You do not need to be fluent in Spanish to appreciate that there is a certain, unique Latin passion and you do not need to speak Spanish fluently to enjoy Costa Rica.

These passionate words for a passionate people come from the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda who was once referred to as “… the Picasso of poetry.”

I like to celebrate his birthday (12th July 1904) by reading aloud some carefully selected poems from his book ‘100 Love Sonnets’ (Cien sonetos de amor) accompanied by some romantic background music and a few glasses of slightly chilled, deliciously crisp Chilean wine maybe a Carmeniere…

Que rico!

The English translation is at the bottom…

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.

It’s not quite the same in English but…

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.

silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.

bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day

I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,

your hands the color of a savage harvest,

hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,

hunting for you, for your hot heart,

like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

This translation above by Stephen Tapscott

Neruda’s original name was Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, but he used the pen name Pablo Neruda for over 20 years before adopting it legally in 1946. During this time, Neruda received numerous prestigious awards, including the International Peace Prize in 1950, the Lenin Peace Prize and the Stalin Peace Prize in 1953, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

Neruda died of leukemia in 1973 and he is without doubt, the most widely read of the Spanish American poets. If you wish to set the tone for a romantic and passionate evening for your Spanish speaking lover, may I suggest you read the full ‘sonnet’ out loud?

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.