Brown and agile girl, the sun that makes the fruits,

the one who sets the wheat, the one who twists the seaweed,
made your body joyful, your luminous eyes
and your mouth that has the smile of water.

A black and anxious sun rushes over you in the strands.

from the black mane, when you stretch your arms.
You play with the sun as with a stream
and he leaves you in the eyes two dark pools.

Brown and agile girl, nothing brings me closer to you.

Everything about you drives me away, like noon.
You are the delirious youth of the bee,
the intoxication of the wave, the strength of the spike.

My shadowy heart seeks you, nevertheless,

And I love your joyful body, your carefree and slender voice.
Sweet and definitive brown butterfly
like the wheat field and the sun, the poppy and the water.
[Link]
Pablo Neruda (Parral, Chile, 1904–Santiago de Chile, 1973) is one of the most influential poets of the
Spanish poetry of the 20th century for its thematic and stylistic originality. The poem we are going to comment on

It is number 19 of the poetry collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924); it was his
second book published at the age of twenty; we can deduce his literary vocation very early
and the amazing mastery of poetic language at an early age.
The poem contains an evident loving content. Like many of them, it celebrates love in a tone
exalted, but without hiding a slight gloomy vision that, ultimately, is rejected in the final verses;
many of these poems work like this: initial celebration of the beauty of the beloved and of love and
detailed exposition based on powerful natural images of the reasons for their enrapturement (two
first stanzas); a sliding shadow of doubt over its continuity (third stanza); and,
finally, optimistic ending of the poem with a reaffirmation of love and beauty (fourth stanza).
In the first stanza, the poetic speaker asserts that the beauty of the beloved woman is of natural origin;
Indeed, it is the sun that has endowed her with beauty. And it points out three aspects of her beauty: body, eyes, and

mouth; we are, then, faced with a sensitive and sensory beauty, nothing platonic or spiritual. The adjectivation
it refers to colors ('brunette', 'bright', 'of the water', meaning, transparent) and to a characteristic
dynamic: "agile", referred to "girl", the first word of the poem and its true thematic core. We will see
that movement is an important part of the content of the poem.
In the second verse, the secondary protagonist is the sun, which surrenders to the beauty of the 'girl'. In its
in the first appearance, the sun "rolls into the strands" of her hair, but only so that the poet can be mesmerized
before her, while he lazily stretches his arms. The sun itself is nothing but a reflection of the poet, it
what we capture very well when he describes the sun as 'black' (note the paradox, explainable by your
exaltation) and "anxious", which is nothing more than a veil of the impatience of the poetic self.

When it is stated in verse 7 'You play with the sun as with a stream' it is somewhat enigmatic; does it refer to
"stream" or "estuary"?; both images are powerful and it is likely that the poet himself plays with
the polysemy of the word. Whatever it may be, what is clear is that the woman is more powerful
that the sun, which manages at will. A process of deification has taken place. The 'two dark
"pools" (v.8) that remain in her eyes show her mystery, her secret, attractive and fearsome.
equally, it seems to want to tell us.
The third verse begins like the first: 'Dark-haired and agile girl.' It would seem that the message would be
redundant and emphatic, but the opposite happens: the poetic self admits that nothing brings it closer to her and everything

it moves her away (note the double antithesis, of great expressive force). Then he applies to the woman three

nouns that reflect only their emotional state: youth delirium, intoxication, and strength. What the
the poet perceives his impressions of ecstasy provoked by the contemplation of the girl,
added to her anxiety because she is moving away visibly. Why? She prefers to omit the cause; perhaps her
disinterest, perhaps ennui.
In the fourth stanza, there is a 'however' that allows us to understand the movement of the
emotions of the poetic self: knows that she is moving away, but does not resign. Confesses that 'my gloomy heart
"I seek you" (v. 13) and "I love your body... and your voice..." (v. 14), which reaffirms our perception of their state.

from rapture once seized, now cautious. The last two verses form a statement without
verb. It is a way of expressing the essence of the beauty of that 'girl', who is compared to or identified with

butterfly, wheat field, sun, poppy, and water. Wheat, sun, and water are metaphorical terms that already
they had previously appeared, but not "butterfly" and "poppy": the former refers to movement, to
transit, perhaps ephemeral, from one place to another; now the adjective "agile" applied to the woman makes sense;
second, it refers us to chromatic and visual images of great depth; the intense red of that flower,
her way of standing out in the green or yellow field makes her unique. The last two verses are a
a way of saying, from the poetic self: I love you just the way you are, even though I know it might be
a chimera.
As is often verified in Neruda's poetry, the natural images are dazzling and intense;
they create astonishment for a reader more accustomed to a more conceptual and, in a way, artificial poetry.
It is a way for us to communicate that everything that happens in our heart and mind has a
external correlate; while we observe the world, it exists as "correspondences" (Baudelaire, in the background)
between the internal, emotional reality, and the external, natural, sensory.
Neruda employs stanzas of four Alexandrine verses with assonant rhyme in the even lines. This formula,
of extensive verses, allows for a detailed description of a 'brunette and agile girl' and explains

reasonably a state of mind, that of overwhelming love, which otherwise would be very
difficult, without losing the poetic concentration that the limit of four stanzas imposes. Strophic brevity
and quite a long verse forms a perfect and rigorous combination of great communicative effectiveness.
Post-romantic and modernist echoes frequently manifest: intense subjectivism, although
restrained (the verbs in the first person do not appear until the third stanza); exaltation of love
as an overpowering superior force; and, ultimately, a correlation of feelings with natural elements that,
In a way, they lament the poetic suffering, seemingly misunderstood by the beloved.
set offers a beautiful and original poetic composition celebrating beauty, life, and
love, even if it ends in frustration.

[Link] PROPOSAL
The proposed activities can be done orally or in writing, individually or in small groups.
group, in class or in homework.

2.1. Reading comprehension

a) Resuma el poema con cierta brevedad. Indique su tema en un enunciado compendioso e indique sus
thematic sections.
b) Analyze the metric, rhyme, and strophic aspects of it.
c) Interpret some stylistic resources and how they contribute meaning to the poem.
d) By the date of writing, show why it could be claimed that the poem is post-romantic and late.
modernist.

2.2. Interpretation and analytical thinking

a) Love and passion often merge or confuse. Does this happen in this poem?
b) List all the natural elements that appear in the poem and identify the image that
They produce, according to the stylistic resource used (personification, simile, metaphor, metonymy, etc.). Evaluate
its originality.
c) Is this poem realistic or idealistic? In other words, does true and lasting love exist?
eternal nature?

2.3. Project-Based Learning (PBL)

The recitation of the poem is a very meaningful exercise; it can be accompanied by music and imagery.
slideshow mode.
–Make a presentation about Pablo Neruda and his literary production, using a poster or through other media.

digital, implies a lasting meaningful learning.

2.4. Promoting creativity

a) Write a literary text, in any genre, on the theme of love.

b) The life of Pablo Neruda presents important contradictions. He abandoned under conditions
lamentable to his wife Maruca and to his daughter Malva, who suffered from hydrocephalus and died as a child, without the

father's care. Investigate this episode and transform it into a story or small drama.
Transcript of DARK AND AGILE GIRL
BROWN AND AGILE GIRL By: Hagia Sofia Schulz and Maria Jose Leiva Brown and agile girl, the sun that
the fruits
He who cuts the wheat, he who twists the garlic
Hi, your cheerful body, your luminous eyes
And your mouth that has the smile of water. Brunette and agile girl, the sun that makes the fruits,
The one who curdles the wheat, the one who twists the seaweed,
It made your body joyful, your luminous eyes
And your mouth that has the smile of water. A black and anxious sun rolls over you in the strands.
from the black mane, when you stretch out your arms.
You play with the sun as with a stream.
And he leaves you in the eyes two dark pools. Brown and agile girl, nothing that comes toward you gets close.
Everything about you distances me, like from noon.

You are the delirious youth of the bee,

The intoxication of the wave, the strength of the ear. My gloomy heart seeks you, however,
And I love your cheerful body, your free and slender voice.
Brown butterfly, sweet and definitive
Like the wheat field and the sun, the poppy and the water. A black and anxious sun wraps around you in the strands.
From the black melon, when you stretch your arms.
You play with the sun like with a star
And he leaves you with two dark remnants in your eyes. Brown and agile girl, nothing brought me closer to you.
Your to-do list wakes me up, like noon
It is the delirious youth of the bee,
The drunkenness of the wave, the strength of the spy. My dark heart seeks you, however,
And I love your joyful body, your loose and slender voice.
Mariposa morena, dulce y definitiva
Like the triangle and the sun, the poppy and the water. Structure The pauses in the poem 'Dark Girl and
Agile, as in other poems, is found at the end of each line and each stanza.

They also appear among the verses, where some commas are found. Rhyme (and stanza) analysis
All the poems written by Pablo Neruda contain free verses; they do not have assonant rhymes, nor
consonants. The only exception occurs in the second stanza when Neruda rhymes arms with still waters:

A black and anxious sun rolls over you in the strands

From the black mane, when you stretch your arms.

You play with the sun like with a stream.

And he leaves you in the eyes two dark pools" Internal Structure The theme that Pablo Neruda touches on in his
Poem number 19 is the love towards the woman, her beloved; this is demonstrated in his comparisons of
beauty towards earthly things, and how difficult it is to approach love that does not correspond to you. Matter The
the poem 'Dark and Agile Girl' describes through many metaphors a woman of good physical appearance and
of cheerful and youthful personality. But, even with her lively personality, the woman comes across as distant.
towards the poet's love, implying that it distances or rejects the love of the same. Introduction:
Pablo Neruda introduces us to his poem describing the 'Brunette and Agile Girl' as someone created by
the sun (first stanza). A lively and cheerful woman; these qualities with those of the sun, proposing that the
woman in herself is a symbol derived from the sun.

"Brown and agile girl, the sun that ripens the fruits, the one that matures the wheat,
the one who twists the seaweed, Made your body joyful, your luminous eyes
And your mouth that has the smile of water." Development: The description about her continues:
You play with the sun like a stream...
description presents the image of a young woman with a lot of energy, joy, and charm. Climax: The poem
it reaches its climax when Pablo Neruda expresses his sadness at not being able to get close to his beloved, since
she demonstrates distance towards him.

Everything about you distances me, like from noon...

My gloomy heart seeks you...

This occurs in the third stanza, and the first verses of the fourth stanza. BRIEF Summary Pablo Neruda
expresses his sadness at not being able to approach his beloved, who possesses not only great beauty, but also
she is a person: joyful, charming, youthful, and very cheerful. LITERARY FIGURES Portrait: 'Girl
dark and agile...

From the black mane...

You are the delirious youth of the bee.
And I love your joyful body, your free and slender voice,
“Dark butterfly, sweet and definitive,”
like the wheat field and the sun... Simile: "You play with the sun like with a stream,"
Everything about you distances me, like noon.
“Like the wheat field and the sun, the poppy and the water.” Personification:
"The sun that makes the fruits,"
"The smile of the water."
"A black and anxious sun rolls over you in the strands,"
“La embriaguez de la ola,”
My gloomy heart seeks you,
“…your voice loose and thin.” Metaphors:
 You are the delirious youth of the bee / the intoxication of the wave, the strength of the ear.
"Brown butterfly, sweet and definitive" Paradox
A black sun...

Hyperbole
“…your luminous eyes” Bibliography Neruda, Pablo. 20 Love Poems And A Desperate Song.
San Salvador: Clasicos Roxil, 1999. Print. Tone: The tone is one of admiration, as the poet admires the
youth, the joy and the liveliness that the young person has. Even when she says that she pushes him away, the poet seems
admiring this quality, as if it were the very distance that continues to drive their love. Atmosphere:
The atmosphere created by Pablo Neruda is calm, peaceful, joyful, (the description of the sun and the light and its
similarity with the young woman) and at times it becomes sad. She can also be quiet and distant,
contributing to the tone of admiration contained in the poem. Thank you for your attention.

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