Published in 1959, this collection consists of one hundred poems dedicated to the author’s wife, Matilde Urrutia. The sonnets follow a structured progression through the times of the day: morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Rather than utilizing traditional rhyme schemes, the text focuses on the physical presence of the beloved through metaphors of the natural world, specifically the earth, sea, and flora of Chile. The verses detail the domesticity of shared life alongside the raw, sensory experiences of physical desire and the cyclical patterns of nature.
Readers interested in the structural mechanics of poetry and the evolution of the sonnet form use this book to study how imagery replaces rigid meter. It attracts those seeking a realistic depiction of long-term intimacy that includes both domestic quietude and intense passion. The reader walks away with a vocabulary for describing affection through elemental symbols like wood, fire, and salt. It provides a framework for understanding how private devotion can be articulated using the landscape as a primary linguistic tool.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and open-ended; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1959
- Language
- EN
