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Octavio Paz
No More Clichés - Poem by Octavio Paz
Beautiful face
That like a daisy opens its petals to the sun
So do you
Open your face to me as I turn the page.
Enchanting smile
Any man would be under your spell,
Oh, beauty of a magazine.
How many poems have been written to you?
How many Dantes have written to you, Beatrice?
To your obsessive illusion
To you manufacture fantasy.
But today I won't make one more Cliché
And write this poem to you.
No, no more clichés.
This poem is dedicated to those women
Whose beauty is in their charm,
In their intelligence,
In their character,
Not on their fabricated looks.
This poem is to you women,
That like a Shahrazade wake up
Everyday with a new story to tell,
A story that sings for change
That hopes for battles:
Battles for the love of the united flesh
Battles for passions aroused by a new day
Battle for the neglected rights
Or just battles to survive one more night.
Yes, to you women in a world of pain
To you, bright star in this ever-spending universe
To you, fighter of a thousand-and-one fights
To you, friend of my heart.
From now on, my head won't look down to a magazine
Rather, it will contemplate the night
And its bright stars,
And so, no more clichés.
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Read poems about / on: poem, women, beauty, today, star, change, beautiful, friend, smile, pain, night, sun, world, woman, passion, hope
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Octavio Paz is always by my side. He's really cool. (Report) Reply
Lovely poem and tribute to real women. (Report) Reply
This poem is dedicated to those women
Whose beauty is in their charm,
In their intelligence,
In their character,
Not on their fabricated looks.
Yes, celebrating woman as human entity and not a piece of fabricated beauty. nice poem (Report) Reply
nice movement in poem. (Report) Reply
nice movement in the poem. (Report) Reply
Real woman does not hide behind the old cliche and her glossy looks but inner charm, intelligence, character and her ability to bring about change in the society. Amazing poem. (Report) Reply
his poem is dedicated to those women
Whose beauty is in their charm,
In their intelligence,
In their character,
Not on their fabricated looks. (Report) Reply
I think Czyka Tumaliuan hit the nail on the head with the comment offered below. Also, those who are finding various faults with the poem could be right, but I would like to read the poem in its original Spanish to see if it may have received a bad translation here. Does anyone know where I can see a copy of the original? (Report) Reply
A poem dedicated to women justice and for a thousand and one fights really enjoyed. (Report) Reply
I think the last verse was ironically intended to be cliche'. What poet has not written of the night or stars? Very sharp eye, Birgitta..... (Report) Reply
Very nice poem. The last verse, however, does not seem to flow with the rest (just one person's thought) . (Report) Reply
A beautiful poem from the great poet about woman which the poet says it committed to the women. (Report) Reply
Perhaps thinking 'all is unavoidably cliche', he meant this to be his last poem. (Report) Reply
Octavio Paz has written some magnificent poetry and is among my favorite 20th century poets, but this work is only passable. Paz expresses a fine sentiment - namely, that a woman should be appreciated for many reasons, and her looks is the least of them. There is beauty in her charm, intelligence, character, but I fail to see how all this goes beyond the cliches. The last 2 stanzas are particularly poor: I see 2 cliches and 2 trite and prosaic statements. Note: 'bright star in this ever-spending universe', 'world of pain', 'fighter...', and 'contemplate the night and its bright stars'. The first and last of these are certainly cliches, while 'world of pain' and 'fighters...' are trite and prosaic. Many readers judge a poem (falsely) on the basis of whether it agrees with their sensibilities, whether it has certain political content. In short, their judgements are usually emotive, divorced from considerations of craft and artistry. I for one can recognize and laud a poem whose content may be offensive (or at least controversial) , but which is beautifully and originally crafted. (Report) Reply
As a woman, not one who writes, I am honored that there is a man on the planet who thinks like this. Great Job! Now required reading for the girls I mentor, if ya dont mind. Gotta try to get them to set the bar higher. (Report) Reply
this poem lured me in: -) (Report) Reply
How is 'contemplating the night' not a cliche? No, it is a great poem really. (Report) Reply
True, the book is not judged by its cover, which is often illusive. great! (Report) Reply
Amen!
Its not all about the curves and clothes.After awhile they will shrivel and wrinkle.Then you must dig deeper.Which is something that should have been done before hand. (Report) Reply
this is the truth! This is how we unconsciously judge people: by their physical appearance and not by the way they behave. so sad but anyway.
good poem. (Report) Reply