Student Question
What does the fifth stanza in Pablo Neruda's "Ode to a Beautiful Nude" mean?
Quick answer:
The fifth stanza of Pablo Neruda's "Ode to a Beautiful Nude" describes the luminescence of the nude figure, emphasizing her internal glow rather than reflecting external light. The speaker uses the metaphor of "suffocating snow" to highlight the intense whiteness of her skin, suggesting that her beauty and brightness emanate from within, as if she is "burning inside." This imagery conveys the speaker's awe and admiration for her intrinsic radiance.
This is a poem in praise of the female form and as the speaker in this poem gazes upon the nude who the poem is dedicated to, the tone of wonder, awe and amazement is clear as he contemplates what is to him such pure and unfettered beauty. The whole poem therefore is based around trying to describe this form and the beauty that it holds. In the fourth stanza, for example, the speaker questions of what substance the body of the nude consists to make it react in the light as it does. This leads us into the fifth stanza:
It is not so much light that falls
over the world
extended by your body
its suffocating snow,
as brightness, pouring itself out of you,
as if you were
burning inside.
In this stanza, the poem is talking about the kind of luminescence of the beautiful nude and the way that light seems to be emitted by her body. He describes the whiteness of her skin as "suffocating snow," with the alliteration helping to add impact to this powerful metaphor that is designed to intensifty the whiteness. The speaker clarifies that the nude does not reflect the light of the sun, but rather gives out a "brightness" from inside of her that creates the impression that she is glowing.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.