--- product_id: 1200180 title: "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" price: "$29.00" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/1200180-twenty-love-poems-and-a-song-of-despair store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair **Price:** $29.00 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair - **How much does it cost?** $29.00 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1200180-twenty-love-poems-and-a-song-of-despair) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The most popular work by Chile's Nobel Prize-winning poet, and the subject of Pablo Larraín's acclaimed feature film Neruda starring Gael García Bernal A Penguin Classic When it appeared in 1924, this work launched into the international spotlight a young and unknown poet whose writings would ignite a generation. W. S. Merwin’s incomparable translation faces the original Spanish text. Now in a black-spine Classics edition with an introduction by Cristina Garcia, this book stands as an essential collection that continues to inspire lovers and poets around the world. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Review: A Marriage of Nature and Soul - No one has ever written poems like Pablo Neruda. At least, I've read many of the best poems in the world and no one captures my soul so completely as a romantic Neruda poem. His poems literally give me shivers they are so beautiful. He makes you feel the full depth of love and you might be shocked that these poems were published when Pablo Neruda was only twenty. There is such a mingling of nature and spirit in these poems. He says so casually: "and the leaves fell in the water of your soul." What a beautiful image but whatever does it mean? Sometimes a line of the poems will stand out but you will be mystified although captured. I also love when he says: "my heart closes like a nocturnal flower" definitely meaning something important. You can almost feel the damp earth longing for the warm rays of sun in the morning. Often these poems are better on a second or third reading. The first time you read them you may just be bowled over but the second time you may just be overwhelmed with the vocabulary. But by the third time you read them you may actually start to visualize what Pablo Neruda is saying and suddenly the whole experience starts to be more visual. I consciously try to take time to form the images in my mind which sometimes means I read the poems a bit slower. In this collection you can tell Pablo Neruda is just starting to perfect his craft. Some of the poems have words repeated four times or a phrase will be repeated again and again. The poems are not quite as finely tuned yet. But we can easily forgive him as everything else he says resonates so well with the human soul. Each poem in this collection is a different mood, yet somewhat similar in desire. In the start of this book there is not a feeling that Pablo Neruda has experienced the demolition of love but by the last two poems you know he has. "Clasping my arms like a climbing plant the leaves garnered your voice, that was slow and at peace. Bonfire of awe in which my thirst was burning. Sweet blue hyacinth twisted over my soul." (from "I Remember You As You Were") After watching "The Postman" I became interested in purchasing my first book of Pablo Neruda's poems in 2007. Needless to say I went into the experience with very high expectations. But it wasn't until 2015 (I'm editing this review) that I fully experienced these poems again. At times I was surprised by their complexity. "The moon turns its clockwork dream. The biggest stars look at me with your eyes. And as I love you, the pines in the wind want to sing your name with their leaves of wire." (from "Here I Love You") I expected the poems to be less veiled in mystery and more infused with images of erotic love. Still these poems can be enjoyed for their passionate intimacy and natural sensuality. I will just say one last thing, you will never again think of cherry trees in the same way again after reading this book. ~The Rebecca Review Review: Inimitable - If you're unfamiliar with Neruda, reading this book will give you a hint as to why he won a Nobel Prize. You'll also be amazed when you find he wrote it when he was 19 years old. The presentation of his poetry in this little volume is first-rate. It's printed beautifully on good paper, and the illustrations by Picasso just seem to fit. The parallel text is a welcome touch. I don't know near enough Spanish for my own good, but I can pronounce it. Reading the poems aloud in their original reveals another reason why they work so beautifully. The English translation is a rare combination of accurate and lyrical. This book, in this edition, is a rare jewel. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #68,619 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #11 in Spanish Poetry (Books) #13 in Caribbean & Latin American Poetry (Books) #113 in Love Poems | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 633 Reviews | ## Images ![Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/819YmARDUKL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Marriage of Nature and Soul *by T***W on October 23, 2007* No one has ever written poems like Pablo Neruda. At least, I've read many of the best poems in the world and no one captures my soul so completely as a romantic Neruda poem. His poems literally give me shivers they are so beautiful. He makes you feel the full depth of love and you might be shocked that these poems were published when Pablo Neruda was only twenty. There is such a mingling of nature and spirit in these poems. He says so casually: "and the leaves fell in the water of your soul." What a beautiful image but whatever does it mean? Sometimes a line of the poems will stand out but you will be mystified although captured. I also love when he says: "my heart closes like a nocturnal flower" definitely meaning something important. You can almost feel the damp earth longing for the warm rays of sun in the morning. Often these poems are better on a second or third reading. The first time you read them you may just be bowled over but the second time you may just be overwhelmed with the vocabulary. But by the third time you read them you may actually start to visualize what Pablo Neruda is saying and suddenly the whole experience starts to be more visual. I consciously try to take time to form the images in my mind which sometimes means I read the poems a bit slower. In this collection you can tell Pablo Neruda is just starting to perfect his craft. Some of the poems have words repeated four times or a phrase will be repeated again and again. The poems are not quite as finely tuned yet. But we can easily forgive him as everything else he says resonates so well with the human soul. Each poem in this collection is a different mood, yet somewhat similar in desire. In the start of this book there is not a feeling that Pablo Neruda has experienced the demolition of love but by the last two poems you know he has. "Clasping my arms like a climbing plant the leaves garnered your voice, that was slow and at peace. Bonfire of awe in which my thirst was burning. Sweet blue hyacinth twisted over my soul." (from "I Remember You As You Were") After watching "The Postman" I became interested in purchasing my first book of Pablo Neruda's poems in 2007. Needless to say I went into the experience with very high expectations. But it wasn't until 2015 (I'm editing this review) that I fully experienced these poems again. At times I was surprised by their complexity. "The moon turns its clockwork dream. The biggest stars look at me with your eyes. And as I love you, the pines in the wind want to sing your name with their leaves of wire." (from "Here I Love You") I expected the poems to be less veiled in mystery and more infused with images of erotic love. Still these poems can be enjoyed for their passionate intimacy and natural sensuality. I will just say one last thing, you will never again think of cherry trees in the same way again after reading this book. ~The Rebecca Review ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inimitable *by A***R on August 21, 2013* If you're unfamiliar with Neruda, reading this book will give you a hint as to why he won a Nobel Prize. You'll also be amazed when you find he wrote it when he was 19 years old. The presentation of his poetry in this little volume is first-rate. It's printed beautifully on good paper, and the illustrations by Picasso just seem to fit. The parallel text is a welcome touch. I don't know near enough Spanish for my own good, but I can pronounce it. Reading the poems aloud in their original reveals another reason why they work so beautifully. The English translation is a rare combination of accurate and lyrical. This book, in this edition, is a rare jewel. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful copy of this book. Excellent translations. *by K***R on April 25, 2025* This is a really gorgeous copy of this book with beautiful translations. A great layout with the bilingual poems facing each other. A nice simple, clean format. I also like all of the details in the prologue for those who are unfamiliar with this poet’s work. I bought this for a friend as a going away present. However, I decided to order another copy for myself since it was such a nice translation. ## Frequently Bought Together - Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Spanish and English Edition) - The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems (Bilingual Edition) (English and Spanish Edition) - Love Poems --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/1200180-twenty-love-poems-and-a-song-of-despair](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1200180-twenty-love-poems-and-a-song-of-despair) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*