A Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading

Via Grace’s Poppies (through Stephanie), this lovely idea calls for posting a favourite poem to mark February 2, a day of many celebrations. One of my favourites is Imbolc (Creating Textiles found this link to a fantastic explanation of the festival).

The first time I heard a part of this poem was in the Movie “Truly, Madly, Deeply”. Its sadness and determination spoke more deeply to me than any other poem I’d ever heard or read. I looked for it for ages and finally found it in this book, where I also discovered that the poet – Pablo Neruda from Chile – wrote heartbreaking, soul shattering poetry of such transcendent beauty and truth that they penetrated deep into my heart. I am (slowly) learning Spanish for one reason only: so I can read Neruda in the original.

The excerpt I first heard, and am posting, is snipped from two places in the poem The Dead Woman (La Muerta). Years later, when I read the full text, it spoke to me even more.

The Dead Woman

If suddenly you do not exist,
If suddenly you no longer live,
I shall live on.

[...]

No, forgive me.
If you no longer live,
If you, beloved, my love,
If you have died,
All the leaves will fall in my breast,
In will rain on my soul night and day,
The snow will burn my heart,
I shall walk with frost and fire and death and snow,
My feet will want to walk to where you are sleeping, but
I shall stay alive […]

- Pablo Neruda

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