Comparison Of Pablo Neruda And Antonio Machado’s Theme Of Love In Their Use Of Poetry

Pablo Neruda and Antonio Machado were an ocean away, although this distance poses many differences between their culture and life they still share an understanding of love and they both use it throughout their poetry to express their feelings however different they may be.

Neruda – born 1904 – was a Chilean poet who derived his pen name from the Czech poet Jan Neruda. Although his poetry contains several themes, perhaps the one he is most known for is love which comes across as heavily passionate even though his affection for his lovers is often short-lived. This passion yet lack of faithfulness are evident in his collection ‘Los Versos del Capitán’ which was written while exiled from Chile with his wife, at the time, Delia Del Carril. This collection was written for his third wife (with whom he had an affair with while married) Matilde Urrutia.

One of his most famous poems, ‘Si Tú Me Olvidas,’ reflects his desire for Matilde and hints that the love for his current wife is dying. The poem itself is very personal with the opening line being “Quiero que sepas una cosa” revealing the feelings to be quite intimate with his lover – the use of ‘I want you to know one thing’ shows that he is directly addressing Matilde. Further into the first stanza his new found lust is apparent, the symbolism and imagery that he uses create the picture that his love for his wife is dying and that instead it is with his mistress that he wants to rekindle his passion

This is a very sensual poem and Neruda uses the beautiful imagery of the ‘crystal moon’ to show that it his Matilde who brings him serenity and peace whereas the idea of the ‘the red branch,’ ‘impalpable ash,’ and ‘fire’ create passion – the colour red signifying love – and emphasises the intensity of their love. The impalpable ash could also depict the lost attraction towards his wife, as the ash is representative of a former flame which has now died out. However on the other hand it could be Neruda looking forward to the future, and telling his mistress that their love will not last forever and that the flame that exists between the two of them will also cease. This corresponds with his use of seasons; the ‘slow autumn’ suggests dying and the heat of their love (the idea of summer) to be coming to an end, however whether this dying love is representative of his wife or Matilde is unknown. This first stanza is a beautiful portrayal of how Neruda’s passion and love is demonstrated throughout his poetry, it is clear that he has a deep admiration for women even though his love tends to be fleeting.

However there is still a sense of infidelity, even with his mistress the idea is present that their love is not going to last, suggesting that perhaps Neruda does not see all love as unconditional and that like most things love too comes to an end. The tone of the poem begins to change with the third stanza: Ahora bien, si poco a poco dejas de quererme dejaré de quererte poco a poco. Here Neruda’s expression changes, there is no longer the loving or caring feel from the second stanza, instead this stanza acts as a threat to his lover. It seems important to Neruda that she knows that he will not wait around for his mistress and that much like his current wife she too will no longer be loved. This disloyalty towards his partners is consistent throughout Neruda’s life, with three wives and countless other lovers it’s apparent he has no want to restrain himself to one individual partner. This tone continues into the fourth stanza: Si de pronto me olvidas no me busques, que ya te habré olvidado.

This stanza reveals a much more personal side to Neruda, whilst there is still a threat there is also a jealous undertone which could suggest that although envious he still deeply cares about Matilde. However Pablo Neruda’s use of passionate and emotive language is not as apparent within the works of Antonio Machado. Instead Machado presents a more reflective outlook to love, yet there are still some similarities between their uses of language. Machado – born 1875 and part of the generation of 98 – originated from Andalusia who then went on to study in Madrid where he learned his passion for literature. Also known for his themes of love, he reflects more on life itself and looks back on his love life. Only ever married once, his wife Leonor died just two years into their marriage in 1912. A few weeks before her death, Machado produced a collection of poems – ‘Campos de Castilla’ – which contemplate the fate of Spain and show affection for his wife.

One of the most striking poems in this collection is ‘Campos de Soria’ where he expresses love for his wife, and despite her illness he looks back towards the happiness that once filled Soria, and his adoration for his country. Similar to Neruda, Machado uses seasons to express the changes throughout his love, from “la primavera pasa” to “en un alcor, cuando el otoño empieza.” The idea of the bloom of their love up until the autumn – signifying the coming death of his wife – shows that Machado is looking back on the time spent with his love and that ,unlike Neruda, he is not seeking a new flame, instead he wishes to make his current fire burn for as long as he can. Therefore where there is Neruda’s certain infidelity there is Machado’s unconditional love. grises alcores, cárdenas roquedas por donde traza el Duero su curva de ballesta en torno a Soria, obscuros encinares, ariscos pedregales, calvas sierras, caminos blancos y álamos del río, Machado’s use of imagery is highly apparent throughout a lot of his poetry; ‘Campos de Soria’ is no exception. He especially uses landscapes to emphasise certain aspects of love, such as lust and romance. … Even though there are differences between the poets perhaps one of their most similar qualities is their devotion for their homelands. Neruda and his love for Chile is shown throughout many of his poems, even when he was exiled, whilst Machado expresses his hope of a better future for Spain during the time leading up to the civil war.

Although Neruda’s ‘Si Tú Me Olvidas,’ clearly demonstrates a love for his third wife, by going back to the ending of the first stanza we see another one of Neruda’s loves, the undying love for his country: como si todo lo que existe, aromas, luz, metales, fueran pequeños barcos que navegan hacia las islas tuyas que me aguardan. On the one hand the “islands that wait for him” could be seen as sexual imagery of a woman’s body; however it could also be seen as the islands of Chile, in which he was exiled from shortly before this poem – along with Los Versos del Capitán – was published. The islands waiting for him signifies that he is going to return, that his roots are so deeply embedded in Chilean soil that no matter what Neruda will always find his way back to his home country. This lasting love for Chile has existed much longer than any love for any one of his countless partners, it would seem that his devotion for Chile should come before anybody.

However Neruda is not the only one who expresses the love of his country throughout his poetry. Similarly Machado has an undying hope for Spain, in which he expresses his optimism for a more prosperous Spain during a dark time for his country. The final line of his poem has a double meaning (much like Neruda’s). At first it shows his commitment for Spain, the idea that no matter where Machado is he always keeps his love of Spain within him. However as Soria was the place that Machado met his wife it could also be said that Soria represents the love for his wife, and that even long after her death he will always be loyal to her and that he will never forget her.

Overall the two poets do not have many differences between their ideas of love. Even though Neruda’s idea of love is short-lived whilst Machado’s love is seemingly never-ending, they both show an understanding of love and they use similar ideas of imagery.