KEEPING QUIET

PABLO NERUDA
Neruda’s credo from his Nobel Prize Speech is
the rationale of this poem. “I believe that
poetry is the nearness to oneself, the nearness
to mankind and to the secret manifestations of
nature. And no less strongly I think that all this
is sustained by an ever wider sense of
community, by an effort, which will forever
bring together the reality and the dreams in us
because it is precisely in this way that poetry
unites and mingles them. All paths lead to the
same goal: to convey to others what we are.
We must pass through solitude and difficulty,
isolation and silence in order to reach forth to
the enchanted place where our conscience in
the awareness of being human and of
believing in a common destiny is reinforced.”

Essence of the poem: The fast moving highly

motorised society of this modern world where
much time is consumed in mechanical and
monotonous tasks to gratify the ego centric
desires, there is a colossal need of a new
paradigm, a collective conscious shift in our
thought process. As human beings, we live our
lives according to certain values that depend
on our perceptions of the world and it is very
common that our paradigms in understanding
the world are extremely narrow minded; we
therefore need to broaden our perceptions.
Mankind needs to undergo the process of
purgation by embracing a profound silence and
enchanting stillness to bond with people
across the globe and also to celebrate the
higher form of existence.

Universal Theme: World Peace is the need of

the hour. Feeling of mutual understanding
among human beings, amity and harmony can
pave way to world peace. Our actions should
unite humanity and bring us close to the secret
manifestations of nature. A sense of global
level community should prevail for a healthy ,
prosperous and secured future.

Subjective Theme: Self analysis,

contemplation, introspection is necessary for
self development. All must pass through
solitude and an enchanting silence for a new
understanding to dawn upon us.

We: We refers to humanity at large.

Count to twelve: Literally, the count to twelve
signifies measure of time representing clock
time.

Significance of twelve: Although, we do not

realise , 12 is associated with many things in
our life. At 12, the hands of clock despite their
differences become one. There are 12 notches
on the face of the clock dividing the day into
two halves of 12 hours. A year scatters into 12
months, twelve planets of solar system, there
are twelve zodiac signs and 12 angels . The
number 12 is mentioned often in New
Testament of the Bible as Jesus’ selection of 12
Apostles. In Greek Mythology, there are 12
prominent Gods

The number 12 is ubiquitous. It is the number

of polarity. This is because it contains both the
numbers 1 and 2 in a unified whole. Thus,
twelve is the number which forms a whole, a
perfect and harmonious unit. Spiritual growth
of human’s life is often symbolised by number
12.

Neruda appeals to the readers to embark upon

the journey from strife, destruction to world
peace, unity and universal brotherhood from
the symbolic number 12. In the science of
numerology, it signifies orderliness ,
completion and spiritual reawakening. .It is
interesting to note that the title of the poem
‘KEEPING QUIET’ sums up to number 12 .

We will all keep still: Pablo Neruda makes an

impassioned plea to humanity to pause for a while
and observe silence and stillness.

For once on the face of the earth: FOS

Personification. This moment of unified silence and
stillness will be observed for the first time on this
earth.

Let’s : FOS Anaphora. The word let’s has been

repeated to create a bond with the readers and to
stress on his point.
Anaphora is the oldest literary device which has its
roots in the Bible. It means repetition of a word or
phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

What is the benefit of not speaking any

language?

When we make use of language we exchange our

thoughts. When we do not speak , there is no
diversity of expressions , no ideological differences
and no communication gap. Apart from this, on a
higher plane, there is a language of exploitation,
discrimination, injustice, inequality and oppression.
The poet urges people to refrain from raging
disputes, absurd reasoning and rasping quarrels to
usher in a moment of extraordinary calm.

Not move our arms so much: Move our arms so

much is a metaphorical expression which construes
that let us not get into any kind of argument,
debated report and repartees. Neruda implores
humanity to abstain from indulging in activities of
destruction and decimation.

Arms: FOS Pun. The pun on the word arms is

suggestive of the fact that let us not indulge in any
kind of warfare with weapons and ammunition.

Arms: FOS Synecdoche. Flailing of arms is a

manifestation of humanity’s aggressive behaviour
which is detrimental to the society. Neruda urges
mankind not to move their arms in order to
concentrate, speculate, retrospect and introspect on
their temporal existence .

Exotic moment: The moment when we count upto

12 will be a moment of bliss and beatitude, elating ,
enticing and euphoric. It would be a moment of
heavenly happiness where materialism will not be
celebrated. A moment of quietude and a moment of
unified movement which will ensue through
suspension of activities. It would be a moment of
commonality shared by humanity.

Rush: Rush symbolises the hubbub of modern life in

this inflated velocity era. People are rushing headlong
to pursue their economical , political , social interests
and ambitions. Thus, life has become mechanical in
this fast moving motorised society. Life cannot be
peaceful with this thoughtless advancement.

Without engines: This metaphorical expression

signifies that humanity is lost in this mechanical
world. Struggle for existence is a precept which has
jeopardised human existence. Man is in fit of rage to
conquer
and attain the apogee of success in terms of material
prosperity has transformed into a machine devoid of
humaneness. Neruda articulates with heavy sarcasm
that man has fallen into the abyss of darkness and
despair.

Together: The poet conveys the commonality of the

shared moment of keeping quiet and of peace when
humanity would be bound together.
Sudden strangeness: FOS Alliteration. This
expression refers to the moment of extraordinary
calm with no rush, no language spoken, no
arguments and no ideological clash. This moment of
silence and inactivity would be observed for the first
time on this earth.

Fishermen: Fishermen stands for professional

hunters and poachers who kill animals for self-
sustenance. It also highlights indiscriminate
exploitation of nature for fulfilment of vested
interests.

Sea: It stands for the natural habitat which is a

haven for the aquatic life.

Whales: Whales stand for those species which are

dwelling on the threshold of extinction as a result of
man’s ego centric desires and greed. Metaphorically ,
it refers to the oppressed class of human beings
which is languishing in ignominious darkness of
subjugation .

Man: Man is a metaphor for humanity which over

utilises natural resources and has invariably resulted
in depletion of natural resources. Man has always put
his desires and gargantuan greed at the altar of
success. He has stooped too low in its pursuit of his
happiness.

Salt: Salt stands for natural resources of this planet.

Hurt hands: FOS Alliteration. Hurt hands stands

for the fact that nature punishes man for his immoral
act. In his haste to attain his economic goals, he
does not identify his follies. Thus, he never stops to
rectify them. Therefore, he rushes headlong towards
his destruction and eventually reaches the
goalmouth of death.

The poor man who is aware that gathering salt

will hurt his hands still follows the occupation
for basic sustenance, pauses to glance how
ironically he salt of the earth has hurt his
hands.

Neruda has created the imagery of life and

sustenance through these lines. Fishermen
killing whales and men gathering salt
propounds man’s age old struggle for
existence.
The poet also mentions about two kinds of
violence. One , that takes away life of a living
being for nefarious reasons and the other
which indirectly causes physical and emotional
violence towards fellow human beings. He
links the pause of time with hope for a
peaceful world saved from environmental
degradation.

Those: Those refers to the politicians, statesmen

and scientists who are involved in initiating and
aggravating warfare.

Green wars: Conflicts caused by environmental

issues and burgeoning population is the root cause of
obvious damage to the atmosphere. Desertification,
loss of habitat and species has engulfed our
existence. It is inevitable that this will lead to armed
conflicts over environmental issues called green wars.

Wars with gas: It refers to Chemical warfare

.Chemical warfare is warfare using the toxic
properties of chemical substances to kill , injure or
incapacitate an enemy.

War with fire: Wars, civil strife and violent activities

triggered by arms and ammunitions.

The poet lays emphasis on the point that

mindless activities of mankind leads to the
misery of never thinking and consequently to
self destruction.
Wars with gas, wars with fire:
Palilogia (derives from Greek palin, “over
again” and logia “speaking”), is a figure of
repetition, by which the same word is repeated
twice or more, without intervening word in
between the repetitive elements. Palilogia is
often employed when the orator aims to
achieve greater emphasis.

Victory with no survivors: FOS Hyperbole.

Victory carries no weight if there is no one to
celebrate it. Victors or warlords fail to view the
fact that warfare originates due to lack of self
understanding. The victory which entails such
wars is futile. There is no one to follow the
ideology , philosophy and no one to accept the
supremacy the warlords seek to establish on.
The poet advances his heavy sarcasm on the
distorted mindset of warlords. He seeks to put
forth that such wars can only etch a
significance only as the victory of scientific
knowledge but that victory when innumerable
lives are lost , would be pointless and
meaningless. The poet wants the makers of
war to cleanse themselves and wipe away ill
will against their brethren.
Clean Clothes: FOS Alliteration. It is a
metaphorical expression which means that human
beings should shed off the idea of destruction,
unhealthy attitude and decimation. He urges
humanity to adopt a new humanitarian way of life
and stimulate positivity all around.

Brothers: Refers to humanity bound together as a

global family.

Walk about with their brothers: Humanity will

emerge as a close knit global community, wherein
people would exchange ideas of world peace,
harmonious existence and universal brotherhood.
This act would foster an ideal situation for
humanity.

Shade: A life or existence filled with positivity ,

tranquillity, hope, amity , celestial benevolence and
imperishable haleness.

Doing nothing: It construes not indulging in any kind

of violence or harm to others. Such a stance shall
eradicate negativity and ego centric attitude and can
serve as a stepping stone to building a cohesive
society and world at large.
Pablo Neruda now nuances the ultimate goal
of human life- preaching and practising
harmonious existence and peaceful
coexistence. Pablo Neruda advocates self
transcendence for a better and safe world.

Total inactivity: Total inactivity is death, the

ultimate quietude of life or the absolute silence- the
end of everything.

Inactivity which Neruda propounds is a

moment of pause and a moment of
extraordinary calm which advances a room for
introspection, reflection and contemplation to
usher in a new understanding of ourselves.

Life is what it is about activity: Life is about

moving on with activities , spreading good will,
remaining anchored to mother nature and believing
in the common destiny of mankind.

No truck with death: FOS Euphemism. The poet

refuses to be associated with death- the total
inactivity. The poet abhors or despises the idea of
death and wants no association with it, for whatever
cause.
Euphemism: A mild or indirect word or expression
substituted for one considered to be too harsh or
blunt when referring to something unpleasant or
embarrassing.

Single minded: Man is single minded about his self

advancement and progress. In a desire to keep our
lives moving , we lose sight of our true goals and in
doing so we reach a point when we have no leisure
to understand ourselves or our fellow human beings.
With a sarcastic and a scathing comment, Neruda
focuses on man’s reckless behaviour . He surges on
his premeditated path heedless to everything.

Sadness: Mankind in its race to attain materialistic

success has sacrificed its emotional needs. People are
engrossed in fulfilling their dreams to an extent that
they are oblivious to the importance of inner
equipoise.

Threatening ourselves with death: Increasing

arms race and rapid advancement at the cost of
nature has brought mankind on the verge of
extinction. He now harbours and celebrates ideas of
destruction and decimation while accomplishing his
self centred desires. The very thought of failure jolts
mankind; his existence is laced by perpetual
insecurities, grave apprehensions and negativity.
Therefore to waive off his fear, he rushes headlong
towards accomplishing his goals.

Perhaps Earth can teach us: The usage of

Visual Imagery lends gravitas to the poem.
According to Neruda,is a symbol from nature
and hence Earth can be a good teacher.
Although the earth appears inactive, it is
selflessly productive. Earth gets cleansed of
trivial discrepancies counting them all as a
part of the process of regeneration and
rejuvenation which it undergoes. Earth also
teaches us to respect each other’s natural and
social habitat. The virtue of humility is also
taught by Earth. Most significantly, it teaches
mankind the virtue of silence and stillness. It
is this silence and apparent stillness which
ensures metamorphosis. This metamorphosis
can only bring about a new change . Similarly,
humans can ascertain a shift in paradigm
through the process of stillness and
introspection.

GAIA THEORY: In Greek mythology, Gaia also

spelled Gaea is the personification of the Earth
and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is
the ancestral mother of all life.To the Greeks,
Gaia was the ultimate goddess of raw,
maternal power. In the beginning, there was
chaos, nebulous ethers waiting to take form.
This primordial landscape awaited direction;
it’s then that the spirit of Gaia arrived to give
structure to the formless and the Earth was
conceived. She became the Earth, birthing all
form of landscape, plant and creature. Though
her creation was majestic, her solitude was
great. In 1970, chemist James Lovelock and
his research partner Lynn Margulis proposed
that the earth is a living being, self-regulating
the elements to sustain life on it. This
revolutionary hypothesis was seen as
heretical, but has since been accepted as fact;
a theory, no longer a hypothesis.
Far beyond the mythological Gaia, the name
has come to represent an all-loving, nurturing
and intelligent cosmic force which oversees life
on earth. To be in a sincere connected
relationship with Gaia, we must acknowledge
her sundry gifts and be open to receive her
wealth of wisdom.

Gaia Theory thus forms the basis of the poem

as it gets nuanced when the poet invokes the
symbol of Earth.
When everything seems dead:FOS Metaphor
Dead here signifies winter. There is a distinctive
stillness in winter. Everything seems dead and frozen,
but life is quietly unfolding deep in the
darkness,decay and degeneration. There’s a great
stillness this time of year. It’s a time of turning
inward. Just like the sun that is reborn at the Winter
Solstice, new possibilities are born within us at this
time of year. The ground may still be covered in
snow but there’s a freshness in the air, a soft
humming in the Earth … deep underground life is
stirring.

Later proves to be alive: FOS Metaphor. This

line suggests the advent of spring. SPRING
ushers in a fresh lease of life on this planet. It
represents positivity, prosperity, abundance, the
season of growth, rejuvenation and renewal. In late
winter we begin to see the very first signs of spring.
The trees begin to bud, crocuses begin poking up
their heads. Philosophers opine, "It is a time of
renewal, new beginnings of life and growth blooming
gloriously and ushering in a renewed sense of energy
brought in to help you focus and move forward in
new, fresh, positive ways."

The poem begins and ends on the same note

but there is a difference: The poem begins with
‘we’ and ends with ‘I’ and ‘you’. It is as though
Neruda had a purpose and message to convey to
humanity. Now that the message has been conveyed,
the poet wishes humanity to carry forward the
message even when he is not around.

Higher Form of Existence: The poet advocates

a higher form of existence which would be
inclusive of harmony, peace , universal
brotherhood, non-violence and humanitarian
approach towards humanity. He buttresses
that we must pass through solitude and
adversity, isolation and stillness and thereby
reach forth to the exotic moment where we
fulfil the most ancient rites of our conscience
in the awareness of being humans and of
believing in a common destiny.

Symbolism
The beautiful ‘Ode to Silence’ is festooned with
a plethora of values and symbols:

1. We- We stands for collective consciousness

and collective responsibility of humanity. It
also harps on the element of inclusivity.
2. Twelve- Cosmic order and spiritual
reawakening

3. Language- Linguistic accoutrements which

aid mankind to indulge in conflict, hostility and
animosity. The poet wants people to be bound
together by the ‘language of silence’.

4. Arms- Arms signify the megalomaniacal

rationale of mankind who perpetrate injustice ,
lawless aggression and egregious crimes
against humanity.

5. Rush and engines- Symbolic of the

mechanistic worldview of mankind divorced
from nature.
Engine is also a symbol of civilization and
scientific advancement.

6. Together- Unified movement , solidarity

and synthesis of thought and action.

7. Fishermen- Proficient hunters and

poachers- the class of oppressors( as
advocated in capitalist economy)
8. Cold sea- Natural habitat for aquatic life
where harmony and peaceful coexistence is
celebrated.

9. Cold- Indifferent , insensitive, callous and

lackadaisical attitude of humanity.

10. Whales- Endangered species- the

oppressed class.( Faint tinge of Capitalist
Economy)

11. Salt- Natural resources which are being

over utilised by mankind for self indulgence.

12. Hurt hands: Nature’s retribution for man’s

misdeeds.

13. Green wars: Wars waged on environmental

issues

14. Wars with gas: Chemical warfare

15. Wars with fire: Wars with arms and

ammunition.
(Wars symbolise human induced catastrophe)

16.Clean clothes: Humanitarian and

philanthropic approach towards life.
17.Shade: A life replete with positivity, amity,
tranquillity and unarmed existence hankering
for peace.

18.Total inactivity: Death- the end of

everything.

19.Sadness- Man’s dejection, insecurities,

ignorance and apathy which envelopes his
psyche and makes him morose.

20.Earth: Symbol of bounteous manifestation

of nature , a prophet

21.Dead: Symbolises winter-The season of

decay and degeneration.
22. Alive: Symbolises spring- The season of
rejuvenation, renewal and reawakeneing.

23. I ‘ll go: The purpose of the poet has been

accomplished. He wishes humanity to traverse
the path of peace, amity, universal
brotherhood, peaceful and harmonious
existence even when he is not around.
Questions:
1. Why does the poet advocate abeyance of
activities?
2. The poet invokes a powerful symbol to essay
that life thrives under apparent stillness.
Explain.
3. How does Neruda distinguish between ‘total
inactivity’ and ‘Keeping Quiet’?
4. What is the poet’s idea of a Utopian world?
5. Why does the poet draw an analogy
between ‘ spring’ and ‘Keeping Quiet’?
6. Pablo Neruda expresses a need of a new
paradigm and a collective conscious shift in
our meditations through his composition.
Elaborate.
7. Why is the poet critical about the
mechanistic existence of mankind?
8.Nature punishes man for his misdeeds.
Validate.