Lines 1-4:

The theme of distance is introduced in the opening line. When the speaker informs the reader, "Tonight I can write the saddest lines," he suggests that he could not previously. We later learn that his overwhelming sorrow over a lost lover has prevented him from writing about their relationship and its demise. The speaker's constant juxtaposition of past and present illustrate his inability to come to terms with his present isolated state. Neruda's language here, as in the rest of the poem, is simple and to the point, suggesting the sincerity of the speaker's emotions. The sense of distance is again addressed in the second and third lines as he notes the stars shivering "in the distance." These lines also contain images of nature, which will become a central link to his memories and to his present state. The speaker contemplates the natural world, focusing on...