Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada A PUPIL`S

Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada
A PUPIL’S COMMENTARY ON POEM 5
In this poem, Neruda addresses the idea of creativity and the effects of the woman and his
wavering emotions, often the result of interaction with the woman, on his creative spirit.
Here, the idea of not being able to clearly express emotions is explored as the poet admits
that he cannot verbalise his emotions. Yet, despite claiming that the woman detracts from
his creativity, throughout the poem Neruda expresses a true yearning for her – as seen in
the way that he commences the poem with “para que tu me oigas”, suggesting that he wants
her to hear him and for them to connect, similarly to poem 15 where he laments the fact
that they are separate in the line “mi voz no te toca”.
Initially, the focus of the poem – his creativity and thus his “palabras” - is highlighted by the
emphatic placement of “mis palabras” on its own in the opening stanza. Additionally, the
reflexive use of “adelgazarse” introduces the notion that his words have a life of their own –
a theme that is explored throughout the rest of the poem.
The following couplet introduces the “collar” as a metaphor for his words which are strung
together like a necklace. Furthermore, the placement of “cascabel ebrio” is emphatic as a
drunken bell is nonsensical in contrast with a perfectly stringed together necklace – this
contrast is introduced to show the contrast between how the poet perceives himself in the
state of not being able to connect his thoughts, and what he aims to be. The use of the
comma between the two images also creates a caesura for dramatic effect and helps make
the distinction between the two states of creativity clear.
Conversely to the usual subordination of the woman throughout the anthology, the
following stanza sees the woman as empowered, having an effect on the author. This is
clearly demonstrated by the contrast between the emphatic repetition of “mis...mias...mi”,
which link together the stanza and place the focus on Neruda, and the claim that his words
“mas que mias son tuyas”: here he admits to the effect that she has on him as she has a large
degree of influence over his creativity. Finally, the use of “viejo dolor” sees the poet
associate love with pain, reminiscent of his reference to “mi dolor infinito” in poem 1.
Yet, the sexual connotations of “paredes humedas” remind us of the physical emphasis of
the anthology and Neruda’s obsession with physical encounters. However, in contrast to
the descriptions of the woman as “muneca” in poem 3 and “mariposa” in poem 15, here the
words “eres tu la culpable” see Neruda blame the woman for his lack of creativity, again
attributing a degree of importance to her. The association of love, which is meant to be
simple and beautiful as the “anillo” metaphor of poem 15, with pain continues in this couplet
as he refers to it as the “juego sangriento”. The use of “juego” further implies that she is in
a way manipulative. Moreover, the placement of sangriento at the end of the line is emphatic
as it disrupts the “as” ending of words at the end of the line and thus disrupts the rhyme
scheme, drawing attention to it.
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In the following couplet, the use of “huyendo” links with poem 1 where, through the
statement “de mi huian los pajaros”, Neruda describes his isolation from nature. Whereas
before nature fled from him, now his words flee from him. As a reflection of this, the use of
“oscura” adds to the sense of Neruda’s dark and negative emotions. Next, the poet claims
that his words used to fill the solitude which she now occupies, showing us that although he
craves the woman, his solitude inspires his creativity. Again, the use of “tristeza” builds on
the negative sense introduced by “oscura”.
The change of tense of “ahora” is important in that it signifies a change of the author’s
intention. However, the woman nonetheless remains at the centre of his thoughts. The
awkward nature of the phrasing of this couplet reflects his inability to express his emotions
due to the lack of creativity which he is describing, and which he says she has brought about.
Indeed, by writing in such effortful fashion, he illustrates the expressive difficulty which is the
subject matter of the poem. Yet, the anaphora of “quiero” reminds us of the self-centred
nature of his poetry as the emphasis is on him.
The gust of wind that follows is sudden and disorientating to reflect the unpredictability of
his own wavering emotions. Neruda’s anguish and torment are shown to dramatically
increase as “viento de la angustia” turns to “Huracanes” with the hyperbolic reference to
hurricanes showing the extent to which he is frustrated by his lack of creativity. Once again,
Neruda is equating his creative impulses with nature and arguing that creativity is natural
and untameable. The use of “voz dolorida” once more links with the “viejo dolor” and the
“dolor infinito” of poem 1, seeing Neruda associate the woman and relationships with pain.
Similarly, the use of “llanto” further introduces an aspect of lament and sadness to the
poem. Yet, although Neruda seems to blame the woman for his lack of creativity, he
nonetheless says “amame, companera. No me abandones. Sigueme” showing that he wants
to be with the woman and is in a torn and confused state as whilst he wants her gone for
the sake of his creativity, he also dislikes solitude and craves company. This is emphasised by
the use of the tricolon of imperatives which show the forcefulness of his desire as well as
the punctuation which disrupts the rhythmical flow of the poem, drawing attention to the
line and the commands expressed. Certainly, the disconnected statements created by the
asyndeton of verbs embody the height of the storm. The anadiplosis of “sigueme” further
emphasised his innate desire for company. The use of “companera” to refer to the woman
is also more endearing than other ways she is described throughout the anthology, such as
“hembra distante y mia” in poem 7, as it shows that he views her as a companion rather
than just a female, with whose physical nature he is obsessed. Finally, the “ola de angustia”
refers back to the “viento de la angustia” and again evokes the sense that Neruda associates
his emotions with nature, as they are unpredictable and untameable. As such, Neruda
highlights that feelings aren’t logical: when he is lonely, such as in poem 7, he craves
company however, in this instance, when he has company he is nevertheless unhappy with
it. Thus, his inner emotional turmoil is similar to tumultuous wind. Here, this being the
longest stanza is particularly poignant in the build up of emotion.
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Subsequently, the assertive “pero” symbolises where the poet regains control following the
storm and equilibrium is restored. The “todo lo ocupas tu, todo lo ocupas” refers back to
the idea of the woman filling up all of Neruda’s creativity as his words are tainted by his
love. Yet, the use of “ocupas” instead of “llenas” is important as whilst earlier the woman’s
presence overpowered him and he was left with no space for creativity, now a sense of
harmonious accommodation is created as ocupas suggests that everything is occupying its
proper place and he is no longer feeling stifled. As a result of the return to equilibrium, he
returns to writing, with the emphatic form “voy haciendo” indicating an actively ongoing
action. The “mis...tu” also sees a reversal in the order of repetition before, drawing
attention to the role reversal in their relationship.
Finally, the use of “blancas manos” is reminiscent of the “blancas colinas, muslos blancos” of
poem 1 that characterise her physical nature. The return to rhyming couplets following the
long tumultuous stanza further sees a return to calm. Indeed, overall, the absence of a
regular alexandrine structure reflects the irregularity and unpredictability of his emotions,
and thus his creative impulses.
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