Wisława Szymborską was a Polish poet, translator, and the winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature. Her poetry is incredibly popular in her native Poland due to its wide appeal and clever use of irony. Many of her poems are noted for their description of war and philosophical themes.
‘The Three Oddest Words’ is a poem that addresses peculiarities of language in ways that reflect the peculiarities themselves.
When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.
‘A Contribution to Statistics’ by Wislawa Szymborska provides a statistical yet poignant snapshot of human behavior, attitudes, and emotional states.
Out of a hundred people
those who always know better
-- fifty-two
Szymborska contemplates the aftermath of war, urging resilience and reflection amidst destruction, evoking emotions of melancholy and hope.
After every war
someone has to clean up.
Things won’t
straighten themselves up, after all.
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