Textuality » 4A Interacting
How is desire for the loved woman presented in Shakespeare's sonnet n.129 and Neruda's sonnet n.11?
Tengo hambre de tu boca, de tu voz, de tu pelo
y por las calles voy sin nutrirme, callado,
no me sostiene el pan, el alba me desquicia,
busco el sonido líquido de tus pies en el día.
Estoy hambriento de tu risa resbalada,
de tus manos color de furioso granero,
tengo hambre de la pálida piedra de tus uñas,
quiero comer tu piel como una intacta almendra.
Quiero comer el rayo quemado en tu hermosura,
la nariz soberana del arrogante rostro,
quiero comer la sombra fugaz de tus pestañas
y hambriento vengo y voy olfateando el crepúsculo
buscándote, buscando tu corazón caliente
como un puma en la soledad de Quitratúe.
In sonnet 11 Pablo Neruda describes his feelings and his desire for the loved woman. Passion is so strong that the man can't find peace and rest. He wanders around seeking his beloved, he can't satisfy his hunger and his needs and he becomes almost like an animal: he himself says that he's similar to a mountain lion that sniffs the air at twilight.
Shakespeare, in sonnet number 129, compares lust to a mad research. He says that it is similar to bait laid on purpose to be taken and to make the taker mad.
This resemble to the above-described behavior of the protagonist of Neruda's poem. He is under control of lust that is making him almost madly wandering around. He doesn't resist against passion, which acquires the chance to be his ruler and to bring away the poet reason, leaving him like a wild and lonely animal.
In both the texts, desire is, so, presented as something that provokes a sense of lack, which can't be satisfied. This lack compels the men to seek the object of that desire to obtain a temporary peace. Peace is, however, destined to come to an end and, as soon as it is finished, men start again their research to fill their emptiness.
The two sonnets agree in defining lust as an unreasonable quest that makes us roam around, but the two speaking characters differently react to this instinct. In sonnet 129, lust is condemned. The poet wants us to fight against it and he is afraid he doesn't know how to escape it. In sonnet 11, instead, the character surrenders to it and gives into it, letting his mind think about the beloved woman.