Spanish and its speakers are known for their eloquence, emotion, and of course, a bit of passion. With America’s day of love upon us soon, what better time to look at one of the most well-known of these love poems and learn a few new words to express your love for someone in Spanish?

R-RRRRomantic and Love-Themed Spanish

el amour
the love
 
el beso
the kiss
 
la caricia
the caress, the touch
 
el cisne
the swan
 
la sonrisa
the sunrise (pet name for a beloved, usually towards a female)
 
querido/querida
My beloved, my sweetheart (Lit: the one that I want)
 
tomar las manos
To hold hands
 
apagar
To die down, extinguish
Why here? Because it's used negatively in many poems, such as "may out love never die out"
 
alcanzar
To reach, to be enough
 
tocar
To touch
 

Pablo Neruda

If you ever wanted to know about a quintessestial Hispanic author, Neruda is definitely one of the best-known. While actually the pen name of Chilean politician and poet Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, his works are some of the best known and most quoted among Latin America. His poems deal with classic themes and the words capture idea so beautifully. We’ll look at one of his most famous and romantic poems: “Si tú me olvidas” (If you forget me)

Si Tú Me Olvidas
EspañolEnglish Translation
Si tú me olvidas
Quiero que sepas
una cosa.
If you forget me
I want you to known
one thing
Tú sabes cómo es esto:
si miro la luna de cristal,
la rama roja del lento otoño en mi ventana,
You know how this is
If I look at the crystal moon,
at the red branch of the slow twilight in my window
Si toco junto al fuego, la impalpable ceniza
o el arrugado cuerpo de la leña
Todo me lleva a ti,
If I touch near the fire, the untouchable ash
or the wrinkled form of the firewood
Everything brings me to you.
Como si todo lo que existe, aromas, luz, metales,
fueran pequeños barcos que navegan
hacia las islas tuyas que me aguardan
As if everything that exists, scents, lights, and metals
were little boats that sail
towards those isles of yours that wait for me.
Ahora bien,
si poco a poco dejas de quererme
dejaré de quererte poco a poco.
Very well,
If little by little you give up on loving me,
I will give up on loving you little by little
Si de pronto me olvidas,
no me busques,
que ya te habré olvidado.
If you quickly forget me
Do not look for me,
for I will have already forgotten you.
Si consideras largo y loco
el viento de banderas
que pasa por mi vida
If you consider long and mad
the wind of flags
that pass through my life
Y te decides
a dejarme a la orilla
del corazón en que tengo raíces,
And you decide
to leave me at the brim
of your heart in which I am bound
Piensa que en ese día, a esa hora
levantaré los brazos, y saldrán mis raíces
a buscar otra tierra.
Remember that on that day, at that time
i will raise my arms and remove my roots
To look for a new world
Pero si cada día, cada hora
sientes que a mí estás destinada
con dulzura implacable.
But if every day, evey hour,
You feel that you are destined for me
With a tenderness of eternity
Si cada día sube una flor a tus labios a buscarme,
ay amor mío, ay mía,
en mí todo ese fuego se repite,
If every day climbs a flower to your lips, to find mine
Oh my love, oh that love of mine.
In my everything, this fire endures
En mí nada se apaga ni se olvida,
mi amor se nutre de tu amor, amada,
y mientras vivas estará en tus brazos sin salir de los míos.
In my everything, nothing dies down nor is forgotten
My love only nourished by yours, my beloved,
And while you live, it will be in your arms, without leaving mine.


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