Neruda's The Future is Space

A Many-Colored Wonder

Nov 24, 2008 Linda Sue Grimes

According to Neruda's speaker in "The Future is Space," space is a many-colored wonder, but clear planets are unreliable. The goal is to fly off to "pure solitude."

The Neruda piece, titled “The Future is Space,” offers up a healthy portion of tripe and twaddle. The speaker waxes poetic as he catalogues all the colors that space posses. Although his title proclaims that space belongs to the future, he describes space in terms of the here-and-now, as it bleeds in from the past.

First Verse Paragraph: “The future is space”

In the first verse paragraph, the speaker maintains, “The future is space,” then describes space as “earth-colored,” “cloud-colored,” water-colored, and air-colored. He continues describing space as a “black space” that provides a place for “many dreams,” as well as “white space” for snow, and “for all music.”

Space holds all things, visible and audible. Apparently, the present is also space, as well as the past. Yet the title and first line of the piece merely claim that the future posses space.

Second Verse Paragraph: “Behind lies despairing love”

The speaker then announces, “Behind lies despairing love”; behind space, this “despairing love” exists but in that place, there is “no room for a kiss.” Still there is room for people in forests, streets, and houses. Also, there is space under the ground and under the sea, but then, it seems much “joy” one can “find in the end / rising.”

Third Verse Paragraph: “an empty planet”

The “rising / empty planet” brings joy. Then the speaker appends the following phrase that hangs unconnected: “great stars clear as vodka, / so uninhabited and so transparent.” There is great adventure in visualizing a star that is as clear as a Russian beverage. The speaker is suggesting the joy that would be attainable once he and his companion “arrive there with the first telephone.” The telephone would we used later by “many men” who would “discuss / all their infirmities.”

Fourth Verse Paragraph: “The important thing is to be scarcely aware of oneself”The speaker then declares that it is vital that the people involved not be particularly self-aware; the ambiguity includes the possibilities of not too self-conscious in a nervous way or merely that they lack inner knowledge of their soul. Also, they must “scream from a rough mountain range.” Then too, it is important that they see “the feet of a woman newly arrived.”

Fifth Verse Paragraph: “Come on, let’s leave”The speaker finally addresses his companion or companions suggesting that they “leave / this suffocating river.” They are just swimming with “other fish” all night long. But when they fly off from this river, they will meet with “discovered space” where they will locate “pure solitude.”

Other Neruda articles:

• July Poet - Pablo Neruda: “To be men! That is the Stalinist law!”
• Neruda's "Ars Poetica": Surreal Surrender

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Pablo Neruda