The Hunter in the Forest by Pablo Neruda
"The Hunter in the Forest" is the opening poem of the fourth section of Pablo Neruda's autobiographical work, *Isla Negra: A Notebook*. This poem explores the theme of humanity's connection to the earth, emphasizing the importance of understanding the natural cycles of decay and regeneration. In this introspective piece, Neruda reflects on the solace found in solitude within the forests of his Chilean upbringing. He articulates a journey towards recognizing the earth as a silent yet profound entity, suggesting that true communication with nature occurs when one embraces both life and death. The imagery in the poem highlights the transformative processes of nature, where death feeds life and the earth is characterized as a nurturing force. Neruda’s quest is deeply personal, focusing on his search for roots that anchor his existence while departing from broader social-political themes. The poem culminates in a surreal image that underscores the mystery and value of life, suggesting that the forces of nature are intertwined with the cosmos in ways that are both complex and beautiful. This work invites readers to consider the interconnectedness of life, death, and the natural world.
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The Hunter in the Forest by Pablo Neruda
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: “El cazador en el bosque,” 1964 (collected in Isla Negra: A Notebook, 1981)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“The Hunter in the Forest” is the opening poem of the fourth section of Isla Negra: A Notebook, Neruda’s deeply introspective autobiography in verse. The section title, “Hunter of Roots,” indicates the necessity for humankind to seek its proper connection with the earth. Only in the natural process of decay and regeneration, Neruda argues, can the fear of death and meaningless disintegration be overcome.
The welcome solitude (as opposed to the earlier sense of alienation) is implicit in the later poems, as the speaker goes into the beloved forests (Neruda grew up in Chile’s woodlands) in order to communicate with the earth, which he finds to be “mute.” The mature poet recognizes that the earth will be silent until he begins to be “dead and living matter.” The earth itself is a vast and secret language that gives birth but that also thrives on death: “Whatever dies, it gathers in/ like an ancient, hungry creature.”
Even the sun “rots/ and the broken gold/ it sheds/ falls into the sack of the jungle” where it is transformed into flour. Although the poet enters the forest “with my roots,” he goes “to look for my roots” in a deeper sense. Parting from the social and political vision of the Canto General, Neruda is alone in this quest for the root that nourishes his blood. In the deep silence that root “creeps on, devouring,” and it drinks water, passing up through the tree the “secret command” of life. The poem ends with the sort of surreal or “deep” image common to the best of Neruda’s writing: “Dark is the work/ that makes the stars green.” The process that makes life, that resurrects and regenerates, is mysterious (dark), but the fact that the stars themselves are green, the color associated with life on earth, suggests that life itself is of the highest value.
Bibliography
Agosín, Marjorie. Pablo Neruda. Translated by Lorraine Roses. Boston: Twayne, 1986.
Dawes, Greg. Verses Against the Darkness: Pablo Neruda’s Poetry and Politics. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 2006.
De Costa, Rene. The Poetry of Pablo Neruda. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1979.
Duran, Manuel, and Margery Safir. Earth Tones. Bloomington: Indiana University, 1980.
Feinstein, Adam. Pablo Neruda: A Passion for Life. New York: Bloomsbury, 2004.
Felstiner, John. Translating Neruda. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1980.
Handley, George B. New World Poetics: Nature and the Adamic Imagination of Whitman, Neruda, and Walcott. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2007.
Longo, Teresa, ed. Pablo Neruda and the U.S. Culture Industry. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Santi, Enrico Maria. Pablo Neruda: The Poetics of Prophecy. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1982.
Teitelboim, Volodia. Neruda: An Intimate Biography. Translated by Beverly J. DeLong-Tonelli. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991.