“I feel suited only to the most temporary / structures, and in this capitol without walls / of light, of salt, of stone and contemplation, / frightened like everybody else, I saw and gave up / the clear light of mythology, / the statues bathed in blue silence.”

This collection is centered on Easter Island and reflects on man’s impact and place on the world while exploring the history and mythical presences of the statues and ancestors there. I was much more taken with the poems titled “Men” rather than “The Island.” The purpose of this collection is clearer now that I’ve read the intro (I always wait til after) and find that he visited the island and wrote these poems after his cancer diagnosis. Always grateful for some more Neruda.

This book was about Easter Island, which is a Chilean territory (I didn't know this before reading the book). The poems are either titled "Island" or "Men." I liked the book, but not as much as other Neruda books I've read before.