I Don’t Love you as if you were a Rose Sarah Fan, Taylor McKerlich, Lorenzo Bertolo, Eric Werbel, Jack Kooley

IO

General Info Was published in a collection of poems called “One Hundred Love Sonnets” collection was published in 1959 Most well known of the sonnets in this collection Main Theme: abstract nature of pure love Neruda wrote this poem for his love interest and later wife, Matilde Urrutia

What is a Sonnet? A poetic form originally from Italy (Giacomo Da Lentini) Poem with 14 lines Usually uses a formal, strict rhyme scheme Poem has been translated so might not rhyme In English they typically have 10 syllables per line Shakespeare made iambic pentameter standard in English sonnets Main subjects can be love, time, mortality, and beauty

Matilde Urrutia Neruda got sick when traveling to Mexico in 1949 Urrutia, a Chilean singer and physical therapist, was hired to take care of him First women in Latin America to work as pediatric therapist A love affair turned into Neruda’s third marriage in 1966 which lasted until his death in 1973 served as Neruda’s muse in many of his poems after 1953, her influence on Neruda’s work became more noticeable Wrote “My Life with Pablo Neruda”

Another Interpretation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKdjEpq6vgI

IOC

Ideas & Techniques Ideas Techniques Love Flowers Materialism Unity Shifts Smilie Repetition Flower/Light imagery Diction

Dominant Effect In “I don’t love you as if you were a rose,” Pablo Neruda uses repetition and vivid imagery to portray his boundless love that reaches beyond materialism and worldly things.

Poem Structure How his love surpasses any type of materialism How his love is hidden but always evoked by the intended audience How his love is limitless and timeless - the abstractness of his love I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,< material or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: < objects I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. < deep & pure I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries < hidden the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose < love evoked from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, < timeless I love you directly without problems or pride: < free of human limits I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, < abstract, unable to describe the love except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

Simile His type of love for her is not common/boastful I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. His type of love for her is not common/boastful Comparing it to “rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations” All images that evoke ideas of grandeur and splendor Compares his love to obscure things - something that is hard to understand, but powerful Juxtaposition of shadow and soul Compares love to plant - that doesn’t bears flowers Beauty comes from flowers Plant has intrinsic value of beauty but does not show

Poem Structure - “I love you” Repetition I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. Unites all three stanzas of the poem Creates rhythm to engage Emphasizes love “you” repetition - create a connection between the speaker and the reader & elicits emotion “I don’t love you” - emphasis on this line because it is close but not actual repetition of line Emphasis on the non-materialism of his love

Poem Structure - “so close” Repetition I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. Concludes the poem Emphasis on his closeness that his love creates Figurative to literal Brings unity again First two stanzas: physical things Beginning of last stanza - very abstract Ties together again

Imagery/Diction - Flowers I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. Flowers: beauty 1st stanza: Represent materialism/superficial love 2nd stanza: Represent truth and absolute love “doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden” Not for show, but intrinsic, pure love

Imagery/Diction - Light I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. Juxtaposition between light and dark “fire” and “light” Power that is contained Passion of love “shadow” and “dimly” Create the mood of mystery, of hidden love Humble

Diction to create mood Diction: I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you directly without problems or pride: I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love, except in this form in which I am not nor are you, so close that your hand upon my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close with my dreams. Diction: Words/phrases have the connotation of something that is incomprehensible or mysterious Creates sincere and passionate mood Speaker sees his love as so overbearing that it is indescribable in words

Overall Neruda uses shifts to emphasize different aspects of his love To combine all these shifts and engage the reader, he uses repetition He uses similes and imagery to describe the power and obscurity of his hidden love All Neruda’s techniques, especially diction, create the mood of passion and sincerity as the speaker expresses his indescribable, beyond materialistic love

Creative Interpretation