I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:I love you as one loves certain obscure things,secretly, between the shadow and the soul.I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carriesthe light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arosefrom the earth lives dimly in my body.I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,I love you directly without problems or pride:I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,except in this form in which I am not nor are you,so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

In Pablo Neruda’s poem “Sonnet XVII”, it explore love in a deep and quiet way. Instead of describing love as dramatic or passionate, Neruda shows it's hidden and strong. Through metaphors, structure, and language, he presents love as a powerful bond between two people. Rather than focusing on physical beauty, the poem highlights love as something unseen but deeply felt. The poem’s structure and word choices help to show the depth of love. It’s written in free verse, without a set rhythm, making it feel natural and flowing. In the first stanza, neruda rejects traditional love symbols like “a rose of salt” and “an arrow of carnations.” Instead, he compares love to “certain obscure things” and something hidden “between the shadow and the soul.” This suggests that love does not need to be grand or obvious to be meaningful.

Neruda also contrasts different ideas to show how love can be both strong and week. In the second stanza, he compares love to “a plant that doesn’t bloom but carries/the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself.”This means love is like a flower that hasn’t bloomed yet but still holds beauty inside. The phrase “the tight aroma that arose /from the earth lives dilmly in my body” connects love to nature, showing it as something essential and ever-present.

Through its simple structure, soft metaphors, and emotional depth, the poem descirbes love as something quiet but unbreakable. Neruda suggest that true love does not need grand gestures but is found in deep connections, where two souls become one.