Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda

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Looking for an emotional wedding reading? Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda is the perfect poem for a wedding…

“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.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

See more wedding reading ideas here.

About the author

Written by: Izzy Turner-Hicks

Izzy has been writing about weddings for nearly 10 years. Izzy is recently married and since her big day, she's been able to add her own experience of the planning process to her articles.

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Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda

About the author