Customer Reviews

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair: Dual-Language Edition

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a newcomer to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. "Twenty Poems and a Song of Despair" is simply one of the best volumes of poetry I have ever read. What a vast horizon opened up to me when I picked up this book! Rarely have I encountered a poet that so palpably evokes longing. Few other poets have Neruda's ability to weave images. These poems burrow into the heart.

My Spanish is not what it should be, but I was able to read most of the poetry here in the original. For those who know no Spanish, do not be deterred. This volume is the work of not just one but two masterful poets. Merwin's translations are amazing and wholly recommendable. Striking images and a yearning spirit fill the English translations as well as Neruda's originals.

I was also caught off guard by poem XVI. I was reading along, thinking how I had not read poetry this full of longing and desire since I last read Tagore's "Gitanjali" ..., when lo and behold, Poem XVI is a Spanish paraphrase of a Tagore poem...small world.

Neruda's poems are of filled with a powerful Eros. Yet, to me, they fall a little short in comparison to those of Tagore (whose love is a spiritual longing). However, the comparison is clearly between two giants of the art.

I give "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" a strong recommendation.

I am a huge fan of Pablo's I have 7 of his books and find his breathtaking way with words beautiful. I love poetry but am very fussy about what I like as some poetry can be boring but Pablo's is wonderful. He is a huge inspiration to me.

This book is in English and Spanish, set out so that the Spanish version of the poem is on the left hand page and the English translatiomn is on the right. (very handy if you're learning Spanish!)

You will find yourself lingering over his poetry as it creates beautiful images in your mind, it's very romantic and sensual.

With lines like "Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets towards your oceanic eyes" and "The light wraps you in its mortal flame" his descriptions and his way with words are wonderful.

I highly recommend his love poetry and this is one of my favourites of his, as well as "love poems"

Love Poems

Review by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, author of "The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)"

This is a wonderful romantic poetry book, Pablo has a way with words that gives you images in your mind and you'll forget everything else around you as you're absorbed into the dream world he has created in your mind.

It is a dual language book having each poem in English and Spanish; it only contains 21 poems but they are of the highest quality and you will be left wanting to read more of his books!

I highly recommend it and if you enjoyed this you will also like his "100 Love Sonnets" and his "Love Poems"

Another book that contains sensual poems but also has humerous poems in it too is "The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)" by Juliette Westbrook-Finch, I also recommend that, very different in that it all rhymes but if you like love poetry you'll love that too.

The Poetry of Passion (for People with a Pulse)

Love Poems

100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor

As much as I love Neruda, this translation does not do him any favors: it actually misses on the best of images that Neruda brings in the Spanish version. I might be too demanding, but such a wonderful poet deserves the best treatment to his works, and certainly this is not it.

If you have ever wanted to memorize love poems to recite to your beloved this is the book. No other poet so beautifully describes a woman's body or the complexities involved with a pair of lover's relationship.

"I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her. Love is so short, forgetting is so long." What a way with words Neruda has. I used these lines to write to a boyfriend who was breaking up with me, and this poem expressed my sentiments like I never could. Each poem in this collection is a gem, and if you have never read Neruda, run don't walk to the 'Add to Shopping Cart' button. You won't regret it.

Now I like Neruda. I think he is an important poet, and I fully expected to love this collection. But as I read it I found that I didn't really like any of the poems. There were a few that were almost passable, but only a couple. I don't know if it was Merwin's translation, Neruda's writing, or just me not connecting with the poetry. I say read Neruda, just not this collection.

This is the most romantic book of poetry I have ever read. I was born in Chile only a couple of hours away from Neruda's hometown, so I was exposed to his poetry very early in life, I am not a big fan of poetry, but Neruda puts it so nicely and easy to understand and feel. I was so glad to find this spanish/english version so I could share it with my husband and he loved it as well, it was a great anniversary present for him, he loved it. I strongly recommend this book and all his books...

20 Love Poems and a Song of Despair is very good poetry. Neruda is very appreciative of the human form and the beauty the female body possesses. However, this is not simply erotica poetry, Neruda's use of figurative language, and skillful word selection place in a unique class of poets. His style of poetry is reminiscent of Whitman, in that both display a great love for nature and the beauty that exists amongst it.

Other Neruda fans and poetry critics claim that his later works are his best, but I disagree. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair was Neruda's first published book, done so when he was in his twenties. I think that's what makes this such a great book -- when you couple Neruda's incredible talent with the passion of youth, you get an incredible piece of literature. This is great romantic poetry, full of erotic passion and longing. Neruda knew how to use words to their maximum effect, and his wonderful, innovative use of imagery does what I feel poetry should do: it makes the reader think.