If You Forget Me (Pablo Neruda read by Madonna)

Poem "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda, read by Madonna.

A tribute to the Poet. The lovely lady in the photograph is Clara Bow from the movie Wings.

If You Forget Me

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Poem
• Poetry
• Pablo
• Neruda
• If
• You
• Forget
• Me
• Madonna
• Clara
• Bow
• Wings
• Love

[pranabdoley1]

words are too limiting to explain the creation of this piece of art.

[papanurgle25]

Work of a Genius ... very deep, direct, and truthful... this is REAL POETRY ... why the hell did I not read this guy in High School ? Damn ... school books always choose lame ass shit, I wish I could have read this for homework instead ... OR AM I WRONG ?

[hibalafoui]

there aren't many poets who touch me as deeply as pablo neruda.

[tangypasta]

Have a look at 'twenty love poems and a song of despair'. I don't know what Neruda was smoking, but i want some of it.

[guyNbluejeans]

Kind of creepy. If you love me all will be fine, but if you drop the ball ... lookout!

[AbsolutGoddess]

@papanurgle25 I was fortunate enough to learn about Neruda and read his poems in high school, though in my spanish class

[JRiveraOfficial]

So Beautiful! Hopefully one day my poetry will be half as good as this!

[TheRehabKat]

I often don't like to have poetry to read out loud.

But, my god, Madonna does a wonderful job of reading this.

This makes me think much of a relastionship I had or have.

One wonders about a 'ghost' still lingering there in the feeling of what was once before.

Then theres the realization that for the moment you can't do anything about it.

It's a beautiful helplessness. You don't feel sad or depressed, just lifted in a way.

You have heart.Best I can describeBut, yeah, Pablo hit that spot on.

[69slope]

@inghlei9000 same here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[78rohan]

Madonna .Pablo Neruda....who knew?

[byngbang]

@thelastone1231 The Nobel* Prize, for one, is awarded by Westerners. Aside from this, Chile was in political turmoil for decades, oppressing its people, while the US was in a state of rapid growth. In other words, your comparison is total shit.