The Sea and the Bells - Kagean Book Author:Pablo Neruda The sound of ships' bells, sea waves, and migratory birds fuel Neruda's longing to retreat from life's noisy busyness. These poems, some of the last Neruda ever wrote, are stripped to essentials and include a final lovesong to his wife, where he writes in the past tense: "It was beautiful to live / When you lived!" Bilingual, with introduction.