Pablo Neruda was a famous Chilean poet who lived from 1904 to 1973. He even won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Pablo Neruda composed “odas” (odes) about basic things in life. For instance, he wrote about tables and chairs. Neruda also wrote poems about many essential nutrients like salt, lemons, and even oil.

Senorita Gilbert’s Spanish III wanted to honor Pablo Neruda by writing their own “odes” on a variety of subjects, ranging from how great lettuce is, to the impact of music on our lives. Writing these odes opened students’ eyes and pushed them toward appreciating the simple things in life.

Below is one of Neruda’s famous poems about salt.  In translation, Pablo Neruda is saying: ¨This salt shaker, I saw in the salt mines, I know that, they will not believe me, but he sings, salt sings, the skin of the salt flats, he sings with a mouth smothered by the earth, I shivered in those solitudes when I heard the voice of the salt in the desert.¨

Oda a la sal

Esta sal del salero

yo la vi en los salares

Sé que

no van a creerme,

pero canta,

canta la sal,

la piel de los salares,

canta con una boca ahogada por la tierra

Me estremecí en aquellas soledades cuando escuché la voz de la sal en el desierto.

Now, below is an example of an ode written by Shore sophomore, Jake Cecero.

Creció de una pequena semilla

en un árbol grande

de ese arbol que crece

sus frutas son como el azúcar

y su piel es de color rojo como la sangre

saludable y fresca

Es una merienda saludable

pare comer a hora del dia

con la mantequilla de maní y carmel

buen provecho.

Jake’s ode expresses the following:  It (the apple) grew from a small seed, in a large tree, that tree growing, its fruits are like sugar, and it’s skin is red like blood, healthy and fresh, it is a healthy snack, to eat at anytime of the day, with peanut butter and caramel, Bon Appetite.

If you would like the read  more of these wonderful poems written by Shore students, visit Señora Gilbert’s room.