The problem I encountered was oversaturation of themes when reading one poem after another. Poems invariably blurred together and felt like repetition of what had come before. At times there was a great stanza or a good poem (Tonight I Write the Saddest Lines being an obvious example), but this was not enough to keep one's attention engaged throughout.

Probably would have been better off reading a select poems edition. Sorry Pablo.

~My soul is born on the shore of your eyes of mourning. In your eyes of mourning the land of dreams begins.~

I absolutely love poetry. Especially poetry that can make you feel so much. This was one of those books. I loved it! While it was heartbreaking, it was beautiful. Absolutely stunning

I feel like this should be renamed “Twenty one Love Songs of Despair”. There was a sadness and solitude in so many of the poems that stick out to me. My favorite was “Here I Love You” and a close second is “The Song of Despair”. In the introduction, Garcia says that Neruda’s poems are more intuitive than intellectual, and I appreciated that about them. Whenever I read poetry that moves me but it’s translated, I can’t help but wonder how much it would strike me if I read the original. Even the title of my favorite poem, “Aquì Te Amo” has a different vibe in English. Regardless of the language, Neruda’s poetry is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more.

"I no longer love her. that is certain, but maybe I love her. Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

really, really, really not my type of poetry at all.
emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.5
‘love is short forgetting is so long’
im pretty sure the translation of this i read took sm beauty out of it i wanna read some other ones

Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada es un libro de poemas del poeta chileno Pablo Neruda, publicado en 1924. Es uno de los libros de poesía más populares y traducidos del mundo, y ha sido elogiado por su belleza, su pasión y su sinceridad.
El libro consta de 20 poemas de amor, que abarcan un amplio espectro de emociones, desde la pasión y el deseo hasta la tristeza y la pérdida. El poeta utiliza imágenes y metáforas vívidas para expresar sus sentimientos, y crea un mundo de amor y sensualidad que es a la vez real y trascendente.
El poema más famoso del libro es "Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche", que expresa la profunda tristeza del poeta por la pérdida de un amor. Otros poemas destacados incluyen "Te amo como la planta que no florece", "Cuántas veces te amé", y "La canción desesperada".
Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada es una obra maestra de la poesía del amor. Es un libro que ha cautivado a lectores de todo el mundo, y que sigue siendo tan relevante hoy como lo fue cuando se publicó por primera vez.
Algunos de los aspectos más destacados del libro son:
Su belleza poética: los poemas de Neruda son ricos en imágenes y metáforas, y crean un mundo de amor y sensualidad que es a la vez real y trascendente.
Su sinceridad: Neruda escribe sobre sus sentimientos de amor y pérdida con una franqueza y honestidad que es conmovedora.
Su universalidad: los poemas de Neruda hablan de emociones que son universales, y por eso han sido apreciados por lectores de todo el mundo.
Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada es un libro que no debe perderse ningún amante de la poesía. Es una obra maestra que ha influido en poetas de todo el mundo, y que sigue siendo tan relevante hoy como lo fue cuando se publicó por primera vez.

21 chances to see how many objects and animals can a woman be compared to and the song of despair was understandable.

Top 3 quotes of Pablo being a boob guy:
Your brests seem like white snails
You bring me honeysuckle and even your brests smell of it
Your breast is enough for my heart.

Update: I google him because some of the poetry sounded rapey (women ignoring and not speaking to him was his despair) I didn't want to make random accusations. He admitted to rape in his memoire 40 years ago and nobody cared.