In this exercise, you need to read Poema 20 by Pablo Neruda on page 33, and answer these questions.

1. Who is speaking in this poem?

You could write:

*En este poema, habla Pablo Neruda, o su narrador.*
In this poem, Pablo Neruda is speaking, or his narrator.

2. Who is the poet talking about?

You could write:

*Está hablando de su ex amante.*
He is talking about his ex lover.

3. What is the theme of the poem?

You could write:

*El tema del poema es desamor y olvido.*
The theme of the poem is heartbreak and forgetting.

4. What time of day is it?

You could write:

*Es de noche, el poeta lo describe en los primeros versos.*
It’s nighttime, the poet describes it in the first verses.

5. Is the poet still in love? Give an example from the poem.

You could write:

*No, el poeta no está enamorado. En la línea 23, dice “Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise”.*
No, the poet is not in love. On line 23, he says “I don’t love her anymore, that is true, but I have loved her so”.

In this exercise, you need to read Poema 20 by Pablo Neruda on page 33, and then answer the questions.

1. What personifications does the poem have, and what effect do they produce? Explain your answer.

You could write:

*El poema dice que “tiritan azules los astros a lo lejos” y “el viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta”, y esto produce el efecto de hacerle sentir al lector que está en una noche fría y solitaria.*

The poem says that “the stars tremble blue in the distance” and “the night wind twirls and sings in the sky”, and this produces the effect of making the reader feel like they’re in a cold, lonely night.

2. Are repetitions important in the poem? Explain why.

You could write:

*Las repeticiones son importantes en el poema para hacer énfasis en el sentimiento del poeta. Usa las repeticiones para que sepamos qué cosas son las que más le importan.*
Repetition is important in the poem to make emphasis in the poet’s feelings. He uses repetition to let us know which things he cares about the most.

3. The poetic voice talks about his lover, but isn’t speaking directly to her. Who do you think the poetic voice is addressing in this case?

You could write:

*La voz poética puede estarle hablando a un amigo, o a alguien en quien confíe, o a la noche.*
The poetic voice could be talking to a friend, or to someone he trusts, or to the night.

4. What feelings does the poem evoke in readers?

You could write:

*El poema provoca sentimientos de tristeza y melancolía en los lectores.*
The poem evokes feelings of sadness and melancholy in the readers.

In this exercise, you need to read Poema 20 by Pablo Neruda, on page 33, and then answer the questions.

1. How does the poet feel? Give an example from the poem.

You could write:

*El poeta se siente solo. En las líneas 18-20, dice: “Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido. / Como para acercarla, mi mirada la busca. / Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo”.*

The poet feels lonely. On lines 18-20, he says: “My soul isn’t satisfied with losing her. / As if it would bring her closer, my gaze looks for her. / My heart looks for her, and she is not with me”.

2. Is it important that it’s nighttime? Reason your answer.

You could write:

*Sí, es importante, porque la noche le da una atmósfera más triste al poema. Todo está oscuro y confuso. Si fuera de día, la luz sería más esperanzadora.*

Yes, it’s important, because the night gives the poem a sadder atmosphere. Everything is dark and confusing. If it were daytime, the light would bring more hope.

3. Explain this verse with your own words: “Love is so short, and oblivion so long”.

You could write:

*Ese verso significa que uno puede amar por muy poco tiempo, y luego pasar mucho más tiempo tratando de olvidar a esa persona cuando no la ve más.*

That verse means that one can love for a very short time, then spend a lot more time trying to forget that person when you don’t see them anymore.

4. At one point, the poet states: “I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too”, and then, a bit later, he writes: “She loved me, and sometimes I loved her too”. Explain the meaning of these verses and their relevance to the poem.

You could write:

*Estos versos indican que el poeta y su amada no tenían una relación ideal. Tal vez a veces peleaban, o no estaban de acuerdo, o se distanciaban. Pero a pesar de esas diferencias, se querían igual.*

These verses indicate that the poet and his lover didn’t have an ideal relationship. Maybe they argued sometimes, or disagreed, or became distant. But despite these differences, they loved each other just the same.

In this exercise, you need to work in pairs and imagine what the woman from Poema 20 is like. Describe her physical appearance, her personality and hobbies.

You could write:

*La mujer del poema se llama Vanesa. Es alta y fuerte, con cabello largo y oscuro. Sus ojos son negros como la noche. Es una mujer segura y ambiciosa, y quiere un amante que le de seguridad. Le gusta leer, y bailar música jazz.*

The woman in the poem is called Vanesa. She’s tall and strong, with long dark hair. Her eyes are dark as night. She’s a confident and ambitious woman, and she wants a lover that brings her security. She likes to read and dance to jazz music.

In this exercise, you need to work in pairs to imagine the love story between the poet from Poema 20 and his lover, and write a conversation in which they say goodbye forever, inspired by some verses from the poem.

You could write:

* **Ella**: Tengo que decirte la verdad. Ya no puedo estar más contigo.
**Él**: Mi amor, ¿por qué me dices eso?
**Ella**: Necesito irme a otra ciudad, y buscar el amor de otro. Ya no te quiero igual.
**Él**: Veo dolor en tus grandes ojos. ¿Alguna vez me quisiste?
**Ella**: Te quise, pero ya no. Lo siento. Ya no seremos los mismos.

* **Her**: I need to tell you the truth. I can’t be with you anymore.
**Him**: My love, why do you say this to me?
**Her**: I need to go to another city, and look for someone else’s love. I don’t love you the same way anymore.
**Him**: I see pain in your big eyes. Have you ever loved me?
**Her**: I loved you, but now I don’t. I’m sorry. We won’t be the same anymore.

In this exercise, you need to choose and object and write a brief paragraph attributing human qualities to it.

You could write:

*A la noche, cuando nadie más escucha, mi guitarra me canta una canción con su voz suave. Yo la miro, y ella baila para mí con sus cuerdas como largos cabellos.*

At night, when nobody else listens, my guitar sings a song for me with her soft voice. I look at her, and she dances for me with her strings like long hair.