Ode to Tomatoes by Pablo Neruda

Ode To Tomatoes 

by 

Pablo Neruda

The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.

About the Author Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was a Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential writers of the 20th century. Born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, Neruda began writing poetry as a child and went on to publish numerous collections throughout his life.

Neruda's poetry was marked by a deep love of nature, a passion for social justice, and an appreciation for the beauty of everyday life. His writing often dealt with themes of love, loss, and political upheaval, and he was known for his use of vivid imagery and surreal metaphors.

In addition to his literary work, Neruda was also a political activist, serving as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party and campaigning for social and economic justice throughout his life. He was forced into exile during the presidency of González Videla, but returned to Chile in 1952 and continued to write and speak out against injustice until his death.

Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971, two years before his death, for his "poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams." His legacy continues to inspire poets, writers, and activists around the world, and his words remain as relevant and powerful today as they were during his lifetime. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential writers of the 20th century 

Summary, Appreciation and Analysis of the Poem, "Ode to Tomatoes"

Neruda's elementary ode "Ode to Tomatoes unveils the dexterity of Nerurda's ode writing.  His expertise manifests his mastery of raising a commonplace object like tomato to sublimity. He exploits the simplicity of language, technique and the object. His language is simple; his technique is simple and he uses a very simple object like tomato as the subject of the poem. The poem presents the pictorial description of tomato salad and various stages of tomato that it undergoes in the kitchen.

It is in fact a metaphorical poem on the relations between two nations Chile and Spain. During the summer season, tomato invades the streets of Chile. The poet describes the abundance of tomatoes in the streets of Chile. This abundance halves the light of summer. It looks as if tomato juice had overflowed the streets of Chile. It alludes to the invasion of Chile by Spain. The tomato juice signals the bloodbath during invasion. In summer the tomatoes are said to have invaded the kitchen. It alludes to how Spain invaded Chile and how the two races were mixed. In lunchtime, tomato shows its presence everywhere on countertops, in glasses and butter dishes. The tomato displays its own light of majesty. However, we must cut the tomato to prepare its salad. It indicates killing of tomato or killing of people during the war. Its wedding to onion indicates the union of the two races by marriages. Its juice and seeds populate the salad. It indicates the mating of the two races and mixed breed coming from it. Tomatoes are mixed with olive oil and pepper and then they are boiled / roasted with parsley and the aroma spreads in the homes and streets. It is again the mixing of the two cultures the Spanish and Chilean culture. Tomato is then made the star of the earth. It is praised for its fertility, complexity, its canals and abundance. The great thing as a gift that tomato offers is that it does not leave any waste. We like it for its coolness and fiery color.