Tonight I Can Write

by Pablo Neruda

Start Free Trial

Student Question

What makes the poet in "Tonight I Can Write" unable to forget his love?

Quick answer:

The poet in "Tonight I Can Write" is unable to forget his love because he was deeply enamored with her, and his feelings were stronger than hers. Her departure was one-sided, making it harder for him to move on. He acknowledges that while love is short, forgetting is long, indicating his prolonged struggle to let go.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The narrator of the poem "Tonight I Can Write" is lamenting a love he has lost—this unnamed but vexing and beautiful woman. In the poem, he clearly states that he held a deep and passionate love for her and that "sometimes, she loved me too". This heartbreaking sentiment implies that his feelings were much stronger for her than hers for him, and she has now left him.

He finds it difficult to forget her and move on from the love because he was so deeply enamored of her, and she is still a strong fixture in his life. In the waning lines, he states that love is short, but forgetting is long—meaning it will take him a long time to get over the love he experienced for her. It seems that he is unable to get over her because he never stopped loving her, in spite of what he says in the final stanza. When she left him, it was a one-sided departure, not a mutual decision, and this has made it all the more difficult to end his feelings for her.

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.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial