Lovely collection of Neruda's poems about the ocean, in English and the original Spanish. Favorite: "The Poet's Obligation (Deber del Poeta)".

To whoever is not listening to the sea
this Friday morning, to whoever is cooped up
in house or office, factory or woman
or street or mine or harsh prison cell:
to him I come, and, without speaking or looking,
I arrive and open the door of his prison,
and a vibration starts up, vague and insistent,
a great fragment of thunder sets in motion
the rumble of the planet and the foam,
the raucous rivers of the ocean flood,
the star vibrates swiftly in its corona,
and the sea is beating, dying and continuing.

So, drawn on by my destiny,
I ceaselessly must listen to and keep
the sea’s lamenting in my awareness,
I must feel the crash of the hard water
and gather it up in a perpetual cup
so that, wherever those in prison may be,
wherever they suffer the autumn’s castigation,
I may be there with an errant wave,
I may move, passing through windows,
and hearing me, eyes will glance upward
saying, “How can I reach the sea?”
And I shall broadcast, saying nothing,
the starry echoes of the wave,
a breaking up of foam and of quicksand,
a rustling of salt withdrawing,
the grey cry of sea-birds on the coast.

So, through me, freedom and the sea
will make their answer to the shuttered heart.

En español:

A quien no escucha el mar en este viernes
por la mañana, quien adentro de algo,
casa, oficina, fábrica o mujer,
o calle o mina o seco calabozo:
a éste yo acudo y sin hablar ni ver
llego y abro la puerta del encierro
y un sin fin se oye vago en la insistencia,
un largo trueno roto se encadena
al peso del planeta y de la espuma,
surgen los ríos roncos del océano,
vibra veloz en su rosal la estrella
y el mar palpita, muere y continúa.

Así por el destino conducido
debo sin tregua oír y conservar
el lamento marino en mi conciencia,
debo sentir el golpe de agua dura
y recogerlo en una taza eterna
para que donde esté el encarcelado,
donde sufra el castigo del otoño
yo esté presente con una ola errante,
yo circule a través de las ventanas
y al oírme levante la mirada
diciendo: cómo me acercaré al océano?
Y yo transmitiré de la ola,
un quebranto de espuma y arenales,
un susurro de sal que se retira,
el grito gris del ave de la costa.

Y así, por mí, la libertad y el mar
responderán al corazón oscuro.

The most {physically and spiritually} beautiful Neruda book I have found, a most wonderful addition to any library.

I'm pretty neutral on Pablo Neruda but the artwork was pretty.
(I've decided fairly last minute that I want to get to 175 books for this year, so get ready for a stream of rapid reviews for short books.)

Neruda is one of my favorite poets. I loved this collection. The translations are good, but his poems are so much better in Spanish.

From "The Poet's Obligation" -- page 45

"So, through me, freedom and the sea
will call in answer to the shrouded heart."

This collection of 12 poems highlights Neruda's love of the sea and its influence on his work. Over half of his poetry was penned at his whimsically named home on the Pacific, Isla Negra, and while most of his work doesn't contain oceanic themes - the power of this Muse can be seen consistently in his beautiful poetry.

Several of the past dozen or so novels I've read made me think of Neruda. Here is a porrtion of his poem "Forget About Me" that could be reflections on Railsea, Pan or even a bit of A Month in the Country:

"Let us look for secret things
somewhere in the world,
on the blue shores of silence
or where the storm has passed,
rampaging like a train.
There the faint signs are left,
coins of time and water,
debris, celestial ash
and the irreplaceable rapture
of sharing in the labour
of solitude and the sand."

My favorite collection of poems yet. Beautiful depiction of lives at sea. Spanish and English translations, with some illustration.

I'd give the poems 5+ stars, but the art work is not my style, so 4 stars.

These poems are gorgeous. I'm such a sucker: some of these poems make me cry, even though I've read them many times before, I still cry. I am amazed how he puts words to the things I have always found to be beyond words.

Beautiful Beautiful Poetry! Calming and passionate and introspective. A great read for anyone really.

i love the way his words flow, but i wish i knew spanish

so beautiful... one of my top ten poem books....

I've always been drawn to the Sea, for whatever inexplicable reason. What better tribute to it than a series of great poems by Pablo Neruda? Excellent addition to any library when you need to be taken to the sea, this book is like a magic portal there.