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A la Orilla Azul del Silencio: Poemas frente al mar (Bilingual) by Pablo Neruda
Book by Neruda, Pablo
Hardcover
First published January 31, 2004
16 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Pablo Neruda
1,083 books9,641 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
June 19, 2020
The Soliloquy of the Waves
Yes, but here I am alone.
A wave
builds up,
perhaps it says its name, I don’t understand,
it mutters, humps in its load
of movement and foam
and withdraws. Who
can I ask what it said to me?
Who among the waves can I name?
And I wait.
Once again the clearness approached,
the soft numbers
rose in foam
and I didn’t know what to call them.
So they whispered away,
seeped into the mouth of the sand.
Time obliterated all lips
with the patience of shadow and
the orange kiss
of summer.
I stayed alone,
unable to respond to what the world
was obviously offering me,
listening to
that richness spreading itself,
the mysterious grapes
of salt, love unknown,
and in the fading day
only a rumor remained,
further away each time,
until everything that was able to
changed itself into silence.
Yes, but here I am alone.
A wave
builds up,
perhaps it says its name, I don’t understand,
it mutters, humps in its load
of movement and foam
and withdraws. Who
can I ask what it said to me?
Who among the waves can I name?
And I wait.
Once again the clearness approached,
the soft numbers
rose in foam
and I didn’t know what to call them.
So they whispered away,
seeped into the mouth of the sand.
Time obliterated all lips
with the patience of shadow and
the orange kiss
of summer.
I stayed alone,
unable to respond to what the world
was obviously offering me,
listening to
that richness spreading itself,
the mysterious grapes
of salt, love unknown,
and in the fading day
only a rumor remained,
further away each time,
until everything that was able to
changed itself into silence.
January 24, 2023
Breathtaking. I'd never read Neruda's work before, but someone suggested it to me, said that there were layers to it that they believed I would admire, verses from it that reminded them of my writing, and that they believed I would fall in love. And dear Lord, I may have done so.
There's always something I've admired about translations, especially those from the Latin American languages. There's a swirling flow to them, a diction that moves smoothly and rests in your mind, that sounds beautiful read silently or aloud. And many of my favorite collections end up being those which are/were translated into English at some point.
That said, this collection specifically holds a special place in my heart. As my friend suggested, there were many beautiful lines and memorable images. But this collection landed gently and tenderly in my heart and reminded me of home. I could read these poems and remember the sensation of sand between my toes, the smell of an ocean breeze, the way the salt stung my eyes, and the feeling of unending peace. There was something here in Neruda's writing, that not only brought the emotion and soul of his poems to life, but also his setting--a fact that, to me, is deeply admirable.
There's always something I've admired about translations, especially those from the Latin American languages. There's a swirling flow to them, a diction that moves smoothly and rests in your mind, that sounds beautiful read silently or aloud. And many of my favorite collections end up being those which are/were translated into English at some point.
That said, this collection specifically holds a special place in my heart. As my friend suggested, there were many beautiful lines and memorable images. But this collection landed gently and tenderly in my heart and reminded me of home. I could read these poems and remember the sensation of sand between my toes, the smell of an ocean breeze, the way the salt stung my eyes, and the feeling of unending peace. There was something here in Neruda's writing, that not only brought the emotion and soul of his poems to life, but also his setting--a fact that, to me, is deeply admirable.
August 20, 2012
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."
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."
September 9, 2009
Pablo Neruda is one of my favorite poets. I also really love a collection of his titled Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.
So much of the time, I think that writers and poets speak better for themselves than any silly review that I could ever write.
"Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world, on the blue shore of silence or where the storm has passed, rampaging like a train." -- Forget About Me
So much of the time, I think that writers and poets speak better for themselves than any silly review that I could ever write.
"Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world, on the blue shore of silence or where the storm has passed, rampaging like a train." -- Forget About Me
October 30, 2011
I just found this book, of all things, half-priced at a Borders going out of business. What a glorious discovery! All sea-related poems in English and Spanish with accompanying artwork. A wonderful book that I'll read over and over again.
September 7, 2012
A window into Neruda's Chilean soul, trapped between the Andes and the Pacific, one that craves constant movement, and yet yearns for a home. Beautiful and invigorating.
My favorite poem is Fiesta's End Stanza XII.
My favorite poem is Fiesta's End Stanza XII.
January 12, 2008
The waves keep up their song/and although the sea has many hands,/many mouths and many kisses,/no hand reaches out to you,/no mouth kisses you;/ and you soon must realize/what a feeble thing you are./By now we thought we were friends,/we come back with open arms,/and here is the ea, dancing away,/not bothering with us.
December 19, 2007
This is an amazing book. It is a collection of Nerudas poems about the sea. There are paintings that an artist made just for each poem. If you love the ocean, you will love this book. Pablo describes like no other. It also has the original Spanish alongside the English.
December 14, 2021
He vuelto y todavía el mar
me dirige extrañas espunas,
no se acostumbra con mis ojos,
la arena no me reconoce.
I have come back, and still the sea
keeps sending me strange foam.
It does not get used to the way I see.
The sand does not recognize me.
me dirige extrañas espunas,
no se acostumbra con mis ojos,
la arena no me reconoce.
I have come back, and still the sea
keeps sending me strange foam.
It does not get used to the way I see.
The sand does not recognize me.
January 14, 2014
Poet and political writer Pablo Neruda assembled a collection of twelve poems that convey his connections to the Pacific Coast region in central Chile that was his home for many years.
After a tumultuous career as a diplomat and ambassador, Neruda retired to an oceanfront cottage with his wife, Mathilde Urrutia. He collected ship figureheads, nautical instruments, and fishing nets. He took walks on the beach and meditated to the sound of the waves. Out of this introspection came half of his published poetry collections, composed from his rooms overlooking the ocean.
In “Here, There, Everywhere,” Neruda describes the advantages of this chosen solitude, his feeling of responsibility for the people he represented, and the issues he spoke so passionately about:
"Now I have all I have loved within my little universe, the starred order of waves, the sudden disorder of stones. Far off, a city in rags calling me, poor siren, so that my heart can never, no, scorn its weight of obligation, and I with sky and poems on the light of all I love, poised here, swithering, raising the cup of my song."
Neruda enjoyed a quarter century of quiet reflection and productive work before his death after a political coup in Chile in 1973.
After a tumultuous career as a diplomat and ambassador, Neruda retired to an oceanfront cottage with his wife, Mathilde Urrutia. He collected ship figureheads, nautical instruments, and fishing nets. He took walks on the beach and meditated to the sound of the waves. Out of this introspection came half of his published poetry collections, composed from his rooms overlooking the ocean.
In “Here, There, Everywhere,” Neruda describes the advantages of this chosen solitude, his feeling of responsibility for the people he represented, and the issues he spoke so passionately about:
"Now I have all I have loved within my little universe, the starred order of waves, the sudden disorder of stones. Far off, a city in rags calling me, poor siren, so that my heart can never, no, scorn its weight of obligation, and I with sky and poems on the light of all I love, poised here, swithering, raising the cup of my song."
Neruda enjoyed a quarter century of quiet reflection and productive work before his death after a political coup in Chile in 1973.
January 26, 2008
ok, so this is the story. I saw this book at Barnes and Noble and it was a little pricey. But everytime we went there I would grab it and sit on a couch and read the poems. Shane finally got it for me and Oh my goodness. That is me! Ocean ,sand, poems, Chile, Neruda. I read it and even if it is a dark cold winter snowy night in Utah I can transport myself to Isla Negra and feel the warmth of the sun , the smell of the ocean, hear the waves. I am there in my dreams. If I feel blue...that is what I do, take that book go to a quiet place and read it.
August 9, 2007
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.
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.
April 8, 2016
I have finish the Essentials of Neruda. I enjoyed the book too much I went to bookstore one day and finish this book in one sitting. So much for literally eating words. Feeding your soul is a good thing they say.
January 18, 2008
See my blog post on it:
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
July 30, 2008
My favorite collection of poems yet. Beautiful depiction of lives at sea. Spanish and English translations, with some illustration.
September 18, 2008
A beautiful book by my favorite poet that was a gift from my closest friends. A treasure that sits proudly on my bookshelves.
January 22, 2010
Beautiful Beautiful Poetry! Calming and passionate and introspective. A great read for anyone really.
August 6, 2014
this was a gift from a special person in my life, and holds great meaning...a delicate piece of art, full of whimsy and discovery.
April 17, 2010
The most {physically and spiritually} beautiful Neruda book I have found, a most wonderful addition to any library.
January 7, 2015
Short collection of poems by Neruda about the sea. Perfect topic for his dreamy style of imagery.
January 25, 2011
From "The Poet's Obligation" -- page 45
"So, through me, freedom and the sea
will call in answer to the shrouded heart."
"So, through me, freedom and the sea
will call in answer to the shrouded heart."
May 25, 2014
A collection of Pablo Neruda's poems about the sea and paintings based on the poems. Most of the poems were beautiful but I thought the paintings were boring. Conflicted....
December 22, 2014
A beautiful, elegantly designed book. Great as a gift, though these are not the strongest of Neruda's poems.
November 7, 2015
My first Neruda poetry won't be my last. He speaks the language of sea, waves, sky ... humanity. This book will be with me the next time I have some days at the seashore.
August 4, 2016
Excellently written but it feel like the beauty of Neruda's poetry is lost in translation.
February 4, 2023
This is my first experience with Neruda's poetry and I found it to be mesmerizing. Each poem in this collection is a love letter to the sea. Neruda's imagery is beautiful, but even more, his words are emotionally charged with his deep attachment to the solitude of water and sand. I lived for a time just blocks from a Hawaiian beach, a place that still lives within me, and so Neruda's words brought me back to that "blue shore of silence." Lovely.
January 15, 2017
This book brings together two of my favorite things -- the ocean and the poems of Pablo Neruda. Neruda, a Nobel Prize-winning poet from Chile, in the second half of his life spent as much time as possible at his seaside house, Isla Negra. There he wrote poems about the sea, but not always in a romantic way; he wrote about the violence of the sea and shipwrecks and dead animals on the beach, too.
One of my favorites collected here is "Poet's Obligation." If you're stuck inside somewhere "this Friday morning," Neruda will remind you of the existence of the ocean:
So, drawn on by my destiny,
I ceaselessly must listen to and keep
the sea's lamenting in my consciousness,
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 sentence of the autumn,
I may be present with an errant wave,
I may move in and out of windows,
and hearing me, eyes may lift themselves,
asking "How can I reach the sea?"
And I will pass to them, saying nothing,
the starry echoes of the wave,
a breaking up of foam and quicksand,
a rustling of salt withdrawing itself,
the gray cry of sea birds on the coast.
So, through me, freedom and the sea
will call in answer to the shrouded heart.
One of my favorites collected here is "Poet's Obligation." If you're stuck inside somewhere "this Friday morning," Neruda will remind you of the existence of the ocean:
So, drawn on by my destiny,
I ceaselessly must listen to and keep
the sea's lamenting in my consciousness,
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 sentence of the autumn,
I may be present with an errant wave,
I may move in and out of windows,
and hearing me, eyes may lift themselves,
asking "How can I reach the sea?"
And I will pass to them, saying nothing,
the starry echoes of the wave,
a breaking up of foam and quicksand,
a rustling of salt withdrawing itself,
the gray cry of sea birds on the coast.
So, through me, freedom and the sea
will call in answer to the shrouded heart.
August 17, 2014
My two favorite poems from this collection were "Soliloquy in the Waters" and "The Fisherman". Overall, they were all very sweet and had a pleasant air to them--they made me feel much better after a bad day, being laid-back, smooth, but not too slow, and cool like ocean water. This my first Neruda book, though I've read a handful of his poems, and I don't find him to be amazingly talented like other people do. However, he's nearly as romantic as they say. His poetry is good for the stressful days because it's so relaxing, the most relaxing I've read. I want to write some of my own poems now, even if he isn't all-that inspirational. He's inspirational ENOUGH. I don't love Pablo Neruda, but I do LIKE him. Unlike much of what I've read that is super popular, I don't think he's hyped-up--I can easily see where people are coming from, it's just that he doesn't take my breath away, other than those two poems.
February 9, 2017
As the subtitle says, this is a collection of Pablo Neruda's poems about the sea that was put together to celebrate his centenary. I picked it up to fulfill Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge category, "Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love." I'm really glad I did. True to the challenge's goal, it got me to read something I would not have otherwise and it expanded my horizons. I'm not usually one for poetry, but the poems are beautiful and show how much the sea near Neruda's home in Isla Negra meant to him. It reminded me why I love being near bodies of water as well. I find it really nice that each poem has the original Spanish next to its English translation and each one is also accompanied by a work of art. This really helped enhance the reading experience. I liked seeing Neruda's original words and the art made them come alive. All things considered, this is a very nice collection of poetry that is both beautiful to read and look at.
April 24, 2010
I'm not really much of a poetry reader; I stumbled across this book while looking for different one and it looked interesting. It's a dozen Neruda poems about the sea accompanied by paintings based on the Neruda poems. The paintings were less satisfying to me than the poems. Neruda lived in Chile high above the Pacific Ocean, and it was natural that the images of the sea would become part of his poetry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews