Perhaps this war will pass like the others which divided us leaving us dead, killing us along with the killers but the shame of this time puts its burning fingers to our faces. Who will erase the ruthlessness hidden in innocent blood?
You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if I touch near the fire the impalpable ash or the wrinkled body of the log, everything carries me to you, as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a deep connection between the speaker and a loved one, illustrating how nature reminds them of that person.
In this beautiful quote by Pablo Neruda, the speaker reflects on how every element of the natural world evokes memories and feelings of love for someone special. The imagery of the 'crystal moon', 'red branch', and 'impalpable ash' symbolizes how the beauty of the environment continuously transports the speaker's thoughts and emotions toward this beloved figure, suggesting that love transcends physical distance and is interwoven with the very essence of existence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a romantic dinner to express the depth of feelings.
More from Pablo Neruda
All quotes →I want to see the thirst inside the syllables I want to touch the fire in the sound: I want to feel the darkness of the cry. I want words as rough as virgin rocks.” - Verb.
Only do not forget, if I wake up crying it's only because in my dream I'm a lost child hunting through the leaves of the night for your hands.
And here am I, budding among the ruins with only sorrow to bite on, as if weeping were a seed and I the earth's only furrow.
Once more I am the silent one who came out of the distance wrapped in cold rain and bells: I owe to earth's pure death the will to sprout.
I learned about life from life itself, love I learned in a single kiss and could teach no one anything except that I have lived with something in common among men.
Similar quotes
If you listen long enough you can hear my skin grow tough love is painful to the touch must be made of stronger stuff.
And he absolutely had to find her at once to tell her that he adored her, but the large audience before him separated him from the door, and the notes reaching him through a succession of hands said that she was not available; that she was inaugurating a fire; that she had married an american businessman; that she had become a character in a novel; that she was dead.
He, full of bashfulness and truth, loved much, hoped little, and desired naught.
Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.
Wine gives courage and makes men more apt for passion.
I think that the most difficult thing is allowing yourself to be loved, so receiving the love and feeling like you deserve it is a pretty big struggle. I suppose that's what I've learnt recently, to allow myself to be loved.