I Accuse by Pablo Neruda (1933)

The poem is a passionate and intense accusation of the speaker's lover, who has abandoned them. The speaker describes their former lover's beauty and charm, but also their cruelty and heartlessness. The poem explores themes of love, betrayal, and heartbreak.

By Pablo Neruda · First published 1933 · Genre: Political Poetry, Protest Literature, Lyric Poetry · 266 words

First lines

Then I accused the man who had strangled hope,

I called out to America's corners and put his name in the cave of dishonor.

Then they reproached me for crimes, that pack of flunkies and hired hoodlums: the "secretaries of government," the police, wrote their murky insult against me with tar, but the walls were watching when the traitors wrote my name in large letters, and the night erased, with its innumerable hands, hands of the people and the night, the ignominy that they try in vain to cast on my song.

What this Textopian page supports

I Accuse is listed on Textopian as a poem by Pablo Neruda, dated 1933 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Poem
• Author: Pablo Neruda
• Date: 1933 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Political Poetry, Protest Literature, Lyric Poetry, Social Commentary, Narrative Poetry
• Length: 266 words
• Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for I Accuse by Pablo Neruda
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering I Accuse?
• How does this poem by Pablo Neruda fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Political Poetry first become important in the reading?

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Genres

• Political Poetry — The poem addresses political oppression and injustice, reflecting Neruda's engagement with social and political themes.
• Protest Literature — The work serves as a denunciation of tyranny and a call for justice, characteristic of protest literature.
• Lyric Poetry — The emotional and personal expression of the speaker's feelings aligns with the conventions of lyric poetry.
• Social Commentary — The text critiques societal issues and the actions of government officials, fitting the genre of social commentary.

Tags

Poetry · Chilean Literature · Political Activism · Social Justice · Human Rights · Protest Poetry · Latin American Studies · Communism · Anti-Imperialism · Revolutionary Ideals · Free Verse · Lyrical Poetry

More by Pablo Neruda

• Body of a Woman (1959)
• The Light Wraps You (1954)
• Ah Vastness of Pines (1975)
• The Morning Is Full (1954)
• So That You Will Hear Me (1976)
• I Remember You As You Were (1952)
• Leaning Into The Afternoons Leaning into the afternoons I cast my sad nets towards your oceanic eyes (1954)
• White Bee (1974)
• All works by Pablo Neruda