You have given me brotherhood towards the man I do not know.
You have given me the added strength of all those living.
You have given my country back to me, as though new in birth.
You have given me the freedom that the lone man lacks.
You taught me to kindle kindness, like fire.
You gave me the straightness which a tree requires.
You taught me to see the unity and yet diversity of men.
You showed me how one person’s pain could die in the victory of all.
You taught me to sleep in the hard bed of my brethren.
You made me build upon reality, as on a rock.
You made me an enemy to the evil-doer, a rampart for the frenzied.
You have made me see the world’s clarity and the possibility of joy.
You have made me indestructible, for I no longer end in myself.
Pablo Neruda
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