"I Do Not Love You"

Pablo Neruda - XVII (I do not love you...)

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.


(Copyright by Pablo Neruda, 1959)

Monika's post inspired this one. Once I read hers, I immediately thought of this poem, and so here it is. It's also number 3 on my top 5 poems list.:)

This sonnet is dedicated to one very specific person (you know who you are) so that they know just how much they mean to me. Also, to Marta F., Aga W. and Monika P. - my three little rays of sunshine in my clouded sky. Thanks, you guys. Thanks to you the clouds don't look like dragons anymore. Monika, thanks for your post, it filled my heart with hope.:)

(Some trivia: This poem also appeared in the movie "Patch Adams":))