Animals appears in Bestiary, Birdwatching Ode

Animals appear in many of Neruda's poems, but probably the most animal-packed poem is Bestiary (pg. 380.) In this poem, Neruda talks of all sorts of animal life such as spiders, fleas, rabbits, cows, dogs, and oysters, just to name a few. Neruda asserts in this poem that in order to be a true poet, he needs to be able to understand all kinds of language, including that of the animals. He says, "In this world, rushing, subsiding, I need more communication, other languages, other signs: I want to know this world." (pg. 387.) Neruda also wrote an ode called Birdwatching Ode (pg. 291), where he is simply taking a walk in the woods, and is fascinated by the repetitive rhythms of the bird's chirpings. He asserts in this poem as well that this "holy conversation" (pg. 293) among the birds is like a secret language that he frustratingly cannot comprehend.