When I ordered Pablo Neruda's The House in the Sand, I had read that a photographer had taken photos of his home for the book. I thought that would be fascinating as I love such photos, and then there would be the text which I hoped would be in English but wasn't sure.
The text was in English (actually in Spanish and English). I was mildly disappointed that there were not more photographs and that those there were not of higher quality. But when I began to read the prose poetry that Pablo Neruda had written about his home in Isla Negra, the objects he had chosen to bring to the house, objects that had the energy of the place, my disappointment lifted.
The House in the Sand is a simple, small book but describes so much of what I have felt about place. Words are powerful, often more so than pictures.
"There is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song."
Pablo Neruda
Neruda was a great poet who had important things to say...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Pablo Neruda,
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna have to read this book ;)
Much love my friend,
M
I love Neruda's work although Ode To My Socks always comes to mind first. That poem is used in poetry writing workshops as proof that a poem can be written about anything. I don't have the volume you mention, but I have others both in English and Spanish. Thanks for reminding me to check this one out of the library.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
ReplyDeleteI understand he received the Nobel Litterature Prize.
Paul from Shadow of Diogenes writes this kind of poetry and often puts it into his blog.
ReplyDeleteI love that quote because it shows that solitude is a necessary step in the road, but not its stopping point.
ReplyDeleteIf 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.