2000

by Pablo Neruda

poetry, Chile, tr Richard Schaaf, bilingual

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Hispanic

63 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Pablo 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.

Reviews

[irene ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahora este siglo debe asesinar
con otras máquinas de guerra, vamos
a inaugurar la muerte de otro modo,
movilizar la sangre en otras naves.





Hoy es hoy y ayer se fue, no hay duda.

Hoy es también mañana, y yo me fui
con algún año frío que se fue,
se fue conmigo y me llevó aquel año.

De esto no cabe duda. Mi osamenta
consistió, a veces, en palabras duras
como huesos al aire y a la lluvia,
y pude celebrar lo que sucede
dejando en vez de canto o testimonio
un porfiado esqueleto de palabras.

[jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the world is full of howevers,
of unfounded fears and pain,
yet we must recognize that on salted
bread
or next to this or that inequity
the vegetables, when they weren't burnt,
continued flourishing and sharing
and continued their green work.

[Fernanda Otero · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ Definitivamente me gustan más los poemas de amor pero quiero lee todo lo qué hay de Neruda ♥️

[Marcos Ossio · Rating 3 out of 5]

“De tanto andar una región que no figuraba en los libros me acostumbré a las tierras tercas en que nadie me preguntaba si me gustaban las lechugas o si prefería la menta que devoran los elefantes…”

[Tsering · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the war was dark, Neruda's poems has brought light in the conflict.

[Ahlam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world is full of howevers,
of unfounded fears and pain,
yet we must recognize that on salted
bread
or next to this or that inequity
the vegetables, when they weren't burnt,
continued flourishing and sharing
and continued their green work.
***
There is no doubt that the earth
through hard labor delivered other things
from its seemingly eternal womb:
the copper dies, the manganese sobs,
the oil is a final death rattle,
the iron bids farewell to the coal,
the coal has now closed its cavities.
Now this century must murder
with other war machines: let us
inaugurate death by other means,
mobilize blood on other ships.

[Hadi Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many:

The world is full of howevers,
of unfounded fears and pain,
yet we must recognize that on salted
bread
or next to this or that inequity
the vegetables, when they weren't burnt,
continued flourishing and sharing
and continued their green work.

-Pablo Neruda

[ET · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hasta dónde sé, es el libro más breve de Neruda, con menos de una decena de poemas. La idea de fondo es la responsabilidad histórica de continuar defendiendo cada avance colectivo, pero sin afanes de autoproclamarse "histórico" sin trabajar en ello, como tanta mala moda de ocasión. Queda claro en "Las máscaras", el primer poema:

Piedad para estos siglos y sus sobrevivientes
alegres o maltrechos, lo que no hicimos
fue por culpa de nadie, faltó acero:
lo gastamos en tanta inútil destrucción,
no importa en el balance nada de esto:
los años padecieron de pústulas y guerras,
años desfallecientes cuando tembló la esperanza
en el fondo de las botellas enemigas.

Muy bien, hablaremos alguna vez, algunas veces,
con una golondrina para que nadie escuche:
tengo vergüenza, tenemos el pudor de los viudos:
se murió la verdad y se pudrió en tantas fosas:
es mejor recordar lo que va a suceder:
en este año nupcial no hay derrotados:
pongámonos cada uno máscaras victoriosas.

Sitúa el año 2000 como hito lejano para alcanzar metas, pero también para preguntarse si llegaremos a estas sin mantener perseverancia. No cree en fechas mágicas, hace un llamado a asumirse parte de un largo hilo de luchas por la humanidad, donde incluso la temática ecologista -tan ajena al stalinismo que profesaba el poeta- se hace presente hasta con violencia.

Es un libro sorpresivo como toda la obra póstuma que dejo en su escritorio antes de morir. Quizás no la más emotiva, ni la que llegue más a la emoción, pero si una que saca de la zona de confort y deja algo de mareo.

[Wawan Kurn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seorang penyair kadang kala punya intuisi yang mampu meramalkan kejadian di masa yang akan datang. Neruda dalam buku ini memperlihatkan hal tersebut. Bagaimana seorang Neruda meramalkan perang dingin, masalah sosial, politik, diktator, serta sejumlah kesedihan yang terjadi.

Di sini pula terlihat bagaimana sikap politis Neruda dalam karya-karyanya, bukan semata-mata bahwa Neruda adalah seorang penyair yang dikenal dengan puisi cinta, namun lebih dari itu, Neruda memberikan cinta besar pada kehidupan di masa yang ia ramalkan. Dan ramalan itu, benar adanya.

[Rchavezn75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy cortito pero curiosamente hasta el momento el que más me ha gustado de sus póstumos a pesar de que paradójicamente no tiene tantos poemas aislados que haya destacado, pero el tema del futuro desde el desgarrador presente me pareció muy efectivo.

[Reem Rafei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today is today. This morning has arrived prepared through much darkness, 
still we don't know if s newly inaugurated world is bright:
let us brighten it, let us darken it till it is golden and burnt
 like hardened grains of corn: that each one, the newborns,
the survivors, the blind,
the mute, the maimed and crippled,
may see and may speak,
that they may survive and wander freely,
that they may seize hold of the future fruit 
born of the present kingdom that we leave open as much to the explorer as to the queen,
as much to the inquisitive cosmonaut
 as to the traditional farmer,
to the bees that now arrive
 to participate in the work of the hive ,

and, above all, to the peoples newly arrived, to the peoples increasing from now on
 with new flags that were born
 in each drop of blood or sweat.
Today is today and yesterday passed, this is certain.
Today is also tomorrow, and I left 
with some cold year that passed,
that year left with me and took me with it.
About this there can be no doubt. My skeleton consisted, at times, in words hard 
as bones exposed to the air and rain,
and I was able to celebrate what is happening leaving behind instead of a song or testimony an enduring skeleton of stubborn words.

[Roselyn Blonger · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Mientras tanto una hoja del follaje
acrecienta el comienzo de la edad:
rama por rama se cruzará el ramaje,
hoja por hoja subirán los días
y fruto a fruto llegará la paz:
el árbol de la dicha se prepara
desde la encarnizada raíz que sobrevive
buscando el agua, la verdad, la vida."

Un poemario corto, pero bonito. El autor sigue fiel a su estilo casi narrativo, sin embargo, se lee en una sentada y vale la pena. Me gustaron más los primeros que los últimos.

[Erin Lyndal Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't aware of this book until I found a pdf of it today. I'm glad I did. The summary on the book's main page referring to humanity's struggle to survive is accurate. There is plenty of trauma here, a lot of war and pain, but a lot of people ultimately choosing to work through it and find things to celebrate. Very expected for Neruda, I suppose.

[E-thar (إيثار) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I arrived here with all that travelled
with me
Misfortune and the worst jobs,
misery always waiting with its arms
wide open,
the mobilization of the heaped up masses
and the many many geographies of hunger.
.............
Who cares, I am the poor bastard of the
poor Third world
the third-class passenger

[Janice Raquela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written
They are a short read.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book of poetry is disjointed and doesn't flow or inspire except for isolated phrases.

[Steve Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it's the translation or Neruda or me, but I found most of this confusing.