the Chilean consul in Rangoon, in Java, and t .. more >>
61 poems of Pablo Neruda
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If You Forget Me

User Rating:

8.6 /10
(705 votes)



  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.

Pablo Neruda


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Read poems about / on: autumn, fire, flower, remember, moon, red, wind, light, love

 
  Comments about this poem (If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda )
Click here to write your comments about this poem (If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda )
 
  Shiela Marie Anunciacion  (11/9/2009 2:32:00 AM)

oh my... it's romantically sweet... i do hope the woman tries her best to return his love...
  Jp Socrates  (11/6/2009 10:16:00 PM)

poetically awesome! anyway, I'm new to this world.... and I love being one! I like being dumbstruck by your unfogged treasures! =)
  Lewis Neil Is Awsome  (11/4/2009 4:43:00 PM)

Wow, that was pretty good, but i hear there is this poem called 'Neil is awsome', it was life changing and insperational. Read it and vote it a 10!
  Rex Mathew Mathew  (11/3/2009 4:09:00 AM)

He says that love is sustained only if love is returned back. Reflecting on it, I think its true. Beautiful, well - written and thought provoking. Brings many images to my mind. I could clearly see the chemistry between two frustrated hearts that wanted to speak something to the other. After reading the poem, I wanted the woman to speak back to him. A wonderfully expressive poem.
  Kendal Frank  (10/27/2009 12:13:00 AM)

'If'is a powerful word. If she loses her love but still holds on to it, he will do the same. If she leaves without looking back, he will do the same. It seems to be such a delicate and respectful love; he respects her feelings even though they may not be what he wants, yet, he would give himself fully if she asked him to in the end..unconditional love...understanding that love can't always work even if it's meant to be. I feel with this situation right now and am glad to come back to this poem when I need it the most.
  Devin Robinson  (10/26/2009 10:13:00 PM)

That was very well written. I like the metaphors that he used. and how he explained that we will love if she loved
  Jack Williams  (10/26/2009 5:28:00 PM)

Real love is not something that just exists, floating in a vacuum. It needs to be sustained.
  i still love him 11/2/09  (10/23/2009 11:04:00 AM)

i like this one cuz it shows that he loves her 4 wat she is a not wat she looks like
  Jamie Schuster  (10/22/2009 3:11:00 PM)

I like that he loves her because he loves her, not because he needs her.

He's making it clear that he doesn't need her; that he could live without her, but if she loves him, he'll love her.

It's like the quote from Maurice by E.M. Forster, 'I was yours once till death if you cared to keep me.'

Read all 142 comments >>
 
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