I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.I love you only because it’s you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly…..
-Pablo Neruda
Read the poem in full by clicking here…
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I have always found the way Neruda expressed both passion and sadness through his poetry to be unparalleled.
I cannot pick just one of his poems as a favorite, but this one is among my top five. I do prefer to read his verses in Spanish, as I find there is just something lost in translation but reading them in English you can still get the effect of the beauty and pain of his words.
In this one I like the way he moves from love to hate. When you think about, it there is a fine line between the two.
Enjoy your week 🙂
disclaimer:
I took the photo above with my Samsung Galaxy S5. Nothing from this post is available for download.
the bookworm 
I do not read poetry as often as I probably should. It intimidates me, if I am honest. I am always afraid I will miss some hidden meaning. I have heard of Neruda, but I am not familiar with his poetry. Thank you for sharing this with us. I will have to read more of his work.
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Hi Literary,
I know what you mean about poetry being intimidating sometimes. Neruda is a favorite, his work is very passionate and the imagery he evokes is so lovely.
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First, the beautiful photo.
Second, the beautiful love poem.
Thank you, Naida!
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Thank you Susan!
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I read poetry occasionally. I even have a blog where I post some of my poems. But I have closed it to the public, because I haven’t written a poem in a year or two on it.
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I remember your saying that Ann.
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I really like this poem. He does indeed explore the concepts of love and hate in a complicated but pleasing way.
I wish I read Spanish well enough to enjoy this untranslated.
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Hi Brian, yes, reading Neruda in Spanish is really how it was meant to be. He just had a way of creating such melancholy with words.
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He’s one of my favorites too! Like you, I prefer to read his poetry in Spanish – there’s just something so special isn’t there? Thanks for sharing this!
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Hi Iliana, yes, very special!
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Hi Naida,
Lovely photo. I love this time of year, when the blossom comes out, although I’m afraid that it doesn’t love me, as it sets off the hayfever a treat! Also, it always seems as though the weather just knows when the blossom it looking its best, as it then throws a series of gale force winds at us, to decimate the beautiful spectacle!
There is definitely a very fine line between love and hate and I guess the secret is knowing when you are about to cross that line, before it is too late. Much the same as sometimes you can love someone, yet not really like them!
I don’t typically tend to read or comment much on poetry posts, as I am always worried that I have understood the sentiment and meaning behind the poem incorrectly. I suppose that really the whole point of poetry and written prose, is that everyone has a different take on what the author is trying to say to their audience and there really isn’t a right or wrong way to interpret the words 🙂
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend.
Yvonne
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Hi Yvonne. I know, the allergies are not fun this time of year. I tend to suffer just a few days when the weather goes from warm to cold as Autumn rolls in. My son however, suffers bad allergies to pollen during this time of the year.
Yes, the cherry blossom tress especially come and go so fast.
So true about being able to love someone you do not particularly like. How complex we can all be. I love Neruda and his way with words, the imagery he used was so rich.
Enjoy your weekend too!
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