Though not regarded as necessarily being a member of the Generation of ‘27, Neruda, who lived in Spain from 1927-1943, is very emblematic of several of their key themes. One of these themes is surrealism. Although the history of surrealism is “written in French, Spain's role in the movement is significant. Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel, Óscar Domínguez, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso are some of the most representative artists from the Spanish side (Museo Reina Sofía).” These contributions include poetry as well, not just visual arts. Surrealism was a movement that attempted to allow artists to express their unconscious mind through illogical and dreamlike writing.
I wanted to analyze some more of Neruda’s poems from his work “Book of Questions” (1973).
Poem XLIII, page. 43.
Who was she who made love to you in your dream, while you slept?
Where do the things in dreams go? Do they pass to the dreams of others?
And does the father who lives in your dreams die again when you awaken?
In dream, do plants blossom and their solemn fruit ripen?
This poem, while being more straightforward and easy to understand, deals with the surrealistic theme of dreams. In the short poem, Neruda ponders the meaning of dreams, as well as what happens to the subject matter of dreams once you wake up. Neruda writes, “Who was she..?” and “Where do the things in dreams go? Do they pass to the dreams of others?” To him, the things in dreams might be able to “pass to the dreams of others”. It is a world where “plants blossom and their solemn fruit ripen”. Perhaps to Pablo Neruda, his more surrealistic and nonsensical poems might serve as a way for him to connect with his subconscious and his dream world, to uncover where the things in dreams go.
Poem XLVII, page 47.
In the middle of autumn do you hear yellow explosions?
By what reason or injustice does the rain weep its joy?
Which birds lead the way when the flock takes flight?
From what does the hummingbird hang its dazzling symmetry?
All of the poems in “Book of Questions” have similar formats and syntax. Neruda forms his poems all as a series of questions, usually about four in short stanzas. He uses very simple language, and his question-poems almost seem like the questions of a curious child who is experiencing life for the first time. A lot of Neruda’s poetry had themes of nature, with lots of colorful imagery. This poem mentions a different aspect of nature in each question/stanza: “autumn” and “yellow explosions” (line one), “rain” weeping (line two),“ birds” leading the way (line three), and “the hummingbird” and its “dazzling symmetry” (line four). Neruda personifies nature- the rain is able to weep from reason or injustice like a human. He frames nature and animals as able to make conscious decisions rather than just being guided by instinct- the hummingbird hangs its symmetry on something. The first line establishes that Neruda is addressing the reader specifically- “do you hear yellow explosions?” The reader can somehow hear color in Neruda’s world. Although a simple poem, there is much under the surface. It is all very surrealistic, and goes along with many of the themes of the Generation of 27. The format of short, simple one line stanzas formed of singular questions did not follow the conventions of the previous literary world. Neruda’s entire “Book of Questions” breaks the boundary.
Poem XLVIII, page 48.
Are the breasts of the sirens spiral shells from the sea?
Or are they petrified waves or the stationary play of the spume?
Hasn't the meadow caught fire with wild fireflies?
Did autumn's hairdressers uncomb these chrysanthemums?
This poem follows the previous sequentially in the book. I liked this poem because of the imagery it evokes, and the words Neruda uses to summon the natural world. This poem is perhaps the most surrealistic because it has no discernable theme and is pretty nonsensical. It’s hard to determine exactly what he’s trying to convey to the reader, if anything. But that is what makes this poem surrealistic, and defying conventions of the time. It is more interesting to do something different and confusing than write another conventional, standard poem on love, of which there already exist thousands. The first line is, “Are the breasts of sirens the spiral shells from the sea?” I really like this line, for the image it evokes of mermaids and the ocean. It is very beautiful language that inspires images in the mind of the reader, and this is a very powerful skill for a poet to have. The next line, “Or are they petrified waves or the stationary play of the spume?” This line is even more beautiful- Neruda describes waves and seafoam frozen in time. He switches topics in line three, “Hasn’t the meadow caught fire with wild fireflies?” This line takes place on land instead of sea, and when reading it you can imagine a meadow in the evening glowing with fireflies as if it was on fire, a very surrealistic image. Finally, Neruda changes topics again (while staying on track with the natural world) - “Did autumn’s hairdressers uncomb these chrysanthemums?” The final line personifies autumn as a person with chrysanthemums for hair, who has a hairdresser to “uncomb” them. This is an image that I can guarantee I and most people never would have thought up. Some people may not enjoy Neruda’s surrealist work that emerged later in his life, but I think it is very playful and strange, and it is interesting to read poems that are so much different from any other poetry I’ve read in literature classes.
Works Cited
“Generation of 1927 | Modernism, Poetry, Novels.” Britannica, 21 February 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Generation-of-1927. Accessed 18 March 2024.
“Exposición - Surrealism in Spain. Documents -.” Museo Reina Sofia, https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/surrealism-spain-documents. Accessed 18 March 2024.
Neruda, Pablo. The Book of Questions. Copper Canyon Press, 1974.
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