Pablo Neruda ( July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973). - Keeping Quiet

Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet-diplomat and politician Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto ,who has been hailed as one of the greatest poets of Latin America. He's certainly a favourite of mine. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 10 years old. He wrote in a variety of styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, erotically charged love poems such as the ones in his collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924). His epic masterpiece , Canto General was published in 1950. .He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
From his twenties into his thirties, he was not a man of politics. The turning point in his political development  came in 1936  with the execution in 1936  by a fascist militia of the leftist Federico Garcia Lorca, a fellow poet and dear friend. Thenceforth, Neruda turned anti-Fascist, which in the calculus of the Spanish Civil Wat meant that he became a Communist. He maintained this ideological position  for the rest of his life.
When in 1973 Augusto Pinochet instigated a coup d'etat against the regime of Marxist President Salvador Allende of Chile, Neruda was a prominent target. The circumstances of his death indicate that he had been poisoned, probably on Pinochet's orders. Neruda died soon after he had been injected in the stomach by a doctor..
With currently nowhere to go, nothing to do, streets empty, sky quiet, but for the sound of  birds. I've been  finding solace in a beautiful poem called Keeping Quiet written by Neruda in the 1950;s and published posthumously in the 1974 bilingual collection Extravagaria, his words  reflecting our current world, that sees the global population getting withdrawn into itself by pandemic, as humans step back and focus on surviving day by day.

Pablo Neruda's Keeping Quiet is a contemplative poem that advocates for silence, introspection, and a collective pause in the rush of modern life. Written in simple yet powerful language, the poem is a meditation on the need for self-awareness, human connection, and harmony with nature. Neruda, often known for his politically charged and passionate poetry, takes a more introspective and philosophical stance here, reflecting his concern for the future of humanity and the planet.
So rare is real silence that many people cannot even tolerate it. The void of silence must be filled with sound to keep ourselves from ourselves. In these days of contemplation and increasing self awareness, Neruda's poem acts like a message for our times. In the poem Neruda wishes for a profound silence and stillness that would alleviate the sadness caused by a lack of self understanding  and the threat of self destruction.
The poet  begins with counting twelve urging everyone to be still. He chose ‘twelve` for several reasons. ‘Twelve’ hints at the twelve hours of a day which rules our life. ‘Twelve` refers to twelve zodiac signs believed to be the controlling forces of our lives.‘Twelve` refers to twelve months of a year and if we believe numerology its the digit of peace and prosperity. ‘Twelve` even may be aimed for a preparation for all to be ready to plunge into the state of silence.
The poet  warns us that his message of silence should not be confused with total inactivity or inertia. He further clears that his message does not have any affinity with death even. His message is aimed at the way of living. He wants us to stop a while and feel the calmness so that a positive introspection is done. As the days  ring with uncertainty and fear, who knows,  the future  might deliver to us a new normal. But for now, we have to step back in order to care for each other. May we all be well, and safe, and free from suffering.May we all know peace and happiness. Please be kind to another.  

Keeping Quiet - Pablo Neruda
 

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fisherman in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about...

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems to be dead in winter
and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

  .
—from Extravagaria by Pablo Neruda (translated by Alastair Reid, 1974)

Two earlier posts on Pablo Neruda can be found here :-

https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2009/10/pablo-neruda-july-12-1904-september-23.html

https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2011/01/pablo-neruda-1904-1973-walking-around.html