Comparison Between “Always” and “Tonight I Can Write”
The poems by Pablo Neruda that I chose to analyze are complete opposites. In “Always” he describes his feelings for a woman and how they are forever. In “Tonight I Can Write”, Neruda writes about the end of a relationship, the end of love. His descriptions are very vivid in both poems, vivid enough that they make the reader feel what the writer is feeling.
In Pablo Neruda’s “Always” the narrator is trying to express his feelings for the woman he loves. He starts the poem starts by telling his loved one that he is “not jealous of what came before me”(line 1-2), the relationships she had before. I believe he starts with this sentiment because he wants his loved one to know and fully understand that he loves her completely and regardless of her previous relationships.
He compares her previous relationships with other men to pieces of them left behind in her body and he still maintains that he loves her unconditionally. The narrator tells the woman he loves to go to the place where he is waiting for her and that they will always be just the two of them. My interpretation of the last sentences of the poem is that he will always stand by her and is anxious to start their life together.
In “Tonight I Can Write”, the narrator begins by saying he can finally write the saddest lines. He uses distance to explain why he can finally write the saddest lines. He compares the distance between him and his former loved one to the distance to the stars in the shattered night sky. He begins explaining his relationship by saying “I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too”(6); I understand with this statement that their relationship has ended and although it was not a serious one, I feel that he wanted it to be. This sentence makes me think that that he was more committed to the relationship than she was. The narrator alternating between past and present makes me think that he has not completely accepted the fact that the relationship is over. The narrator references the stars
In Pablo Neruda’s “Always” the narrator is trying to express his feelings for the woman he loves. He starts the poem starts by telling his loved one that he is “not jealous of what came before me”(line 1-2), the relationships she had before. I believe he starts with this sentiment because he wants his loved one to know and fully understand that he loves her completely and regardless of her previous relationships.
He compares her previous relationships with other men to pieces of them left behind in her body and he still maintains that he loves her unconditionally. The narrator tells the woman he loves to go to the place where he is waiting for her and that they will always be just the two of them. My interpretation of the last sentences of the poem is that he will always stand by her and is anxious to start their life together.
In “Tonight I Can Write”, the narrator begins by saying he can finally write the saddest lines. He uses distance to explain why he can finally write the saddest lines. He compares the distance between him and his former loved one to the distance to the stars in the shattered night sky. He begins explaining his relationship by saying “I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too”(6); I understand with this statement that their relationship has ended and although it was not a serious one, I feel that he wanted it to be. This sentence makes me think that that he was more committed to the relationship than she was. The narrator alternating between past and present makes me think that he has not completely accepted the fact that the relationship is over. The narrator references the stars
Cited: "Always - A Poem by Pablo Neruda - Poetry Connection." PoetryConnection.net :: Your Connection to Great Poetry. 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. "Always - Poem by Pablo Neruda." Famous Poets and Poems - Read and Enjoy Poetry. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. "Pablo Neruda - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. "Tonight I Can Write by Pablo Neruda." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. "Tonight I Can Write - A Poem by Pablo Neruda - Poetry Connection." PoetryConnection.net :: Your Connection to Great Poetry. 10 Feb. 2009. Web. 08 "Tonight I Can Write by Pablo Neruda - Poetry Translation Project - Bryant McGill 's Simple Reminders." Home - Bryant McGill 's Simple Reminders. Web. 08 Dec. 2010.