What does the 17th sonnet by pablo neruda really mean, or how do you interpret it?

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way

in which there is no I or you

so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand

so intimate that when you fall asleep it is my eyes that close

What does the 17th sonnet by pablo neruda really mean, or how do you interpret it?
It's almost as if he is saying that he loves this person so much that it isn't as cling-y as a freshly blooming relationship. He doesn't love like you would love a thing like a carnation. He loves intensly like a secret between shadow and soul. It's a natural thing for him to be with this person. That is the only way I can explain it... deeply natural.

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