What Are Some Common Themes Found in Pablo Neruda’s Poems?

Common themes found in Pablo Neruda’s poems include love, sex, history, nature and daily life. Neruda even wrote about ordinary objects such as onions, lemons and cats. The themes of Neruda’s poetry evolved throughout his years of writing and greatly reflected the changes in his thinking and life experiences.

Neruda’s earlier works, such as those in his third book “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair,” are suffused with frank eroticism and focus on love as a form of salvation. Meanwhile, his collection of poems in “Residence on Earth” are primarily pessimistic, with themes of alienation and isolation. Pablo Neruda’s “Canto General,” on the other hand, contain epic poetry about the history of Latin America, from the Spanish Conquest to the 20th Century.