Distant love Quote by Pablo Neruda
““Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks" All those men were there inside, when she came in totally naked. They had been drinking: they began to spit. Newly come from the river, she knew nothing. She was a mermaid who had lost her way. The insults flowed down her gleaming flesh. Obscenities drowned her golden breasts. Not knowing tears, she did not weep tears. Not knowing clothes, she did not have clothes. They blackened her with burnt corks and cigarette stubs, and rolled around laughing on the tavern floor. She did not speak because she had no speech. Her eyes were the colour of distant love, her twin arms were made of white topaz. Her lips moved, silent, in a coral light, and suddenly she went out by that door. Entering the river she was cleaned, shining like a white stone in the rain, and without looking back she swam again swam towards emptiness, swam towards death.””
About This Quote
A mermaid, symbolizing purity, is abused by drunken men; she escapes, cleansed by water, returning to emptiness and death.
In simple terms: Innocence suffers abuse, finds release in nature.
Key Takeaway
Violence corrupts purity; nature offers redemption.
Themes
abuse
purity
nature
death
redemption
Mood
melancholic
somber
Type
poetic
allegorical
When to use this quote
- discussions on harassment
- art therapy sessions
- literary analysis classes
Key Concepts
symbolism
gender violence
existentialism
Practical Applications
- use metaphor to discuss consent
- highlight restorative power of nature
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the river represent for the mermaid?
- How does the narrative comment on societal cruelty?
A Different Perspective
Interpretation may project modern concerns onto older poetic imagery.
