Keeping Quiet

Keeping Quiet

Pablo Neruda

Introduction: This is an anti-war poem and the poet feels that the need of the hour is introspection and meditation and a higher level of existence. Only this will save the world from self-destruction. He appeals to the people to slow down the pace of their lives. This period of life will benefit mankind immensely. Wars lead to total destruction and hollow victories with no survivors. Stopping all activities and sharing of silence is the only hope for a peaceful world. However, total inactivity is not what the poet advocates and neither does he think death is the answer. He advises the people to let the earth be our teacher. Just as, when earth may look dead, life goes on under the surface, preserving seeds to sprout later etc. in the same way, from our silence will come true knowledge and the meaning of life. We should make a conscious and resolute effort to calm the mind, stop all activity and do some quiet introspection. Then we can hope for mutual understanding among human beings, and harmony among the people of the world.

Theme: Only by keeping quiet and stopping all destructive activities can we find peace and tranquillity. Silence creates a unique moment when all differences are removed and a feeling of brotherhood prevails. It provides an opportunity for introspection and a better understanding of self.

Summary “Keeping Quiet” is a peace poem written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poet asks humanity to count numbers from one to twelve – twelve being the number of hours shown in a clock or the number of zodiac signs. He requests everyone not to speak because languages create barriers between people. The moment when everyone stops moving their body will be very special and different as we have never experienced such a moment before.
The poet says that in this period of inactivity the fishermen would not harm the whales, the salt gatherers will not hurt their hands, those who are busy destroying the nature will adopt a new approach toward life, The men who are preparing for wars and victory based on deaths of innocent people will join their enemy and stand in unity with them, doing nothing. No one will harm himself or any other person. Everyone will unite and ponder upon his acts and realize the results of his deeds.
The poet clarifies his idea and says further that he does not want that people should stand idle. He wants that there should be no war because he does not want to see trucks laden with dead bodies of the soldiers. He is promoting Universal brotherhood and peace.
The poet says that everyone is working continuously, to achieve one’s goals. People are threatened by death and fear forces them to work endlessly so that they can achieve everything quickly. In this mad rush, they do not realize the repercussions of their acts. He wants us to pause and come out of the mad rush. He wants us to be happy about our achievements and celebrate them. He wants us to overcome the fear of death and to relax for a while. We should know the results of our deeds and celebrate our achievements. When people will remain quiet for a while, they will realize the purpose of their lives. Just like all the creations of nature undergo a rebirth with the change of seasons, similarly, keeping quiet will be a rebirth for the human soul. It will give a new meaning to our life. Again, the poet says that he will count till twelve and asks everyone to remain quiet while he leaves.

Detailed analysis of the poem

First stanza

Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still

for once on the face of the earth,

let’s not speak in any language;

let’s stop for a second,

and not move our arms so much.

Explanation:  

i. The poet asks everyone to count up to twelve in their mind. The number twelve represents the hours of the day or the months of a year.

ii. He wants all of us to be calm and still.

 iii. People across the nations have to unite together, so, they shall not speak their own languages, rather they all shall keep quiet and speak the language of silence.

 iv. This will bring unity among all the humans on the face of the Earth.

 v. For at least one moment, no one shall move his arms either to signal, or to fight, or argue with each other.

 The poet here requests everyone to count till twelve in their own mind and to stop for a while. Maybe this ‘twelve’ referred by the poet is the twelve hours in the clock or the twelve months in a year. He wants everyone to stop and calm down. The poet urges everyone not to speak any language. As we all know that there are different languages spoken in different parts of the earth which sometimes become a barrier in our way for peace. So, he asks people not to speak. Not only this, but he also wants us to stop moving our arms. By using the word ‘arms’ he means the weapons which are used by different countries to raise a war against each other. So basically the poet is demanding peace from all of us.

Literary devices:

Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘e’ (Now we will count to twelve, not move our arms so much)

Anaphora: Two consecutive lines starting with the word ‘Let’s’

let’s not speak in any language,

let’s stop for one second,

Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of 2 or more closely placed words.

‘we will’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated

Second stanza

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,

we would all be together

in a sudden strangeness

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

and the man gathering salt

would look at his hurt hands

Explanation

When everything will come to a standstill, it will be a rare situation.

i. No one will be in a rush, there will be no engines running.

ii. Everyone will be calm and quiet, united with each other in a strange atmosphere.

iii. It will be strange because it has never happened earlier.

iv. No person would be harming any other living being either for food or to earn his livelihood.

v. All the people who work endlessly will get some time to look at their injuries and the damage they have caused to their bodies.

Poet says that it would be a rare situation when there will be no engines working. Here he wants to stay that if everything comes to standstill, it will be a very different moment. If all the engines like the vehicles and machines stop, then there will be a sudden, strange situation as the world will experience a sudden calmness. People will not be in a rush to achieve material things one after another. Further, the poet says that the fisherman will also stop and not harm whales in the sea. This means that the poet is urging everyone not to harm the animals. Here he gives the example of whales that are being hunted for the purpose of food or trade. He also wants people to calm down so that they can stop and see what they have achieved or lost. For this, he gives the example of the man who gathers salt, whose hands are hurt. Here he wants everyone to stop for a while in order to see and feel their achievements and how much they have lost for the sake of attaining such materialistic things.

Literary devices:

Alliteration- ‘we would’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ - ‘s’ sound is repeated,

‘his hurt hands’ - ‘h’ sound is repeated

Third stanza

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,

victory with no survivors,

would put on clean clothes

and walk about with their brothers

in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused

with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about;

I want no truck with death

Explanation

i. The people who exploit the green wealth of nature by deforestation, or mining, or fishing in the deep seas and the soldiers who use weapons to kill fellow human beings need some time to introspect into the consequences of their actions. They are merely doing their job or following orders.

ii. He wants them to put on ‘new clothes’ i.e. to adopt a new approach towards life and to realize that killing so many people is not a victory.

iii. He wants all of us to be united as one, consider our enemy to be our brother.

iv. He is promoting brotherhood, peace and unity.

v. He does not want us to stop our work but to take some time and analyze the results of our deeds.

The poet asks everyone to stop those activities which are damaging the environment. Today all the human beings are making money by damaging the environment with their activities such as mining, deforestation, letting the chemical waste into rivers, etc. The poet asks us not to do so. He also requests people not to involve in wars as there is no benefit of achieving such a victory in which no one is left alive. He says so because wars and environmental damage will lead to no life on earth. Rather, he wants people

To adopt a new approach towards life and mankind. He says that you should treat your enemy like brothers and promote peace and harmony in the world.

Literary devices:

Alliteration: ‘wars with’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘clean clothes’ - ‘c’ sound is repeated

Assonance: use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers)

Repetition: use of ‘war

Fourth stanza

If we were not so single-minded

about keeping our lives moving,

and for once could perhaps a huge silence

might interrupt this sadness

of never understanding ourselves

and of threatening ourselves with death

Explanation

i. All human beings work endlessly with the aim of completing all their tasks.

ii. They are driven by the target of survival and the threat of death.

iii. So they are in a mad rush to accomplish all their works.

iv. He says that perhaps, if they pause for a while, they can appreciate their achievements and their lives would become happier.

v. He suggests that by keeping quiet, we will be able to understand the true purpose of our life.

Now the poet wants to clarify to his readers that when he asks them to stop from saying or doing anything, he doesn’t want anyone to become a non-active person. Non active is a person who remains idle and doesn’t do anything. Here, he simply means that we should stop and see the consequences of our deeds. The poet doesn’t want to see people being killed due to their greed for money and expansion of territories. Further, he says that people are continuously working to achieve their tasks without even thinking about their results. They are in fear of death and therefore, want to achieve most of the things before their death. Here he urges them to stop for a while and take some moment to relish on what they have achieved till now. Everyone here is living a life in which he wants to achieve various things one after another. But now the poet says it is the time to stop and see what has been achieved and should be enjoyed. This will help us skip the sadness which has become so prominent in our lives. The sadness of not enjoying what we have achieved and the greed to achieve what next is in the list to be achieved.

Literary devices

Alliteration: we were, so single-minded

Enjambment: and for once could perhaps a huge silence……..of threatening ourselves with death.

Fifth stanza

Perhaps the Earth can teach us

as when everything seems dead

and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve

and you keep quiet and I will go

Explanation

The poet suggests us to take teaching from nature.

i. As the Earth undergoes changes, in winter, everything freezes, and becomes lifeless but after some time, the season changes again, and everything comes back to life.

ii. Similarly, taking a pause and introspecting into our lives will give it a new meaning. We will be able to understand the purpose of our life. It will be like a re birth of the soul.

iii. The poet has conveyed to all the people the purpose of his message and so, he asks them once again to take a pause, count till twelve and walks out of the scene, keeping the scene open for all the people on the Earth to experience this for times to come.

So, now the poet suggests to the human beings that we should learn a lesson from Earth. During the winters everything freezes and becomes lifeless. But when season changes and it’s the onset of spring season, everything present in nature such as the trees, birds, rivers, etc. gets life. So here, the poet, by giving the example of nature, wants to say that all human beings should stop and try to judge their deeds. They can try and make their life better with calmness, and peace. Finally, he ends up by saying that now he will count up to twelve so that we all may become quiet. Here ‘quiet’ means to calm down ourselves and move towards the path of peace and harmony. After saying this he says ‘I will go’. He says so as he has conveyed his message to the people and wants them to be left alone to think about it and work in the direction of peace.