When I Think of You, I See The Ocean

 

Brown and Agile Child

Brown and agile child, the sun which forms the fruit And ripens the grain and twists the seaweed Has made your happy body and your luminous eyes And given your mouth the smile of water. A black and anguished sun is entangled in the twigs Of your black mane when you hold out your arms. You play in the sun as in a tidal river And it leaves two dark pools in your eyes. Brown and agile child, nothing draws me to you, Everything pulls away from me here in the noon. You are the delirious youth of bee, The drunkedness of the wave, the power of the heat. My somber heart seeks you always I love your happy body, your rich, soft voice. Dusky butterfly, sweet and sure Like the wheatfield, the sun, the poppy, and the water. Pablo Neruda

Comments

[mamadaisy]

so lovely.

[Anna]

Neruda - just one of the reasons you should come visit us.

[Katia Shtefan]

What a beautiful poem. I wonder though why he says, "nothing draws me to you," when he is so clearly drawn to the child. Maybe he means that there is no particular thing that draws him to the child, but rather the totality of his being.

If you really like Neruda, check out Red Poppy at www.redpoppy.net/pablo_neruda.php. It's a non-profit set up to create a documentary about Neruda, publish his biography, and translate his works into English. To see our blog on Neruda’s literary activism, go to http://www.redpoppy.net/journal/Pablo_Neruda_Presente.html.