“I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”
— Pablo Neruda · 1904 – 1973Source: Sonnet XVII, One Hundred Love Sonnets, 1959 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence opens Sonnet XVII of Cien sonetos de amor, published by Neruda in 1959.
Understanding the quote
Neruda rejects ornamental similes and presents love as an inward necessity—private, elemental and almost wordless. This is the opening of Sonnet XVII from One Hundred Love Sonnets (1959), where love is lived between shadow and soul rather than displayed.
In the original · Spanish
No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio, o flecha de claveles que propagan fuego: te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras, en secreto, entre la sombra y el alma.
The story behind it
Pablo Neruda was a pen name: he was born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto and took the name in the early 1920s.
Going further
- The era
- In 1959 Neruda published Cien sonetos de amor, written during his relationship with Matilde Urrutia.
- The thinking
- Neruda’s approach uses vivid, concrete images to express private feeling. In practice that means intimate, sensory details instead of grand statements.
- Key word
- Hidden love: love experienced privately, essential and not meant for show.
- Who quoted it
- Lines from this sonnet appear often at weddings, in anthologies and across social media as a favorite love excerpt.
Three challenges to live it
In the app, you pick the one that fits your day, and in the evening you say how it went.
Write a 150–200 word letter to someone you love, avoiding decorative metaphors; focus on how this love changes you from within.
Neruda rejects ornamental comparisons in favor of inward necessity. Writing plainly reveals how love truly lives in your soul.
Sit for 6 minutes in dim light or with your eyes closed; focus on bodily sensations that indicate an inward love, without narrating or judging.
The poem speaks of a love lived 'between the shadow and the soul.' A brief mindful pause helps you feel that inner presence instead of decorating it.
Create a small visual or sound piece (photo, collage, or a 1-minute recording) that evokes a 'dark' necessary love, avoiding floral or gemstone imagery.
Neruda rejects shiny metaphors; making art that steers clear of clichés lets you express the secret depth of love in another medium.
How do you show a love that feels essential rather than decorative?
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