Here I Love You: Pablo Neruda - Summary and Critical Analysis
The poem Hear I Love You expresses the sadness of separation. The speaker is (here) in this world and his beloved is (there) far away in the world beyond the mortal’s reach. The speaker in this poem loves his departed beloved. He passionately recalls the sweet moments he spent in her company.
Pablo Neruda
But his companion is there far away in another world. Thus “here” contrasts with “there”. Here in the poem refers to the dark pine wood, moonlit waters, snowy evenings and all those places the speaker travels alone with the memories of his beloved. As against this “there” in this poem signifies the world where the speaker’s beloved has already reached and now dwells. The grief of separation is immense in this poem because the speaker is alone here in this physical world. However, he still loves her as faithfully as before but the horizon hides her in vain. He looks at the ships sailing out of sight if he could send his kisses to his beloved.
He recalls the times he spent with her in the natural surroundings of the moonlit waters, snowy evenings in the pine forests and the coastal areas. He remembers the black cross of the ship, the symbol of his beloved’s funeral. So the speaker feels that he is alone in this world. He feels that days are passing monotonously. Sometimes he wakes up early. His whole body is sweating because of some kind of bad dream. Even his soul is wet and he feels as if he had no energy. He feels that he had heard the sound of the sea far away. He loves her although he is here in this world.
Although she is there beyond the horizon in the other world he loves her. Sometimes he sends the message of love to her but gets no reply. He feels that he is forgotten like the old anchors. In the afternoon he feels sad. He is hungry and fired. His life has no purpose. He loves her who is not with him. He finds difficult to pass the evening and hates it. But he likes the night because he meets her regularly in his dream. When the big stars look at him, he feels that his beloved is looking at him. And he feels that the pine trees are singing her name.
