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All the Odes
A career-spanning volume, charting the Nobel laureate’s work in the ode form
Pablo Neruda was a master of the ode, which he conceived as an homage to just about everything that surrounded him, from an artichoke to the clouds in the sky, from the moon to his own friendship with Federico García Lorca and his favorite places in Chile. He was in his late forties when he committed himself to writing an ode a week and in the end produced a total of 225, which are dispersed throughout his varied oeuvre. This bilingual volume, edited by Ilan Stavans, a distinguished translator and scholar of Latin American literature, gathers all the odes together for the first time in any language. Rendered into English by an assortment of accomplished translators that include Philip Levine, Paul Muldoon, Mark Strand, and Margaret Sayers Peden, collectively they read like the personal diary of a man in search of meaning, who sings to life itself, to our connection to one another, and to the place we have in nature and the cosmos. The odes are also a lasting statement on the role of poetry as a lighting-rod during tumultuous times.
Pablo Neruda was a master of the ode, which he conceived as an homage to just about everything that surrounded him, from an artichoke to the clouds in the sky, from the moon to his own friendship with Federico García Lorca and his favorite places in Chile. He was in his late forties when he committed himself to writing an ode a week and in the end produced a total of 225, which are dispersed throughout his varied oeuvre. This bilingual volume, edited by Ilan Stavans, a distinguished translator and scholar of Latin American literature, gathers all the odes together for the first time in any language. Rendered into English by an assortment of accomplished translators that include Philip Levine, Paul Muldoon, Mark Strand, and Margaret Sayers Peden, collectively they read like the personal diary of a man in search of meaning, who sings to life itself, to our connection to one another, and to the place we have in nature and the cosmos. The odes are also a lasting statement on the role of poetry as a lighting-rod during tumultuous times.
896 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2012
64 people are currently reading
859 people want to read
About the author
Pablo Neruda
1,056 books9,568 followersPablo Neruda, born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto in 1904 in Parral, Chile, was a poet, diplomat, and politician, widely considered one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. From an early age, he showed a deep passion for poetry, publishing his first works as a teenager. He adopted the pen name Pablo Neruda to avoid disapproval from his father, who discouraged his literary ambitions. His breakthrough came with Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, 1924), a collection of deeply emotional and sensual poetry that gained international recognition and remains one of his most celebrated works.
Neruda’s career took him beyond literature into diplomacy, a path that allowed him to travel extensively and engage with political movements around the world. Beginning in 1927, he served in various consular posts in Asia and later in Spain, where he witnessed the Spanish Civil War and became an outspoken advocate for the Republican cause. His experiences led him to embrace communism, a commitment that would shape much of his later poetry and political activism. His collection España en el corazón (Spain in Our Hearts, 1937) reflected his deep sorrow over the war and marked a shift toward politically engaged writing.
Returning to Chile, he was elected to the Senate in 1945 as a member of the Communist Party. However, his vocal opposition to the repressive policies of President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla led to his exile. During this period, he traveled through various countries, including Argentina, Mexico, and the Soviet Union, further cementing his status as a global literary and political figure. It was during these years that he wrote Canto General (1950), an epic work chronicling Latin American history and the struggles of its people.
Neruda’s return to Chile in 1952 marked a new phase in his life, balancing political activity with a prolific literary output. He remained a staunch supporter of socialist ideals and later developed a close relationship with Salvador Allende, who appointed him as Chile’s ambassador to France in 1970. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for the scope and impact of his poetry. His later years were marked by illness, and he died in 1973, just days after the military coup that overthrew Allende. His legacy endures, not only in his vast body of work but also in his influence on literature, political thought, and the cultural identity of Latin America.
Neruda’s career took him beyond literature into diplomacy, a path that allowed him to travel extensively and engage with political movements around the world. Beginning in 1927, he served in various consular posts in Asia and later in Spain, where he witnessed the Spanish Civil War and became an outspoken advocate for the Republican cause. His experiences led him to embrace communism, a commitment that would shape much of his later poetry and political activism. His collection España en el corazón (Spain in Our Hearts, 1937) reflected his deep sorrow over the war and marked a shift toward politically engaged writing.
Returning to Chile, he was elected to the Senate in 1945 as a member of the Communist Party. However, his vocal opposition to the repressive policies of President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla led to his exile. During this period, he traveled through various countries, including Argentina, Mexico, and the Soviet Union, further cementing his status as a global literary and political figure. It was during these years that he wrote Canto General (1950), an epic work chronicling Latin American history and the struggles of its people.
Neruda’s return to Chile in 1952 marked a new phase in his life, balancing political activity with a prolific literary output. He remained a staunch supporter of socialist ideals and later developed a close relationship with Salvador Allende, who appointed him as Chile’s ambassador to France in 1970. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for the scope and impact of his poetry. His later years were marked by illness, and he died in 1973, just days after the military coup that overthrew Allende. His legacy endures, not only in his vast body of work but also in his influence on literature, political thought, and the cultural identity of Latin America.
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February 18, 202310/10
Update: February 18, 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
===========
April 29, 2018
I don't know if I've done myself, or Neruda, a disservice, but I certainly made the mistake of reading this series of odes in a concentrated period of time. Officially, I have overdosed on odes -- Nerudian, or otherwise.
There is much too much here for a few sittings; they should be read slowly, over time, a few at a time. Let them drift through your hands in a sequence of months, or even a year.
The disservice, perhaps, comes from even compiling such a work: the banal, the bromidic is thrown side by side with the sublime and thus they mingle in a less-than-satisfying stew when taken in all at once.
The odes to clarity (not very clear), to french fries (a bit greasy for my taste) and the onion, and a pair of socks (two separate odes, not just one smelly entity) left me rather baffled. Is this Neruda?
The odes to Night, to Poverty, to The Seagull left me quite breathless, in a transcendent musing.
Sail,
bright boat,
winged banner,
in my verse,
stitch
body of sliver,
your emblem
across the shirt
of the icy firmament
oh, aviator,
gentle
serenade of flight
snow arrow, serene
ship the transparent storm,
steady, you soar
while
the hoarse wind sweeps
the meadows of sky
(from ode To the Seagull)
==========
While some of the banality surprised me, I will point some of the blame to the translators. I don't accuse them, as such, of providing poor translations, but I do subscribe to Neruda's own opinion that English may not be the best language in which to read his poetry. Italian, he felt, captured the rhythm, the cadence, the beauty much more closely than any other language. Too much is lost in translation from Spanish to English, he suggested, simply because many of the cultural nuances and references don't exist.
I can provide my own empirical study on the matter.
We were once on a night train from Paris to Rome and somewhere in northern Italy -- probably Milan but I can't recall for absolute certainty -- there was a stopover to bring on new passengers. In our section, we were immediately surrounded by a gregarious group of young people, around our age, who clattered away, a mile a minute, as they prepared to settle themselves for the journey.
I was enraptured by their charm -- but was befuddled by my inability to understand a word they said. I thought I was having a stroke. I understood their cadence, their rhythm, the measure and intonation of their language. Everything was familiar to me, except I couldn't understand a bloody word, until it came to me ... they were speaking Spanish and not Italian. Since they had boarded in Milan, I had assumed that they were a group of young Italians. But no. It turns out they were young Spaniards, on a night train to Rome, like us, and we exchanged many enjoyable and funny moments once it was determined I was not having an aneurism.
It's been almost thirty years since that experience, and I've carried it with me ever since. It rears its head most effectively every time I pick up a book in translation: am I getting the music, or just the words, I ask myself. With a good translation, you can get both, but sometimes it's not the translator, it's the language itself that is a barrier to the composition. It seems that's especially the case in poetry — where everything is refined to its purest form (if it's a good poem) — and the cultural nuances and degrees of distinction become absolutely everything.
The bonus in this volume is that the English translation lies side by side with the Spanish; and if you're lucky enough to read Spanish, you will be richly rewarded. Even I, in my somewhat limited Spanish (the kind that sounds like I'm speaking Italian) was able to glean moments of great joy and better appreciation.
Later,
reflective,
having recovered my sight -- and admiring
the brownish, spacious eyes
of my beloved --
I erased my ingratitude with this ode,
now being read,
mysteriously,
by you.
(from ode to The Eye)
Más tarde
reflexivo.
recobrando la vista y admirando
los pardos, espaciosos
ojos de la que adoro,
borré mi ingratitud con esta oda
que tus
desconocidos ojos
leen.
Update: February 18, 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
===========
April 29, 2018
I don't know if I've done myself, or Neruda, a disservice, but I certainly made the mistake of reading this series of odes in a concentrated period of time. Officially, I have overdosed on odes -- Nerudian, or otherwise.
There is much too much here for a few sittings; they should be read slowly, over time, a few at a time. Let them drift through your hands in a sequence of months, or even a year.
The disservice, perhaps, comes from even compiling such a work: the banal, the bromidic is thrown side by side with the sublime and thus they mingle in a less-than-satisfying stew when taken in all at once.
The odes to clarity (not very clear), to french fries (a bit greasy for my taste) and the onion, and a pair of socks (two separate odes, not just one smelly entity) left me rather baffled. Is this Neruda?
The odes to Night, to Poverty, to The Seagull left me quite breathless, in a transcendent musing.
Sail,
bright boat,
winged banner,
in my verse,
stitch
body of sliver,
your emblem
across the shirt
of the icy firmament
oh, aviator,
gentle
serenade of flight
snow arrow, serene
ship the transparent storm,
steady, you soar
while
the hoarse wind sweeps
the meadows of sky
(from ode To the Seagull)
==========
While some of the banality surprised me, I will point some of the blame to the translators. I don't accuse them, as such, of providing poor translations, but I do subscribe to Neruda's own opinion that English may not be the best language in which to read his poetry. Italian, he felt, captured the rhythm, the cadence, the beauty much more closely than any other language. Too much is lost in translation from Spanish to English, he suggested, simply because many of the cultural nuances and references don't exist.
I can provide my own empirical study on the matter.
We were once on a night train from Paris to Rome and somewhere in northern Italy -- probably Milan but I can't recall for absolute certainty -- there was a stopover to bring on new passengers. In our section, we were immediately surrounded by a gregarious group of young people, around our age, who clattered away, a mile a minute, as they prepared to settle themselves for the journey.
I was enraptured by their charm -- but was befuddled by my inability to understand a word they said. I thought I was having a stroke. I understood their cadence, their rhythm, the measure and intonation of their language. Everything was familiar to me, except I couldn't understand a bloody word, until it came to me ... they were speaking Spanish and not Italian. Since they had boarded in Milan, I had assumed that they were a group of young Italians. But no. It turns out they were young Spaniards, on a night train to Rome, like us, and we exchanged many enjoyable and funny moments once it was determined I was not having an aneurism.
It's been almost thirty years since that experience, and I've carried it with me ever since. It rears its head most effectively every time I pick up a book in translation: am I getting the music, or just the words, I ask myself. With a good translation, you can get both, but sometimes it's not the translator, it's the language itself that is a barrier to the composition. It seems that's especially the case in poetry — where everything is refined to its purest form (if it's a good poem) — and the cultural nuances and degrees of distinction become absolutely everything.
The bonus in this volume is that the English translation lies side by side with the Spanish; and if you're lucky enough to read Spanish, you will be richly rewarded. Even I, in my somewhat limited Spanish (the kind that sounds like I'm speaking Italian) was able to glean moments of great joy and better appreciation.
Later,
reflective,
having recovered my sight -- and admiring
the brownish, spacious eyes
of my beloved --
I erased my ingratitude with this ode,
now being read,
mysteriously,
by you.
(from ode to The Eye)
Más tarde
reflexivo.
recobrando la vista y admirando
los pardos, espaciosos
ojos de la que adoro,
borré mi ingratitud con esta oda
que tus
desconocidos ojos
leen.
May 18, 2017
Well, that was genuinely fun.
I'm new to Neruda. I don't think I'd read anything by him before, so this compilation of all his odes was a daunting challenge. All 225 odes are included, as well as a prologue and epilogue, so 227 poems in total. But, hey, I finally finished it.
The collection is kind of a mixed bag, but overall pretty enjoyable. Some of the odes are brilliant, and others not so much. But still, I found myself savoring the majority of Neruda's poems, and especially those on Bees, Books (I), Cats, French Fries, Solitude, a Stag's Birth, Walt Whitman, a Wave, Wood, and the Epilogue.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his work, and perhaps getting back to this review once I've mulled everything over a bit.
I'm new to Neruda. I don't think I'd read anything by him before, so this compilation of all his odes was a daunting challenge. All 225 odes are included, as well as a prologue and epilogue, so 227 poems in total. But, hey, I finally finished it.
The collection is kind of a mixed bag, but overall pretty enjoyable. Some of the odes are brilliant, and others not so much. But still, I found myself savoring the majority of Neruda's poems, and especially those on Bees, Books (I), Cats, French Fries, Solitude, a Stag's Birth, Walt Whitman, a Wave, Wood, and the Epilogue.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his work, and perhaps getting back to this review once I've mulled everything over a bit.
June 19, 2021
I finished it!
This isn't really a book you can read straight through. I read about one or two a day, going for months-long stretches where I read other morning poetry instead, so it ended up taking years. However! It is excellent!
My favorites of the 226 Odes were:
Ode to the Cat
Ode to Clarity
Ode to a Pair of Scissors
Ode to the Sun
Ode to a Yellow Bird
My favorite translator was the editor of the book himself, Ilan Stavans.
There are numerous flags marked all through this tome where I was struck by Neruda's lightning.
I hated the format of single words per line on average when I first began. It felt breathless and whispery and too intimate, but then I grew accustomed to it and to the feel of Neruda pondering and slowly unfolding his thoughts on the subjects chosen. I loved seeing Neruda through this medium: it's a very personal and revealing way to understand a person.
What would you choose worthy of an ode? What about that object would strike you as necessary to an understanding? Those choices, and the way we would illuminate them open up who we are to anyone paying attention. It's fascinating.
Also, a daily dose of Neruda's poetic brilliance is a smart way to stay humble. I can't even.
This isn't really a book you can read straight through. I read about one or two a day, going for months-long stretches where I read other morning poetry instead, so it ended up taking years. However! It is excellent!
My favorites of the 226 Odes were:
Ode to the Cat
Ode to Clarity
Ode to a Pair of Scissors
Ode to the Sun
Ode to a Yellow Bird
My favorite translator was the editor of the book himself, Ilan Stavans.
There are numerous flags marked all through this tome where I was struck by Neruda's lightning.
I hated the format of single words per line on average when I first began. It felt breathless and whispery and too intimate, but then I grew accustomed to it and to the feel of Neruda pondering and slowly unfolding his thoughts on the subjects chosen. I loved seeing Neruda through this medium: it's a very personal and revealing way to understand a person.
What would you choose worthy of an ode? What about that object would strike you as necessary to an understanding? Those choices, and the way we would illuminate them open up who we are to anyone paying attention. It's fascinating.
Also, a daily dose of Neruda's poetic brilliance is a smart way to stay humble. I can't even.
March 12, 2015
The odes are not something you read from front to back. You pick one here and one there and one in the middle and one at the front and then maybe one at the back. One long. One short. One silly. One serious. I don't think they are in any particular order. But, Neruda is best read aloud and slow. Enjoy the sound and the tempo. Read it to your kids, your best friend, or just to yourself. Imagine you are at a reading and asked to read Neruda out loud. You'd be honored, of course, because the poet speaks to many things in so many ways that most of us might not initially appreciate.
I discovered the best time for reading the odes was just before going to bed. The house was quiet. I needed some winding-down time and so I began to read Neruda slowly and aloud as if I were reading to a literature class. It works! There is pace and tempo, a message, a temperament, and a discovery of the world as seen through Neruda's eyes.
The collection runs the gamut of serious to common. This surprises the reader, I think. We sometimes expect odes to only be about love and death not oranges, seed weed, or Leningrad. The variety is unexpected which makes reading the odes just that much more interesting.
I discovered the best time for reading the odes was just before going to bed. The house was quiet. I needed some winding-down time and so I began to read Neruda slowly and aloud as if I were reading to a literature class. It works! There is pace and tempo, a message, a temperament, and a discovery of the world as seen through Neruda's eyes.
The collection runs the gamut of serious to common. This surprises the reader, I think. We sometimes expect odes to only be about love and death not oranges, seed weed, or Leningrad. The variety is unexpected which makes reading the odes just that much more interesting.
January 10, 2018
I'm in love with this.
July 11, 2018
مجالی نیست تا برای گیسوانت جشنی بپا کنم
که گیسوانت را یک به یک
شعری باید و ستایشی
دیگران
معشوق را مایملک خویش میپندارند
اما من
تنها میخواهم تماشایت کنم
در ایتالیا تو را مدوسا صدا میکنند
(به خاطر موهایت)
قلب من
آستانه ی گیسوانت را، یک به یک میشناسد
آنگاه که راه خود را در گیسوانت گم میکنی
فراموشم مکن!
و بخاطر آور که عاشقت هستم
مگذار در این دنیای تاریک بی تو گم شوم
موهای تو
این سوگواران سرگردان بافته
راه را نشانم خواهند داد
به شرط آنکه، دریغ شان بکنی
که گیسوانت را یک به یک
شعری باید و ستایشی
دیگران
معشوق را مایملک خویش میپندارند
اما من
تنها میخواهم تماشایت کنم
در ایتالیا تو را مدوسا صدا میکنند
(به خاطر موهایت)
قلب من
آستانه ی گیسوانت را، یک به یک میشناسد
آنگاه که راه خود را در گیسوانت گم میکنی
فراموشم مکن!
و بخاطر آور که عاشقت هستم
مگذار در این دنیای تاریک بی تو گم شوم
موهای تو
این سوگواران سرگردان بافته
راه را نشانم خواهند داد
به شرط آنکه، دریغ شان بکنی
February 20, 2023
God.
also, one of the most fun ways to learn Spanish- in form, and in comparison to quasi-subjective English translations- and also as someone who loves the rare beautiful new word.
also, one of the most fun ways to learn Spanish- in form, and in comparison to quasi-subjective English translations- and also as someone who loves the rare beautiful new word.
July 29, 2024
the thing about reading every ode a man ever wrote is that some of them are genuinely stunning and some of them are just there.
i’ve got major beef with Ilan Stavans for putting this in alphabetical rather than chronological order
i’ve got major beef with Ilan Stavans for putting this in alphabetical rather than chronological order
May 24, 2016
A collection to own because you will want to visit these words over and over.
January 26, 2022
"تا که هرکس بتواند
اینجا زیست کند،
خانهای میسازم
از ترانههای مثلِ شیشه
شفاف."
ترانههای عناصر، پابلو نرودا:
کتاب ترانههای عناصر، نمایانگر جسارت و هنرمندی شاعر است. اینکه از زیر سایهی شعرای قدیمی بیرون بیایی، و اندیشه و واژگان خودت را بسرایی، تحسینبرانگیز است.
چیزی که شاعر را از دیگر انسانها متمایز میکند، شعر سرودن از، و با چیزهایی است که شاعرانه نیستند!
آنچه انسانها را به مطالعهی شعر ترغیب میکند، فهم چیزهایی است که خودشان ندیدهاند، و حالا از دریچهی چشمان شاعر میتوانند آن را ببینند و درک کنند.
و این یعنی، تفاوت نگاه و زبان شاعر با دیگران! یعنی به جای اینکه بگوییم:"زندگی با مرگ پایان مییابد"، مانند سهراب بگوییم:"زندگی وسعتی دارد به اندازهی مرگ!" این تفاوت یعنی در ستایش پیاز شعر سرودن! در جورابها، معنایی یافتن!.
این کتاب را به چه کسانی پیشنهاد میکنم؟
این کتاب را به شُعرا و علاقهمندان به شعر پیشنهاد میکنم.
چراکه امروز، به شاعرانی نیازمندیم که از "عناصر"، واژگان و دغدغههای زمان ما، بنویسند. نیاز داریم که شعری بخوانیم که در آن، یخچال، تبلت، بستنی، اینترنت و... به کار رفته باشد، چیزی که برای خواننده ملموس و قابلدرک باشد.
اما بدبختانه، شاعران کمی مانند منزوی، سپهری، صفا و یا نرودا داریم که، جسور باشند و از مضامین، واژگان و اوزان کهن، عبور کنند و از انسان امروز بنویسند.
اینروزها باید "منم که ماهی دریای بلند موی مشت هستم"* را جایگزین "زلف بر باد مده تا ندهی بر بادم" کنیم. باید زبانِ زمان خودمان باشیم، و مقامی را که شعر و ترانه در گذشته داشت را، به آن برگردانیم. بهگمانم رسالتِ "ترانههای عناصر" همین باشد!
بخشی از شعرِ مرد نامرئی:
"از من ساخته نیست
که بدونِ زندگیِ دیگران
زندگی کنم،
یا که انسان باشم
بی انسانِ دیگری،
میدوم، میبینم، میشنوم، میخوانم،
اختران را کاری نیست به من،
آخر، تنهایی
گل و میوهای ندارد،
هر زندگی که هست
واگذارید به من،
غصههای همه عالم را نیز
بسپارید به من، تا که برگردانم
آنها را به امید.
همهی شادیها را
بسپارید به من،
حتی
مخفیترینشان را،
چون، و الا،
از کجا آنها را بشناسیم؟
باید راجعبه آنها-همهشان-
سخن بگویم،
بسپارید به من
این مبارزات هرروزی را
چون ترانههای من همینها هستند،
و چنین است که ما،
همهی انسانها،
شانه در شانهی هم
گام برمیداریم و
آوازِ من به آنها وحدت میبخشد:
آوازِ آدمی نامرئی
همخوان با همهی انسانها."
*منجنیق، حسین صفا.
تو در مسافت بارانی، محسن چاوشی.
اینجا زیست کند،
خانهای میسازم
از ترانههای مثلِ شیشه
شفاف."
ترانههای عناصر، پابلو نرودا:
کتاب ترانههای عناصر، نمایانگر جسارت و هنرمندی شاعر است. اینکه از زیر سایهی شعرای قدیمی بیرون بیایی، و اندیشه و واژگان خودت را بسرایی، تحسینبرانگیز است.
چیزی که شاعر را از دیگر انسانها متمایز میکند، شعر سرودن از، و با چیزهایی است که شاعرانه نیستند!
آنچه انسانها را به مطالعهی شعر ترغیب میکند، فهم چیزهایی است که خودشان ندیدهاند، و حالا از دریچهی چشمان شاعر میتوانند آن را ببینند و درک کنند.
و این یعنی، تفاوت نگاه و زبان شاعر با دیگران! یعنی به جای اینکه بگوییم:"زندگی با مرگ پایان مییابد"، مانند سهراب بگوییم:"زندگی وسعتی دارد به اندازهی مرگ!" این تفاوت یعنی در ستایش پیاز شعر سرودن! در جورابها، معنایی یافتن!.
این کتاب را به چه کسانی پیشنهاد میکنم؟
این کتاب را به شُعرا و علاقهمندان به شعر پیشنهاد میکنم.
چراکه امروز، به شاعرانی نیازمندیم که از "عناصر"، واژگان و دغدغههای زمان ما، بنویسند. نیاز داریم که شعری بخوانیم که در آن، یخچال، تبلت، بستنی، اینترنت و... به کار رفته باشد، چیزی که برای خواننده ملموس و قابلدرک باشد.
اما بدبختانه، شاعران کمی مانند منزوی، سپهری، صفا و یا نرودا داریم که، جسور باشند و از مضامین، واژگان و اوزان کهن، عبور کنند و از انسان امروز بنویسند.
اینروزها باید "منم که ماهی دریای بلند موی مشت هستم"* را جایگزین "زلف بر باد مده تا ندهی بر بادم" کنیم. باید زبانِ زمان خودمان باشیم، و مقامی را که شعر و ترانه در گذشته داشت را، به آن برگردانیم. بهگمانم رسالتِ "ترانههای عناصر" همین باشد!
بخشی از شعرِ مرد نامرئی:
"از من ساخته نیست
که بدونِ زندگیِ دیگران
زندگی کنم،
یا که انسان باشم
بی انسانِ دیگری،
میدوم، میبینم، میشنوم، میخوانم،
اختران را کاری نیست به من،
آخر، تنهایی
گل و میوهای ندارد،
هر زندگی که هست
واگذارید به من،
غصههای همه عالم را نیز
بسپارید به من، تا که برگردانم
آنها را به امید.
همهی شادیها را
بسپارید به من،
حتی
مخفیترینشان را،
چون، و الا،
از کجا آنها را بشناسیم؟
باید راجعبه آنها-همهشان-
سخن بگویم،
بسپارید به من
این مبارزات هرروزی را
چون ترانههای من همینها هستند،
و چنین است که ما،
همهی انسانها،
شانه در شانهی هم
گام برمیداریم و
آوازِ من به آنها وحدت میبخشد:
آوازِ آدمی نامرئی
همخوان با همهی انسانها."
*منجنیق، حسین صفا.
تو در مسافت بارانی، محسن چاوشی.
January 24, 2019
Sudah tentu saya tidak meragui ketrampilan Neruda. Beliau mampu menyihir pembacanya, mampu menyeludup sesuatu di luar sedar kita. Himpunan oda ini berbaloi bila dicicip dengan kopi malah air teh o ais. Tiada yg menyulitkan, lancar, melingkar lingkar juga tapi ada penyegarnya. Sudah lama di penyimpanan, sentiasa diusik, dibelek2....Masih anggun, setia dan jujur. Seperti seadanya. Kita juga dapat membacanya kelenturan oda oda in berbicara dari yang biasa biasa hingga ke sebesar perkara dan yang abstrak. Ada puisi untuk roti, oda buat pakaian, stokin, buat epal dsbgnya, namun dijalin dengan ilham yh indah.
Ini membawa kita kepada yang mudah atau yang kecil, yang tetap penting selain adanya yg besar atau kompleks, mengembalikan kita diri sendiri.
Ini membawa kita kepada yang mudah atau yang kecil, yang tetap penting selain adanya yg besar atau kompleks, mengembalikan kita diri sendiri.
May 13, 2021
With 896 pages, this beautiful collection of Neruda's odes is a fitting celebration of the work of this great poet.
The poems are offered alphabetically by subject and provided in bilingual The list of Neruda's subjects in the odes is goody-giddy. Nothing ordinary was alien to him, or ordinary for that matter--everything was magical in an inventory that celebrates a great physical absorption in the world."
And, there's nothing quite like the flavor of a foreign language to add the emotions that inevitably get lost in translation. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in discovering award-winning poetry!
The poems are offered alphabetically by subject and provided in bilingual The list of Neruda's subjects in the odes is goody-giddy. Nothing ordinary was alien to him, or ordinary for that matter--everything was magical in an inventory that celebrates a great physical absorption in the world."
And, there's nothing quite like the flavor of a foreign language to add the emotions that inevitably get lost in translation. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in discovering award-winning poetry!
May 5, 2017
At his best, Neruda celebrates nature (the fertility of the soil, seaweed, waves, wood) and ennobles everyday things (apple, artichoke, conger chowder, the dictionary). Occasionally, his politics spoil a poem, as in the regrettable "Ode to Lenin." Sometimes, though, he combines the best of both worlds, as in the "Ode to Rain," in which he enjoys the downpour but feels sad because the homes of the poor are flooding, so he longs for a day when he can enjoy rain wholeheartedly.
April 29, 2020
Neruda can make me weep. It was illuminating to read this collection and get a sense of his prolific output during a particular time in his life. Though the odes which reference Chilean politics didn’t often land for me due to my own admitted ignorance, I love that his odes span topics from base to lofty, concrete to abstract. I most adore the ones which draw attention to simple every day objects such as Ode to a Pair of Socks and Ode to the Spoon.
October 23, 2017
Absolutely beautiful compilation of all of Neruda's Odes! I especially liked how the original Spanish was included next to the translation of his poems; there's nothing quite like the flavor of a foreign language to add the emotions that inevitably get lost in translation. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in discovering award-winning poetry!
July 28, 2018
Well, a 4.5 anyway.
"To dance with you, my love,
under the fragrant
light
of the moon,
of that old
moon,
to kiss, kiss your forehead
while that
music
rolls
over the waves!"
"Bailar contigo, amor,
a la fragante
luz
de aquella antigua
luna,
besar, besar tu frente
mientras rueda
quella
musica
sobre las olas!"
Maybe next time I'll try to just read the Spanish....
"To dance with you, my love,
under the fragrant
light
of the moon,
of that old
moon,
to kiss, kiss your forehead
while that
music
rolls
over the waves!"
"Bailar contigo, amor,
a la fragante
luz
de aquella antigua
luna,
besar, besar tu frente
mientras rueda
quella
musica
sobre las olas!"
Maybe next time I'll try to just read the Spanish....
September 28, 2020
With 896 pages of odes in both Spanish and English, I can't claim to have finished this book. I do keep it as an active book on my library shelf, i.e. in full site so I can pick it up and enjoy another ode at random any time.
April 22, 2022
Loved it, enjoyed it. Four stars because there were some translation decisions that I disagreed with. For instance, one translator translated "transparente" to "invisible" which completely changed the tone of the ode.
abandoned-yuck
June 25, 2021Obviously overwhelmed by odes. Oy.
July 3, 2021
Wonderful to keep by your bed or computer for a quick dive into beauty.
November 6, 2013
At over 800 pages, this beautiful collection of Neruda's odes is a fitting celebration of the work of this great poet. For the first time, we have all the odes together in one book. Eighteen translators are at work here. The poems are offered alphabetically by subject and provided in bilingual format.
As Edward Hirsch writes in _How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry_, "The list of Neruda's subjects in the odes is dizzying. Nothing ordinary was alien to him, or ordinary for that matter--everything was magical in an inventory that celebrates a great physical absorption in the world."
I'm a bit sorry that the Spanish is set in a lighter, slightly italicized font that is harder on the eyes than the English translation. And I do wish there were an index of translators. But those complaints are minor in the context of this important offering--close to seventy of these poems have not been translated into English until now, Stavans tells us in his introduction. And the odes have never before been collected into one volume, in any language. Thank you FSG!
As Edward Hirsch writes in _How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry_, "The list of Neruda's subjects in the odes is dizzying. Nothing ordinary was alien to him, or ordinary for that matter--everything was magical in an inventory that celebrates a great physical absorption in the world."
I'm a bit sorry that the Spanish is set in a lighter, slightly italicized font that is harder on the eyes than the English translation. And I do wish there were an index of translators. But those complaints are minor in the context of this important offering--close to seventy of these poems have not been translated into English until now, Stavans tells us in his introduction. And the odes have never before been collected into one volume, in any language. Thank you FSG!
January 10, 2014
Neruda is my favorite poet, and his odes are my favorite among his many works. To have all of them collected in a volume like this is a gift.
I'm not a religious person, but my daughter attends a parochial Pre-K program here in New York City. As a result, my 6 year old son and I found ourselves sitting in the pews of a Catholic church, waiting to see my daughter sing while dressed as an angel on the Feast of the Epiphany. To pass time before things began, I took out my copy of "All the Odes" and was reading it. My son, looking at the size of the book said, "Dad, what Bible is that?"
I looked at him and said, "This book isn't the Bible, but it ought to be."
I'm not a religious person, but my daughter attends a parochial Pre-K program here in New York City. As a result, my 6 year old son and I found ourselves sitting in the pews of a Catholic church, waiting to see my daughter sing while dressed as an angel on the Feast of the Epiphany. To pass time before things began, I took out my copy of "All the Odes" and was reading it. My son, looking at the size of the book said, "Dad, what Bible is that?"
I looked at him and said, "This book isn't the Bible, but it ought to be."
September 2, 2016
I like Neruda but this is just too much. Look around where you are now sitting. Pick out the most innocuous and commonplace object you can see. Now, write an ode to it. That's kind of what this book was like.
Read
July 1, 2014Read my review of this & other books at http://miscmss.blogspot.com/2014/07/h...
January 30, 2022
It took a while to make my way through this book, but I loved it. Neruda changed my view of odes.
January 3, 2014
I enjoyed these, but not quite as much as I'd hoped.
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