Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Form and Meter
Before we get too far down the form and meter road, gang, we should acknowledge that this is a poem in translation. Neruda wrote the manuscript for Book of Questions in Spanish (he was Chilean, aft...
Speaker
Our speaker's a pretty curious guy. (And we'll just call him a "guy" here for convenience's sake, since we never really get any bio on him.) He's got questions and, you know, that's understandable....
Setting
We don't get any real geographical setting in this poem. Instead, we like to think of the poem's setting as a little place called "Questionville." That's right; no GPS or map can lead you there. Yo...
Sound Check
As we mention over in "Form and Meter," it's a little tricky to talk about a how a poem is put together when it's written in translation. By the same token, the sounds of Neruda's original Spanish...
What's Up With the Title?
The title of this poem, Shmoopers, is—wait for it—"III." Are you impressed? Well, no, we can't really blame you. You see, this poem is the third poem in Neruda's Book of Questions, which was me...
Calling Card
Sure, Pablo Neruda wrote his fair share of love poems. In fact, he wrote more than his fair share (100 Love Sonnets is just the tip of the iceberg). Another thing wrote about, though, was the run-o...
Tough-o-Meter
Don't be fooled, gang. This may look like a short hike, but the terrain is awfully slippery. With four little questions our speaker puts our brains through their paces. Just make sure to stretch to...
Trivia
Pablo Neruda was just a pen name, one he modeled after the Czech poet, Jan Neruda. His real name was Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto. Yeah, we'd go with Pablo too.(Source) In 1971, Neruda w...
Steaminess Rating
Yes, we have a naked rose, but no it's not sexual—unless contemplating the potentially hidden nature of our reality really floats your boat.