4. About the Poet
Pablo Neruda (1904-
1973) is the pen name
of Neftali Ricardo Reyes
Basoallater, a. famous
Chilean poet – diplomat
– politician . He won the
Nobel Prize for
Literature in the year
1971.
5. • Originally written in
Spanish, the essence of
this poem is based on
introspection and
retrospection. The poet
feels that some soul –
searching is needed for us
to be at peace with
ourselves and other . He
talks about the necessity
of quiet introspection and
creating a feeling of
mutual understanding
among human being.
6. The poem has been written
in free verse.
Free verse is a type of
poetry that does not
contain patterns of
rhyme or meter.
7. And now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
At the very start of the poem, Neruda
sets the momentum of stillness for us. He
urges his readers to count to twelve and
remain static. Neruda’s choice of number
twelve is very significant here as it has
various references. By using twelve Neruda
is encompassing the dial of the clock which
measures our life, the twelve months which
fill the year’s entirety and the twelve zodiac
signs that are the regulators of destiny.
9. For once on the face of the earth
let’s not speak in any language,
The global vantage point from which Neruda is
addressing his readers shines through in these two
lines. He asks people across the world to unite in
stillness. By negating the use of any language, Neruda
is not just advocating silence but is also encouraging a
breakdown of any cultural predispositions and
discriminations. He wants people to transcend their
restrictive cultural identities for a while and unite on
the plane of humanity as global citizens; by simply
remaining still.
10. Let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
Neruda does not seek too much of our time. He breaks
down time into its basic component and asks us to
invest that tiny bit of our life to silence. The poet seeks
to iron out the restlessness of the readers by asking
them to stop fidgeting. He wants his listeners to not
move at all. Arms here can also stand for weaponry. By
asking people to lay down their arms and ammunition,
Neruda is making a call for peace. Hence, the second
line can be an appeal for stillness as well as peace.
12. It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
In these lines, the poet speaks about the beauty of the
stillness and silence which he recommends for his readers.
He says that it would be an exotic moment in which the
cosmic pace of life will halt and so will the engines. By
using the word ‘exotic’ he sensualizes this moment of
inactivity for us during which people would be freed of
their rush and will get a break from the rat-race which all of
our lives have been reduced to in this modern utilitarian
world. By referring to the world in which engines have
halted, Neruda is indicating towards a reversal of the
dehumanizing aftermath of industrialization and
mechanization which has made societies greedy and
individuals self-centric.
15. In these lines, Neruda fosters a sense of brotherhood.
Once all our activities and the incessant flood of inter-
personal communication stops, the world will come
together. This coming together of the world will be a
one of a kind union – something that the world has
not seen or experienced before. Since this moment of
unusual stillness has been heralded by the poet so
abruptly; he says that following his plea will bring
about a wonderful feeling of ‘sudden strangeness’.
The peace which ensues from such absolute silence
and stillness would bring us all together by serving as
the common unifying link.
We would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
16. Fisherman in the cold sea
would not harm whales
Through these two lines, Neruda has attempted to
establish a harmony between the tyrants and the
oppressed. The fisherman here stands for the
exploitative class of people and the whale stands for the
oppressed. The poet hopes that keeping quiet would
bring in a rush of introspection and in an attempt to
understand oneself and the world around, the
metaphoric hunter would become kind to his prey, i.e.,
people will stop causing each other hurt.
18. And the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Once the chain of introspection begins, man,
represented here by the salt gatherer, will begin to
reflect upon the ups and downs that he has gone
through in the course of his life along with the
lessons that he has learned in the process,
represented here by the hurt hands. In the mad
rush of life, people seldom stop to look inwards in
order to understand themselves. They don’t take
care of themselves. In the exotic moment of peace
when people finally simmer down to take stock of
themselves and their life, they will arrive at a point.
feeling of sense-actualization, a better
20. Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas,
wars with fire,
victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
The stillness recommended by Neruda will not just help individuals
but also the human society as a whole. Staying still will put an end to the
‘green wars’. By green wars, Neruda is referring to the calculated onslaught on
Nature that humans have been making in the name of modernization, leading
to phenomena of decadence and environmental degradation such as global
warming. Exercising a moment of inactivity will also bring a stop to all the
ongoing warfare among nations. Neruda mocks such wars which bring victory
at the cost of human lives and basic humanity. If the people engaged in
warfare, on and off the field, can just indulge in nothingness for a bit; the
soldiers can discard their blood stained uniforms and recognize fellow soldiers
on the other side of the battlefield as brothers. According to Neruda, so much
benefit can be derived by the very simple act of doing nothing.
24. What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
(Life is what it is about,
I want no truck with death.)
In these lines, the poet further clarifies what he means by
‘keeping quiet’ and being still. He urges his readers to not
confuse this state of dormancy with total inactivity because
although they will be physically still and quiet, their mind that
will be at work. Silence will help us churn out pearls of
realization which will bear the power to change the world. An
absolute physical and mental stillness will be akin to death and
the poet says he wants nothing to do with it. His purpose is to
foster life through introspection and reflection. His dictum in
favor of rest should not be confused with the Eternal Rest.
25. Fourth stanza
If we were not so single-
minded
about keeping our lives
moving,
and for once could perhaps a
huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding
ourselves
and of threatening ourselves
with death.
26. Neruda opines that as humans we suffer from collective
narrow mindedness in the way that all our actions can be
linked to our survival instinct. In our struggle to achieve all
our goals before death takes to hold us, we become so
engrossed with our materialistic aims and responsibilities
that we never stop to stare at ourselves and the world
around us. The poet asserts that by jumping into the pool of
silence that he has created for us, we can bring an end to
the misery of never understanding ourselves. Most of us go
through our whole lives without really knowing who we are
and what we want, which according to Neruda is indeed a
sad life. Neruda says that by exploring our real selves, away
from the crutches of all our surface desires; we can tap into
a treasure-trove of happiness that can only be unlocked
through self-realization.
28. Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
In the above-quoted lines, the poet asks us to take lessons
of dormancy from Mother Nature. During winter, life seems
to stagnate as ice covers everything and sucks all traces of
life. However, what seems dead at one instant actually
blossoms into life with the onset of spring. What the poet is
implying here is that stillness is always succeeded by a
period of rejuvenation. Hence, we must not be scared of
being in the still and keeping quiet. Just as Nature has
shown us, our apparent inactivity will be awarded eventual
growth and prosperity.
29. Now I’ll count up to twelve,
and you keep quiet and I will go.
In the concluding lines, the poet quietly leaves the scene
after initiating a process of introspection and reflection
within us. Now that he has delivered his message to us , his
work as a poet is over. It is upon us now, to follow his
dictum in order to lead a meaningful existence in which we
can benefit both on an individual and a societal level.
30. Meanings
• Exotic ----unusual and exciting
• Cold sea ----- sea near the poles
• Survivors -----those who are left alive
• Truck with ----- associate with
• Interrupt ---Break the continuity
