Sonnet Xvii Poem by Pablo Neruda

Sonnet Xvii

Rating: 4.5


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

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Noel Mc Inerney 07 December 2009

this is one of my favourite poems it is so sad so sincere i love the way he lists the ways he doesn't love her then says how close he feels to her

24 37 Reply
Sun Zoo 11 September 2012

I love the last stanza, such a contrast to the rest of the poem

40 17 Reply
Janine Cody 17 September 2009

This is the one that we chose to have read at our wedding. I LOVE it - especially the last 2 lines and the line about the light of hidden flowers. I've been married 7 years now and looked it up while searching for a poem to help a friend's daughter with her homework. Feeling a little dreamy now.

39 14 Reply
Putul S 03 October 2009

Aaaaahhh! ! Just brilliant...so much of emotions in such few words.

27 20 Reply
Noel Mc Inerney 11 September 2009

i absolutly love this poem its in the movie patch ada, s so sad

18 20 Reply
Lily lemon pepper 05 August 2022

There's a lot of subtle differences between the English and original Spanish version a lot is lost in translation so I can't imagine how much better the Spanish one is

0 0 Reply
Collin 28 March 2022

I love you because I know no other way

3 0 Reply
Dr Antony Theodore 19 September 2020

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 Because i have no other way than to love you. tony

1 0 Reply
Poetic Sky 31 August 2020

Fantastic 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.

0 0 Reply
Cristobal obregon 08 March 2020

Better love fix than drugs

3 1 Reply
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