I don ’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries
the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,
and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose
from the earth lives dimly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where
I love you directly without problems or pride:
I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,
except in this form in which I am not nor are you,
so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,
so close that your eyes close with my dreams.
—Translated and © Mark Eisner 2004, from City Lights' The Essential Neruda
Here it is translated by Google Translate, just for kicks and giggles: I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries
within himself, hidden, in the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body lives
the dense fragrance that rises from the earth. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where
I love you directly without problems or pride:
I love you and because I can not love otherwise, But so this way no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.No I love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as one loves certain dark things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
That's pretty remarkable. I have had many online conversations with a friend in Paris despite not speaking any french myself. -All via Google Translate. What a wonderful service.
For some languages. Although, there is a thing that pops up that asks whether or not the translation is good, sometimes. Also, you can select different words to help refine the translation. It will be great someday. While that's a positive on the one hand, I think the outsider's fight for meaning is sometimes important.
I am actually quite surprised that the Google translation is as accurate as it is. Online translators have certainly come a long way. I wonder if they will ever replace human translators?