I love Neruda, but haven't read all of his stuff. I was happy to come across this one a few weeks ago on a friend's food blog. You can find it in 100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor (English and Spanish Edition).
XXXIV
(You are the daughter of the sea)
by Pablo Neruda
You are the daughter of the sea, oregano’s first cousin.
Swimmer, your body is pure as the water;
cook, your blood is quick as the soil.
Everything you do is full of flowers, rich with the earth.
Your eyes go out toward the water, and the waves rise; your hands go out to the earth and the seeds swell; you know the deep essence of water and the earth, conjoined in you like a formula for clay.
Naiad: cut your body into turquoise pieces,
they will bloom resurrected in the kitchen.
This is how you become everything that lives.
And so at last, you sleep, in the circle of my arms
that push back the shadows so that you can rest—
vegetables, seaweed, herbs: the foam of your dreams.
Today's Poetry Friday roundup is over at On the Way to Somewhere-- be sure to check it out!
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4 comments:
Thanks for sharing, Jennie. I read some Neruda poetry when looking for Machu Picchu-related poems last month. I like this one better!
How bizzare -- the ocean and oregano...but he makes it work!
This lines really struck me:
Everything you do is full of flowers, rich with the earth.
Naiad: cut your body into turquoise pieces,
they will bloom resurrected in the kitchen.
This is how you become everything that lives.
Thanks for sharing this today!
good choice
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