Patch Adams Poem
Following a discussion at work - and I happen to think it is particularly romantic, here is the poem for (hopefully) a few more individuals to enjoy.
The poem used in the movie is by Pablo Neruda. It is Sonnet 17 of Neruda’s 100 Love Sonnets available in English translation by Stephen Tapscott. It is this translation that Patch reads in the movie. Here is the text of the poem in its entirety:
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms,
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.