Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A gem from Neruda





















I still haven't gotten around to finishing that post I mentioned yesterday, but here's something much better for your reading pleasure: "Childhood and Poetry" by Pablo Neruda. I had never seen it before David Dark posted a link to it this afternoon on FaceBook. I think it's delightful, a revelation. It's been reprinted often, so some of you have probably already seen it, but I think it deserves multiple readings. Enjoy.


Die Hülsenbeckschen Kinder, Philipp Otto Runge, 1805-10.

3 comments:

stella p said...

Thank you very much for this Neruda link! My day at the office started very nice and peaceful with a beautiful colored sky outside, a nice cup of black Kenian tea, Chergui on my skin, and this beautiful little piece :)

jmcleod76 said...

Neruda's fierce and unafraid tenderness remains one of my most treasured touchstones. Whenever I want to express something intimate, something I can't quite find my own words for, I usually discover that Neruda has found a way to say it for me, and say it beautifully.

Whenever people ask that tired question, "Name someone, living or dead, you would like to have dinner with," I can never think of a satisfying answer. I always feel self-concscious that, whomever I choose, my choice will seem trite or affected. But now, as I think about it, I couldn't imagine anything more pleasant than sharing a meal wih Pablo Neruda. Perhpap I'm wrong, but I perceive so much kindness in his view of the world that I believe he must have been a pleasant person to be around.

BitterGrace said...

I love the scene you paint, S. I wish my dogs understood the virtue of a serene morning ;-)

Neruda was a fascinating character, J. Politician, poet, etc. He had a busy love life, too. I suspect he was a wonderful dinner companion.