Poem XIII: I Have Gone Marking By

Pablo NerudaJonathan Caballero

IB English III

Step 1: Title

• “I Have Gone Marking”

• What does the title make you infer what the poem will be about?

• The speaker is out hunting (marking) for someone to love.

• He is desperate to find someone with whom he can have a relationship with.

• The speaker will try to lure the lover in possibly by seduction.

Step 2: Paraphrase

Literal • Lines 1-4

• I have gone marking the atlas of your body

with crosses of fire.

My mouth went across: a spider, trying to

hide.

In you, behind you, timid, driven by thirst

Paraphrase• I have marked the outline of your body

like a map.

• With crosses of fire.

• My mouth went across like a spider trying to hide.

• It hides inside of you, behind you, shy, driven by a sexual lust.

• Atlas: book of charts and maps

Lines 5-8

• Stories to tell you on the shore of

evening,

sad and gentle doll, so that you should

not be sad.

A swan, a tree, something far away and

happy.

The season of grapes, the ripe and

fruitful season.

• I’m trying to think of stories to entertain you.

• Sad and innocent, so that you can perk up.

• A swan, a tree, something far away and happy.The season of grapes, the ripe and fruitful season.

Lines 9-12

• I who lived in a harbor from which I

loved you.

The solitude crossed with dream and

with silence.

Penned up between the sea and

sadness.

Soundless, delirious, between two

motionless gondoliers.

• I lived far away on a harbor from which I loved you.

• The loneliness etched with longing and silence.

• Stuck between the sea and sadness.

• My words cannot reach you, between two motionless gondoliers.

• Gondolier: someone who propels a gondola which is a long, narrow boat propelled by a single oar.

Lines 13- 19

• Between the lips and the voice

something goes dying.

Something with the wings of a bird,

something of anguish and oblivion.

The way nets cannot hold water.

My toy doll, only a few drops are left

trembling.

Even so, something sings in these

fugitive words.

Something sings, something climbs to

my ravenous mouth.

Oh to be able to celebrate you with all

the words of joy.

• My words are not able to come out.

• They are very important, full of never ending extreme sadness.

• Like nets that cannot hold water.

• My innocent lover, only a few words are waiting to come out.

• Something very heartfelt fills these words.

• Something sings, the words are about to come out.

• To be able to praise you with all of words filled with passion and joy.

Lines 20-23

• Sing, burn, flee, like a belfry at the

hands of a madman.

My sad tenderness, what comes over

you all at once?

When I have reached the most awesome

and the coldest summit

my heart closes like a nocturnal flower.

• Let my words be free, like a person frantically ringing a bell tower.

• What sadness overcomes you?

• When I’ve reached the peak of isolation.

• My heart closes at night.

• Belfry: a bell tower

Step 3: Connotations

• Color scheme of major motifs:

• Distance

• Passion

• Nature Imagery

• Nautical Imagery

Lines 1-4

• I have gone marking the atlas of your

body

with crosses of fire.

My mouth went across: a spider, trying

to hide.

In you, behind you, timid, driven by

thirst.

• L. 1-2: Imagery/Metaphor- an image is created of the speaker marking the outline of his lover’s body with crosses of fire which represents his flaming passion.

• Compares lover’s body to an atlas, as something he can explore.

• L. 3: Metaphor- compares speaker’s tongue to a spider trying to hide inside of the lover.

• L. 4: Imagery- the spider trying to hide inside of her represents his strong desires and sexual urges.

Lines 5-8

• Stories to tell you on the shore of

evening,

sad and gentle doll, so that you should

not be sad.

A swan, a tree, something far away and

happy.

The season of grapes, the ripe and

fruitful season.

• L. 6: Symbolism/Metaphor- compares the lover to a doll which symbolizes innocence.

• L. 7-8: Nature Imagery/Symbolism- The speaker tell stories of far away things and explains how the lover needs to be like a swan and fly away from her sadness.

• The speaker continues to tell his lover stories to cheer her up based on the season of grapes, ripe and fruitful which symbolizes her fertility.

Lines 9-12

• I who lived in a harbor from which I

loved you.

The solitude crossed with dream and

with silence.

Penned up between the sea and

sadness.

Soundless, delirious, between two

motionless gondoliers.

• L. 9-12: Imagery: The speakers is loving her from somewhere afar.

• He is trapped in the harbor unable to say what he wants to say to express his love.

• The speaker is trapped between two gondoliers, the sea, and his sadness.

• He not only is far away from her but he cannot have an emotional connection with her. He feels distanced from the love emotionally.

Lines 13-19 • Between the lips and the voice something

goes dying.

Something with the wings of a bird,

something of anguish and oblivion.

The way nets cannot hold water.

My toy doll, only a few drops are left

trembling.

Even so, something sings in these fugitive

words.

Something sings, something climbs to my

ravenous mouth.

Oh to be able to celebrate you with all the

words of joy.

• L. 13-15: Personification/Metaphor- gives something (emotions) the ability to be mortal and die.

• Compares his emotions to the wings of a bird which means that the speaker is able to connect with his lover physically but not emotionally.

• Nautical Imagery/Metaphor- when he tries to connect emotionally with her he fails just like the way nets cannot hold water.

• L. 16-19: Symbolism/Metaphor- compares the lover to a doll which represents her innocence and purity.

• He tries to say something to his lover and the few words that spill out starts to give the speaker a sense of enlightenment.

• The speaker is able to finally speak to his lover and connect with her emotionally.

Lines 20-23

• Sing, burn, flee, like a belfry at the

hands of a madman.

My sad tenderness, what comes over

you all at once?

When I have reached the most awesome

and the coldest summit

my heart closes like a nocturnal flower.

• L.20: Simile- compares his passion to a madman frantically ringing a bell tower.

• L. 21-23- The speaker’s words and emotions finally reach the lover.

• When he reaches the peak or the climax of the summit it means the reader reached the peak at which he could connect emotionally and physically to the lover.

• Once he reaches his climax he feels as if his emotions are one with the lover and he closes himself off to others.

Step 4: Attitude

• Tone- Throughout the poem the speaker feels as if he cannot reach his lover emotionally. This sets a tone of longing and sadness that he is far away from connecting with her in this way. Near the end of the poem he finally makes an emotional connection and this sets a passionate tone of euphoria and accomplishment now that their relationship has reached its apex and he closes himself off from others.

Step 5: Shifts• I who lived in a harbor from which I loved you.

The solitude crossed with dream and with

silence.

Penned up between the sea and sadness.

Soundless, delirious, between two motionless

gondoliers.

• Sing, burn, flee, like a belfry at the hands of a

madman.

My sad tenderness, what comes over you all

at once?

When I have reached the most awesome and

the coldest summit

my heart closes like a nocturnal flower.

• There is a shift in the poem in Lines 9-19 where the speaker transitions from talking about his strong sexual desires for the lover and wanting to make her happy to a mournful mood where he is lamenting the fact that he has not connected with her emotionally.

• Another shift occurs in lines 20-23 when the speaker is finally able to emotionally connect with the reader and their relationship finally reaches its highest point. It brings back a passionate mood of feeling happy about his relationship with his lover like in the beginning of the poem.

Step 6: Title Revision

• “I Have Gone Marking”

• After analyzing the poem does your definition of the title change?

• The speaker is able to mark his lover with his passion and words as he is already marked to her.

• Finally makes a strong emotional connection with someone.

Step 7: Theme

• Speaker=Pablo Neruda

• Topics seen: Desire/passion

Longing

• Theme: A relationship is not only about a physical connection but also having a good emotional connection with the significant other which leads to having a happy and strong bond with someone.

Bibliography

• Neruda, Pablo. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. Trans. W. S. Merwin. Comp. Cristina Garcia. New York: Penguin Classics, 2004. Print.

• "Ruekberg - Neruda Analysis Class of 2012." Ruekberg - Neruda Analysis Class of 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://schoolcenter.hilton.k12.ny.us/education/components/board/default.php?sectiondetailid=31248&postid=6578>.