Felicita Sala

I am looking forward to seeing this wonderful book which is published today. 'Ode to an Onion' is a picture book about one of my favourite poets Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) and his inspiration Matilde Urrutia (1912–1985). It is written by Alexandria Giardino who was inspired to create a picture book after translating; 'My Life with Pablo Neruda', which was written by the poet's wife, Matilde Urrutia. The book has wonderful illustrations by Felicita Sala and is a celebration of love and creative inspiration.

Ode To The Onion by Pablo Neruda

Onion,
luminous flask,
your beauty formed
petal by petal,
crystal scales expanded you
and in the secrecy of the dark earth
your belly grew round with dew.
Under the earth
the miracle
happened
and when your clumsy
green stem appeared,
and your leaves were born
like swords
in the garden,
the earth heaped up her power
showing your naked transparency,
and as the remote sea
in lifting the breasts of Aphrodite
duplicating the magnolia,
so did the earth
make you,
onion
clear as a planet
and destined
to shine,
constant constellation,
round rose of water,
upon
the table
of the poor.

You make us cry without hurting us.
I have praised everything that exists,
but to me, onion, you are
more beautiful than a bird
of dazzling feathers,
heavenly globe, platinum goblet,
unmoving dance
of the snowy anemone

and the fragrance of the earth lives
in your crystalline nature.