The poem 'Here I Love You' written by Pablo Neruda is an evocation of romantic mood. The speaker in this poem loves his departed beloved. He passionately recalls the sweet moments he spent in her company.
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Summary of the poem Here I Love You
The speaker is sad because of his separation from his girlfriend. His girlfriend (beloved) is not with him. She is far away in heaven. The speaker uses ' here ' to suggest this mortal world and ' there ' to suggest beyond this world. He feels alone in this mortal (physical) world.
His love for her is still the same as it was in the past. He remembers his past memories with her. He loves too much his separated beloved though she is in another world, i.e. in heaven. He still remembers his joyful time with his beloved. They would enjoy the beauty of dark pine wood as well as moonlit waters. They would visit different places in the snowy evenings.
Now, he sends kisses to his girlfriend through the sailing ships that move toward darkness but never gets any reply from her. All his efforts are vain because the horizon has hidden her. When he sees the black cross of the ship, it reminds him of his beloved's funeral. His days are passing slowly due to his monotonous life without his beloved. He is suffering from a bad dream that is haunting him after his separation from her.
He compares himself with the old anchors because he is also forgotten. His days and nights are filled with sadness. It is very difficult for him to spend his evenings without her. He is living without any love, hope, or purpose. He feels a little bit comfortable talking with her at night in his dream. He finds his beloved in the big stars as well as in the pine trees. He thinks that the pine trees are celebrating his beloved's death by singing her name. He also gets consolation himself by looking at the big stars because he finds her image in them.
Frequently asked questions from the poem Here I Love You
1. What do "here" (1.1) and "there" (1.19) refer to?
Ans: Here refers to the present in which he is alone due to his believed death. There indicates the past in which he was with his beloved.
2. Why does the speaker look at the ships sailing away?
Ans: The speaker looks at the ships sailing away because he thinks that he might see her, talk to her, and send his kisses to his hidden beloved on the horizon.
3. What does the "black cross" symbolize?
Ans: The black cross is the symbol of death because it echoes the crusification of Jesus Christ.
4. What's the meaning of "even my soul is wet"?
Ans: "Even my soul is wet" may mean that his soul is also weeping in his separation from his beloved. The poet may think that human beings' soul also bursts it tears in the time of melancholic and painful situations. In the poem, seeing the speaker's condition in his present, we also cannot control weeping.
5. Why is he happy at night?
Ans: He is happy at night because he talks to his beloved in his dream and feels as if pine is singing about his beloved and also thinks that the biggest stars are his beloved eyes that are looking at him.
5. How is the poem structured? Why are the stanza lengths different?
Ans: The poem is structured in different lengths. The first stanza has an irregular line that suggests his frustration and sadness in the separation from his beloved. The third stanza is so irregular because it talks about death. The fifth stanza is a little bit regular because he can heal his tense mind by hearing pine's singing. The final stanza's wording and line are parallel in comparison with others because he finds consolation in the biggest stars.
6. What are the images in the poem? Classify them according to natural and man-made images.?
Ans: The images in the poem are: sea, pine, snow, the black cross of a ship, horizon, old anchors, piers, star, and so on. Sea, pine, snow, horizon, star are natural images. Old anchors, piers, cross of a ship are man-made.
7. What is the connotation of the word "dark" in "dark pines?"
Ans: "Dark" in "dark pines" is a natural image that highlights the theme of separation.
9. Explain the simile "moon glows like phosphorous".
Ans: Phosphorous is a kind of chemical that shines in the dark. Similarly, the moon also shines at night. So, the poet compares the moon with phosphorous.
10. How does the poet try to send his message to his departed?
Ans: He tries to send his message and kiss on the sailing heavy vessels.
11. Is the poem pessimistic from top to bottom?
Ans: The poem is pessimistic at the beginning (top) but it ends (bottom) with a little bit of consolation as he thinks biggest stars' outlook and the song of pine trees.
12. What different subject might the poet discuss if he/she were?
Ans: The poet discusses if she were here in this way: He might say he was the luckiest lover to have a lovely and beautiful beloved. He would say that they have the habit of going on a date in pine trees and seashore. He would say they exchange their kiss late at night in the seashore. In the twilight, they would walk on the pine trees and would hear the song of pine
13. Discuss "Here I Love You" as a love poem.
Ans: It is a pure love poem in which the speaker has become a preacher of a true lover. Even in separation, his love, feeling, and emotion toward her same. Though she is no more in the mortal world, she remains forever in his heart. He showing her purity and softness goes to compare with natural imagery. Nature is the same and spring ever comes but only human being goes but never returns. However, his beloved never fades away but remains blooms in his heart The poem is purely love because, in most of love poems, poets talk about pine trees and stars. They compare their beloved voice with pine song and eyes with star and facial complexion with snow.