World Literature Commentary on Oh Earth, Wait for Me Pablo Neruda

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World Literature Commentary on ‘Oh Earth, Wait for Me’ – Pablo Neruda.            By Charlotte Tsa

Oh Earth, Wait for Me by Pablo Neruda

Return me, oh sun,

to my wild destiny,

rain of the ancient wood,

bring me back the aroma and the swords

that fall from the sky,

the solitary peace of pasture and rock,

the damp at the river-margins,

the smell of the larch tree,

the wind alive like a heart

beating in the crowded restlessness

of the towering araucaria.

Earth, give me back your pure gifts,

the towers of silence which rose

from the solemnity of their roots,

I want to go back to being what I have not been,

and learn to go back from such deeps

that amongst all natural things

I could live or not live; it does not matter

to be one stone more, the dark stone,

the pure stone which river bears away.

Pablo Neruda’s ‘Oh Earth, Wait for Me’ is a poem where the beauty of nature is emphasized as being imperative towards the persona. Taken from the collection ‘Memorial de Isla Negra’, it is one of the examples of Neruda’s views on the comparison of civilization and nature. Whilst Neruda has written many other poems, which was famous for his classics of; love, war, and many more, this essay will be exploring and analyzing the different literary techniques used by Neruda to create an understanding of how the significance of nature is being expressed within this poem.

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In ‘Oh Earth, wait for me’, Earth is not representing the planet itself, but as nature and how it impacts Neruda as his home, and where he belongs. The poem does not have a particular structure, and could be seen as free verse. It is clear to us, in the first stanza the shortened sentences are known for the importance; highlighting each line as a significant topic.  In the last stanza, the sentences are longer; giving the impression of being more sentimental and having a softer rhythm. The poem is written in Neruda’s perception; making us understand his words are ...

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