Pablo Neruda (July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973 / Parral / Chile)

This is of course Poema de Amor 20

The heart of this poem is:

I no longer love her, true, but perhaps I love her.
Love is so short and oblivion so long.

translated elsewhere:

'Love is so short, forgetting is so long'

or: '..., forgetting lasts so long'

The Spanish is ambiguous:

'Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido'

can be glossed as both:

1. 'Love is so short, and oblivion is so long' AND
2. 'Love is so short, and forgetting takes so long.'

I like the contrast this translation sets up, between love and oblivion.

The consonance of these two words works very well.

But this line loses sense number 2.

This is a very good translation, does anyone know who did it?

Actually this is a slightly different translation of the poem 'Puedo escribir' or 'Tonight I Can Write' in the book 'Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair.' 'A Song Of Despair' is considered a song and not a poem and is actually 29 stanzas long as opposed to 16 or 17 stanzas shown above. I personally love this poem... both translations.

Great poem, wrong title. Pablo released poems called 'Twenty Love Poems and A Song Of Despair'. This one is 'A Song Of Despair', which is a much better, and correct, title than 'Saddest Poem' anyway. Do its' justice and correct it.

I've read a different translation of this poem, which was much better.

But I've always come back to this poem. I first found out about Neruda in high school right before graduation. While I was deeply in love. The line, 'Love is so short, but forgetting is so long', really struck me even though I had yet to experience heart break.

I love his poetry because a lot of his writing has double meaning and it can mean whatever to whomever reading it.

I have loved this poem for about 4 years since I first read it, but you don't truly understand it until you share a love with someone who isn't ready for the same kind of love, and you have to watch them go, and try not to wait...

pablo, i read this poem many times but could still find reason to love it. good work. keep it up.

Beautiful Poem, really equates the powerless of his situation really well.

Cayetana,

I read the 'I no longer love her...' in a more visceral and emotional way, when I read it I hear the loss. She was his in his arms now she is another's, he has lost her, she is gone so he says, I do not love her... but he cannot forget and the longing remains, perhaps he does love her - of course he does love her. I have read translations that use the word 'forgetting' where this translator uses oblivion, I think it makes more sense.

very good.its woderful, simple, and is with deep meaning.