The Essential Neruda

Pablo Neruda (1904-73) was the greatest Latin American poet of the 20th century. A prolific, inspirational poet, he wrote many different kinds of poems covering a wide range of themes, notably love, death, grief and despair. His poetry celebrates the dramatic Chilean landscape and rages against the exploitation of his people, for whom he became a national hero. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 for 'a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams'. This book presents fifty of his most essential poems in dynamic new translations, the result of an unprecedented collaboration between a team of poets, translators and leading Neruda scholars who came together to revisit or completely retranslate the poems. Also including some previously untranslated works, this bilingual edition sets the standard for a general, high-quality introduction to Neruda's complete oeuvre. The Essential Neruda includes translations by Mark Eisner, John Felstiner, Forrest Gander, Robert Hass, Jack Hirschman, Stephen Kessler, Stephen Mitchell and Alastair Reid, with an introduction by Mark Eisner

Preface by Lawrence Ferlinghetti xv Introduction by Mark Eisner xvii From Veinte poemas de amor y una cancion desesperada (1924) 1. Cuerpo de mujer
Body of woman 2
3 7. Inclinado en las tardes
Leaning into the evenings 4
5 15. Me gustas cuando callas
I like you when you're quiet 6
7 20. Puedo escribir los versos mas tristes
I can write the saddest verses 8
9 From Residencia en la tierra, I (1933) Galope muerto
Dead Gallop 12
13 Unidad
Oneness 16
17 Arte poetica
Ars Poetica 18
19 Sistema sombrio
System of Gloom 20
21 El fantasma del buque de carga
The Phantom of the Cargo Ship 22
23 Significa sombras
It Means Shadows 28
29 From Residencia en la tierra, II (1935) Solo la muerte
Only Death 32
33 Barcarola
Barcarole 36
37 Walking around
Walking Around 42
43 Oda con un lamento
Ode With a Lament 46
47 Entrada a la madera
Entrance Into Wood 50
51 Vuelve el otono
Autumn Returns 54
55 No hay olvido (sonata)
There's No Forgetting (Sonata) 58
59 From Tercera residencia (1947) Explico algunas cosas
I Explain Some Things 62
63 From Canto general (1950) Alturas de Macchu Picchu
The Heights of Macchu Picchu I. Del aire al aire
From air to air 68
69 IV. La poderosa muerte
Powerful death 70
71 VI. Entonces en la escala
And then on the ladder 74
75 VIII. Sube conmigo
Climb up with me 78
79 X. Piedra en la piedra
Stone upon stone 84
85 XI. A traves del confuso esplendor
Down through the blurred splendor 88
89 XII. Sube a nacer conmigo
Rise up and be born with me 90
91 La United Fruit Co.
The United Fruit Co. 94
95 El Fugitivo XII: A todos, a vosotros
To everyone, to you 98
99 El gran oceano
The Great Ocean 102
103 From Los versos del capitan (1952) El alfarero
The Potter 106
107 From Odas elementales (1954) Oda a una castana en el suelo
Ode to a Chestnut on the Ground 108
109 Oda al libro (II)
Ode to the Book (II) 114
115 Oda a un reloj en la noche
Ode to a Watch in the Night 122
123 Oda al vino
Ode to Wine 128
129 From Estravagario (1958) Fabula de la sirena y los borrachos
The Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunkards 134
135 El gran mantel
The Great Tablecloth 136
137 From Cien sonetos de amor (1960) XII. Plena mujer, manzana carnal
Full woman, carnal apple 140
141 XVII. No te amo como si fueras rosa
I don't love you as if you were a rose 142
143 From Plenos poderes (1962) Deber del poeta
The Poet's Obligation 144
145 La palabra
The word 148
149 El mar
The Sea 154
155 El pueblo
The People 156
157 From Memorial de Isla Negra (1964) La poesia
Poetry 166
167 Aquellas vidas
Those Lives 170
171 Pleno octubre
October Fullness 174
175 No hay pura luz
There Is No Clear Light 178
179 Insomnio
Insomnia 182
183 El futuro es espacio
The Future Is Space 184
185 From El mar y las campanas (posthumous) Si, camarada, es hora de jardin
Right, comrade, it's the hour of the garden 188
189 From Jardin de invierno (posthumous) El egoista
The Egoist 192
193 Jardin de invierno
Winter Garden 196
197