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

2. IO

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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”

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

7. IOC

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Creative Interpretation