To the Polish Poet Wislawa Szymborska, Nobel Prize winner

Dear Madam,
Your work is open and free, down to earth , full of sense without being full of commonsense.Your work is beautiful.
Thank you.
Wislawa szymborska was born in 1923 and lives in Krakow, Poland.
Caroline Tan/Carltanlan@yahoo.fr
AMONG THE MULTITUDES

I am who I am.
A coincidence no less unthinkable
than any other.

I could have different
ancestors, after all.
I could have fluttered
from another nest
or crawled bescaled
from another tree.

Nature's wardrobe
holds a fair
supply of costumes:
Spider, seagull, fieldmouse.
each fits perfectly right off
and is dutifully worn
into shreds.

I didn't get a choice either,
but I can't complain.
I could have been someone
much less separate.
someone from an anthill, shoal, or buzzing swarm,
an inch of landscape ruffled by the wind.

Someone much less fortunate,
bred for my fur
or Christmas dinner,
something swimming under a square of glass.

A tree rooted to the ground
as the fire draws near.

A grass blade trampled by a stampede
of incomprehensible events.

A shady type whose darkness
dazzled some.

What if I'd prompted only fear,
Loathing,
or pity?

If I'd been born
in the wrong tribe
with all roads closed before me?

Fate has been kind
to me thus far.

I might never have been given
the memory of happy moments

My yen for comparison
might have been taken away.

I might have been myself minus amazement,
that is,
someone completely different.

Hello Caroline Tan: I really liked your poem. I want to write poetry, but it sounds too much like regular writing. When I was in my twenties, now in late 50s, I got so many images and symbols and the words flowed a lot easier. I just need to read a lot more poetry of which I have much. Keep writing about how you feel and about yourself. This is good. Helena Czar...

Hello Caroline Tan: Forgive if this is a poem of szymborska. I have a book of her poems in my collection, also. I like this poem if it is hers. She does not have to apologize for who she is.

Caroline TAN, Where are You from?I am a Polish professor teaching Polish literature and Poetry at the oldest and most revered University in Poland, the Jagellon University in Krakow.I also live in Krakow in Stare Miesto.
I am very impressed that someone would know so well about the poetry of Wislawa Szymborska.Especially this poem.I had never read this English Version.
Where did you find this marvellous English Translation?
Since your email address is mentionned on this Forum I would like to sollicitate the permission to write to you directly and maybe have the pleasure of meeting you one of these days in Poland or elsewhere.
With kind regards.Pawel

It is amazing how much she has achieved with the use of everyday language, building her images and messages out of words everybody knows used in their literal meanings. This is the greatest strength of her poetry, I think.
M.G. (from www.ang.pl/forum.php)

does anyone know how to contact szymborska>? i wd like to send her a letter

email me mikehaef@gmail.com

mike

email me mikehaef@gmail.com

mike

Topic attached on merging:
Wislawa Szymborska

I love reading her poems. She is very peaceful. I hope i will get more information about her.