Antologia Breve

by Pablo Neruda

Genres: Poetry

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

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

ODE À POESIA

Quase cinquenta anos

a caminhar

contigo, Poesia.

Ao princípio

enleavas-me os pés

e eu caía de borco

na terra escura

ou enterrava os olhos

no charco

para ver as estrelas.

Mais tarde estreitaste-me

com os dois braços da amante

e subiste

pelo meu sangue

como uma trepadeira.

No minuto seguinte

convertias-te em taça.



Belo

foi

ires escorrendo sem te consumires,

ires entregando a tua água inesgotável,

ires vendo que uma gota

caía sobre um coração queimado

e dessas mesmas cinzas revivia.

Porém

nem isso me bastou.

Tanto andei contigo

que te perdi o respeito.

Deixei de ver-te como

náiade vaporosa,

pus-te a fazer de lavadeira,

a vender pão nas padarias,

a fiar com as simples tecedeiras,

a bater o ferro na metalurgia.

E vieste comigo

andando pelo mundo,

mas já não eras

a florida

estátua da minha infância. (...) tradução de Fernando Assis Pacheco