Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda

In length, breadth and height, Neruda's verses are vast. It is impossible that at least some of it wouldn't appeal to you. This book is a compilation of his poems from several of his collections- his Odes, Love Sonnets and Full Powers, among others. The title of the book Full Woman... is one of the sonnets, and one of my favorites. All of the Odes are delightful, a treat for the mind and senses. I wish I could see life like Neruda did. The world he spins out of words, is other-worldly, yet at the same time, common, back-yardly.

I just rediscovered this gem in my storage trunk and if you love reading Neruda, you will love listening to his poems as well. Its a whole different experience. Close your eyes (but first hit 'play!), and prepare to be transported.

I am a true lover of the work of Pablo Neruda and have perused many translated works of the famous Chilean poet. Stephen Mitchell's translations are by far the most eloquent I have found. I feel they best convey the many moods of Pablo Neruda. The writer is able to capture the most intense feelings in the poet's writing better than any I have read. Thank you Stephen Mitchell.

This is a lovely translation, but then I think of them all as good. There is no comparison for me to any other poet. Keep this or any of his books near your bed to understand the earth, sea, mountains, love, stones, earth, grace, redemption, cats, neighbors, friends, etc. The depth and breadth is expansive and this is a "sweet" book.

Having been interested in Neruda since seeing the movie "Il Postino," I've glanced at several collections for over 3 years, but never took a book home for my own. Looking for a collection that contained "Ode to Laziness" (one of my favorite subjects), I found and purchased Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon. I sat down in a big chair on a Sunday afternoon and opened it to the first page and the love affair started there. Usually, I read a book of poems randomly, just flipping here and there, looking for whatever surprizes me. For some unknown reason, I started this book from the beginning with Mitchell's introduction, then read the first poem. I couldn't help myself as I read one poem and then another till I had carefully read almost every one. Pure spirit, pure soul. Each poem is a love poem to the most simple, everyday, ordinary things of this world--his suit, his socks, his watch--engaging us to see a sheer web of grace that runs through out our lives. Put another way, Neruda sees and shows us a world that shimmers and loves us as fully as we love it.Many thanks to S. Mitchell for creating this collection.