Poetry for Students, Volume 35

his life. He wrote the sonnets for her as well as
The Captain’s VersesandBarcarola. Eight years
his junior, Matilde was a singer and actress,
completely unacquainted with poetry and poli-
tics, his two vocations. He turned to her as a
refuge and a way to reconnect with his past.
They were both from southern Chile, and she
was close to the earth and nature. She enjoyed
cooking, gardening, singing and playing the gui-
tar, and making a home for him. Neruda paints a
picture of their earthly paradise in their home at
Isla Negra on the Chilean coast in these poems.

For years, the two met secretly as lovers
because Neruda was still married. These sonnets,
however, chronicle not only their physical pas-
sion for each other, but the couple’s domestic

happiness after they settled down at Isla Negra.

The poems celebrate the romantic intimacy of a

man and a woman in a mature and solid rela-

tionship, but besides being personal, they have

universal appeal.

The sonnets portray the seasons of life and

love that the lovers pass through together. Morn-

ing abounds in images of innocence and joy. The

womaniscomparedtoeverythingthemanloves—

wood, water, earth, fruit,flowers, and light. She

is the rock on which he founds his life. Everything

is fresh and new. Love saves him and gives him

strength. Afternoon is the fullness of love; the

woman is his queen, and their home a refuge.

Evening brings the sorrow of public spite and

envy, but it cannot disturb the balance of their

TOPICS FOR

FURTHER

STUDY

 For a young adult assignment, students could

watch the filmIl Postino(The Postman,Mir-

amax, 1994), which includes Pablo Neruda as

a character discussing poetry with an Italian

postman. Neruda helps the postman under-

stand how to make a metaphor and write

poetry. Write a poem of your own using meta-

phors or similes to create an experience for

readers. For instance,the postman tells Ner-

uda that when he hears his poem about the

sea, it makes him feel like a boat floating on

the poet’s words. Use your poems to start a

class discussion on figures of speech, such as

metaphor and simile, including what these are

and how they work in literature.

 Compare one of Neruda’s love sonnets to a

love sonnet written by Francesco Petrarch

or William Shakespeare. How does Neruda

make the sonnet form his own in style and

content? What aspects of love does Neruda

emphasize that Petrarch or Shakespeare do

not? Write a short paper on the sonnet with

examples from Neruda and the other poet to

explain your points.

 One class member who speaks Spanish can

read some of Neruda’s sonnets in the origi-

nal while the class views an English trans-

lation. As a class, discuss the sound of the

Spanish as compared to English and what is

lost in translation. Have the Spanish speaker

explain the feeling or cultural nuances that

are not present in English.

One Hundred Love Sonnetsis written from

the man’s point of view. Imagine a woman’s

response to one of these sonnets and write an

answering sonnet. Read it to the class explain-

inghowadialoguebetweenamanandwoman

love might be different from getting only one

point of view.

Research the geography and climate of Chile,

especially around Isla Negra, where Neruda

lived while writing the sonnets. How do the

sonnets convey the seasons of the place and

make that part of the love story? Present slides

to the class and pair them with certain sonnets

fromOne Hundred Love Sonnets.

Compare and contrast love poems or love

songs from different cultures. Present them

to the class and discuss how love is both the

same and different, depending on the culture

and time.

Sonnet LXXXIX