Readers familiar with Neruda’s verse may not find themselves expecting such a clear, candid, and evocative piece from the poet. It stands in contrast to his many wonderful love poems, and readers may find themselves feeling that they’ve just read one of his best.
Throughout his career, Neruda was deeply involved in politics, even serving as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party. The beliefs he expresses in this poem about the importance of peace can be seen in his efforts towards social justice.
Explore Keeping Quiet
- 1 Summary
- 2 Structure and Form
- 3 Literary Devices
- 4 Detailed Analysis
Summary
‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda is a powerful poem about the human condition.
In the first part of this poem, the poet poses a possible solution to humanity’s issues. We could all pause for twelve seconds, doing nothing and saying nothing, and in this pause, we might come to understand one another better. He believes that humanity’s constant need to move forward has come at the cost of not understanding ourselves.
The Poem Analysis Take
Expert Insights by Emma Baldwin
B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories
As an avid reader of Neruda's love poetry, this piece struck me as particularly noteworthy. It allows readers a new way to look at Neruda's work while also enjoying the same skillful language that he uses throughout his better-known poems. Rather than speaking about love or to a lover, he engages the reader in a deep consideration of humanity's flaws.
Structure and Form
‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda is an eight-stanza poem that is divided into uneven sets of lines. The poet uses one, two, three, four, six, and seven-line stanzas at different times throughout this poem. Neruda originally write in English and the version of the poem analyzed below was translated by Alastair Reid.
Literary Devices
In this poem, the poet makes use of a few different literary devices. For example:
- Enjambment: This can be seen when the poet transitions from one line to the next without finishing a thought. For example, the transition between lines one, two, and three in stanza one.
- Caesura: This occurs when the poet adds a pause in the middle of a line of verse. For example, “without rush, without engines.”
- Alliteration: This can be seen when the poet repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “clean clothes” in stanza four.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
Now we will count to twelve
(…)
and not move our arms so much.
The first beautiful stanza of the poem addresses the people of Earth. Neruda imagines a time in which everyone stops moving and stops talking, and everyone counts to “twelve.”
In this stillness, we’ll not speak “any language.” This is a break that’s perfect for reflection and allows for a time of stillness. Neruda’s speaker, who is likely the poet himself, clearly feels that the world would benefit from such a pause. It’s long enough of a pause to make everyone be still for a moment but not long enough to impede the course of life.
Stanza Two
It would be an exotic moment
(…)
in a sudden strangeness.
In the second stanza, which is only four lines long, the poet describes what this moment would be like. He imagines it would be “exotic” and “without rush” or “engines.” It would be something that the human race had never known before.
The world would also be unified at this moment in a way that was new. The quiet might allow people to feel connected and “be together” in a strange and sudden way, he adds, and some profound realizations could occur at this time.
Stanza Three
Fishermen in the cold sea
(…)
would not look at his hurt hands.
In the next stanza, the poet describes what wouldn’t happen during these twelve seconds if the world was still and kept quiet. The fishermen in the sea couldn’t hunt whales and the man working hard in the salt mines “gathering salt / would not look at his hurt hands.”
This refers to the two of the limitless experiences that would be paused for these twelve seconds and are only the beginning of Neruda’s exploration of what this pause could bring along with it.
Stanza Four
Those who prepare green wars,
(…)
in the shade, doing nothing.
The fourth stanza is similar to the third in that the poet is describing what’s going on the world and how the twelve seconds would influence what people are doing.
Briefly, he notes, people would not start or continue wars. They would “put on clean clothes” and walk among those they’d prefer to fight “ in the shade, doing nothing.”
This is a beautiful and idealistic image, the brevity of which makes it all the more powerful. Neruda’s speaker knows that asking for peace and quiet is too much to ask. Instead, all he’s asking for is twelve seconds of it so people have a chance to put aside their desires and frustrations and just exist.
Stanzas Five and Six
What I want should not be confused
(…)Life is what it is about…
The fifth stanza is two lines long, and the sixth is one. The poet writes that it’s important not to think that he wants “total inactivity” in this silence. Instead, what he wants is entirely “about” “Life.”
The sixth stanza is the only one-line stanza in the entire poem, something that was certainly not accidental. The poet wanted to draw the reader’s attention to this phrase in order to make them focus on “Life” and what follows the ellipse.
Stanza Seven
If we were not so single-minded
(…)
and of threatening ourselves with
death.
The seventh stanza is the longest of the poem. The poet explores his feelings about the meaning of the 12-second silence and what it could mean for the people of the world.
He feels that people are far too “single-minded” in their pursuit of keeping their lives moving. It could benefit humanity exponentially to “do nothing.” A “huge silence,” such as that he’s alluding to, might “interrupt this sadness” of not understanding ourselves and “of threatening ourselves with / death.”
In this incredibly important part of the poem, the poet is alluding to something that he feels plagues humanity — a lack of understanding and an inherent desire to drive ourselves toward unsustainable futures. While Neruda is not thinking directly of suicide, he could be including it in the equation here.
It’s in the stillness, he says, that we might come to a better understanding of who we are, why we’re here, and what we should do with the life that we’ve been given. The constant movement and striving forward impedes that knowledge.
Stanza Eight
Now I’ll count up to twelve
(…)
In the final two lines, the poet says that he’s going to “count” up to “twelve,” as previously indicated, and you (a reference to all of humanity) will “keep quiet,” and he will go. After the silence is over, he’ll go about his life, and “you” will go about “yours.”
Life has to continue on, he knows, but hopefully with a better insight into life, purpose, and ourselves.
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