My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.
Some day I'll join him right there,
but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,
I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.
Ai, I'll not speak of sadness here on earth,
of having lost a companion
who was never servile.
His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine
withholding its authority,
was the friendship of a star, aloof,
with no more intimacy than was called for,
with no exaggerations:
he never climbed all over my clothes
filling me full of his hair or his mange,
he never rubbed up against my knee
like other dogs obsessed with sex.
No, my dog used to gaze at me,
paying me the attention I need,
the attention required
to make a vain person like me understand
that, being a dog, he was wasting time,
but, with those eyes so much purer than mine,
he'd keep on gazing at me
with a look that reserved for me alone
all his sweet and shaggy life,
always near me, never troubling me,
and asking nothing.
Ai, how many times have I envied his tail
as we walked together on the shores of the sea
in the lonely winter of Isla Negra
where the wintering birds filled the sky
and my hairy dog was jumping about
full of the voltage of the sea's movement:
my wandering dog, sniffing away
with his golden tail held high,
face to face with the ocean's spray.
Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.
There are no good-byes for my dog who has died,
and we don't now and never did lie to each other.
So now he's gone and I buried him,
and that's all there is to it.
Notes
Translated, from the Spanish, by Alfred Yankauer
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forgot this..
From guest Adri (contact)
to continue i forgot a couple things. this may only be my view on the poem im not saying im the only person thats right. i just wanted to put my two cents in. all the people on here only say how beautiful his poetry is but do you really understand it? just a thought. i came across this site because i am doing a project on Neruda where i have to analyze his poetry. i thought this would help me but instead it told me what i already knew that Neruda is a magnificent poet with the words he uses to express emotions. lets all try to be a little more insightful on his poetry. -
i dont think anyone on here understands this poem
From guest Adri (contact)
read it a couple more times. savor it, because its not just about a dog that has died and him writing a poem as a memory of his companion. this poem is about self reflection. he is comparing himself to his dog. it is sort of humorous. he is telling the reader that the dog has better character than himself. his dog is selfless and giving. and he on the other hand, as described in the poem, is materialistic and vain! he even says his dog will go to heaven but he believes in a heaven he will never enter. and the rest of the poem is why he won't enter that heaven. he is basically saying he is not a good person and his dog was better than he was. his dog was always giving and asked nothing of him. i believe he is talking about the world today. everyone seems to be materialistic and taking. no one does kind things out of the generosity of their hearts. they expect to be recognized for it when really they should just feel good about themselves. its about self worth not about giving only to take! -
'Small is beautiful' is what makes the essence of this piece of poetry. A wonderful truth prevails through out, taking me to philosophise about the link between the beautiful and the sadness.It is pertinent to note that Neruda chooses to enter the heaven of dog which is just made up of 'beautiful' and 'simple'. Therefore, sadness over the loss of his dog is overwhelming and justified.
However, the theme is not new and striking, marvellous by form though. -
it is strange, back then when mr Neruda was alive, poetry like this would have ben good. but now when one writes a poem about a dog dying, it is not considered one of the best.
i don't understand this, and i never will. the mystery of evolving i guess. -
Lady anairO 2 hours ago
Difference is power, 1204 critiques. said:
AW that is so sad and beautiful. Such loyal friends as men and dogs never part. Very ncie piece, I wish I could applaud it. GREAT JOB, sniff
(replacing an edited comment) Vonny 'Oldpoetry Team' -
Simplicity in sadness is expressed through this poem! Pablo, this is the first poem of yours that I have read. It is really good and full of talent! I am sorry for the loss of your dog! I lost my dog when I was in 6th grade! He was hit by a truck(my dad's)....I wrote a poem in dedication to him and cried the whole time that I typed it up! My horse died the next year of a heart attack. I cried like crazy while writing his poem, and my cat ran away, probably dead, the year before my dog did. She was the sweetest! I wish you the best in the future! Good luck in writing, and I want you to know that your dog loved you very much and showed you its loyalty through the years! You are so lucky to have such an honorable pet!
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I love this poem and Pablo Neruda's simple way with words. I have two cats and I did have a dog that I loved very much. A friend of mine's style of writing has been compared to Pablo Neruda's..now I know what a compliment that was!
Maureen
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this is refreshing. straight up without hidden meanings to take up my time... there's a magnetism to this poem... besides the obvious affinity between me and my cat... the poem draws the reader back for more than one read.
this poem shows the pure love pets have for their masters... totally unconditional. -
The sign of a great poet is to make something great of something so simple...writing about your dog - that is not easy, but he does it without effort, without "big words" and verbosity. That is something I so admire of his work - his ability to write in a metaphorical way that speaks straight to the heart of the ordinary man, and yet also the literature student. Such an endearing poem this is...
Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.
Such profound wisdom in those few lines..dare to be happy, accept the good... Beautiful!
~ Nicolette
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an old friend of mine introduced me to Neruda, but I never had any idea that he was as great as she proclaimed him to be. the simplistic nature of the poetry belies an unrecognized depth of knowledge that I have never seen before in a writer other than Hemingway or Ginsberg. Neruda has a mastery of his "reality" that I envy. beauty, is so much more beautiful when put simply.
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People had recommended Neruda to me for ages, but I had never (for some reason unknown to even myself) never took up his work. Not until I had to read one of his books in original Spanish for my Spanish class - and I was left dumbfounded!
Now I regret all those times I wasted not wanting to read Neruda.
This poem is so awesome. Simple, basic words - Neruda's signature style. Simple images. Simple words and images mourning a lost simplicity of life. The dog is such a beautiful metaphor. -
this poem is so sad but so good
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I don't believe I have ever read any of him poetry before, and I'm not sure why. This was quite a sad peice which I very much enjoyed reading. I will deffinitly be reading more of his work in the near future.
-Ashley,
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Always with dogs, it is their earthiness coupled to some uncanny sense of greatness that captures me, and Voila! Here is Pablo Neruda expressing this so much more clearly than I. The disparagement attached to the term "dog" is typical of us: we always seem to use the purest expressions of love in our epithets though, why, is a great mystery,i.e., Christ and Dog - both give love unconditionally, thus must be used in profanity.
Edited on Feb 13, 6:43 p.m. because ''. -
AAA+
Neruda strips away unnessary words as his this ascend to a roof top garden where one can just rest with idea that somebody has captured a snapshot of one's own life or humanity. -
The love and respect for his dog is evident here. I'm a dog lover and I coould see this dog playing on the beach, running with the waves, looking back to see that his friend hasn't strayed too far away from him.
Unconditional love!
Von
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I think this is the first poem of Pablo Nerudo that I've read. I'm impressed with it's simplicity and down to earth message... a man and his dog, who he loved in his own way. He made his dog seem almost human, no gushiness in his feelings for his friend, just honest matter of fact, and love spoken between each line.
Dee
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