"The Three Oddest Words"Then I did some info-searching on her which was quite intriguing...
She is a polish.
She is Wislawa Szymborska.
In the year of 1996, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to her "for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light ion fragments of human reality"
Deep enough? Just keep it slow~
Few days ago, I was having some time for some meaningful readings (of course not via books), I found another interesting poetry by the lovely Mdm Szymborska, adapted from the Miracle Fair: selected poems of Wislawa Szymborska.
"A Word On Statistics"Out of every hundred people,
those who always know better:
fifty-two.
Unsure of every step:
almost all the rest.
Ready to help,
if it doesn't take long:
forty-nine.
Always good,
because they cannot be otherwise:
four -- well, maybe five.
Able to admire without envy:
eighteen.
Led to error
by youth (which passes):
sixty, plus or minus.
Those not to be messed with:
four-and-forty.
Living in constant fear
of someone or something:
seventy-seven.
Capable of happiness:
twenty-some-odd at most.
Harmless alone,
turning savage in crowds:
more than half, for sure.
Cruel
when forced by circumstances:
it's better not to know,
not even approximately.
Wise in hindsight:
not many more than wise in foresight.
Getting nothing out of life except things:
thirty (though I would like to be wrong).
Balled up in pain
and without a flashlight in the dark:
eighty-three, sooner or later.
Those who are just:
quite a few, thirty-five.
But if it takes effort to understand:
three.
Worthy of empathy:
ninety-nine.
Mortal:
one hundred out of one hundred --
a figure that has never varied yet.
(translated from polish by Joanna Trzeciak)
Chinese version available here
Although this was written at the late 90's, Madam Szymborska did contribute some witty and wonderful figures in statistics of the humanity purely from her point of view, even until this decade, I think it applies~
As i explored more about Szymborska, I was saddened by her death's news, which happened recently.
In a memory of Wislawa Szymborska (1923 - 2012)
Perhaps you might find all these bored, dull or tedious...but nvm.
I was never in love with all these literature stuff too, but when I encountered one as meaningful as these, I would fall for them instantly, because Wislawa Szymborska was able to write and embrace humanities.
I enjoy many beautiful things in this world as I am not one of the "thirty", and I try to be one of the "twenty-some-odd at most" and "eighty-three" sooner or later~ because I will always be one of the "one hundred out of one hundred".
Thank you for reading...^^
four-and-forty.
Living in constant fear
of someone or something:
seventy-seven.
Capable of happiness:
twenty-some-odd at most.
Harmless alone,
turning savage in crowds:
more than half, for sure.
Cruel
when forced by circumstances:
it's better not to know,
not even approximately.
Wise in hindsight:
not many more than wise in foresight.
Getting nothing out of life except things:
thirty (though I would like to be wrong).
Balled up in pain
and without a flashlight in the dark:
eighty-three, sooner or later.
Those who are just:
quite a few, thirty-five.
But if it takes effort to understand:
three.
Worthy of empathy:
ninety-nine.
Mortal:
one hundred out of one hundred --
a figure that has never varied yet.
(translated from polish by Joanna Trzeciak)
Chinese version available here
Although this was written at the late 90's, Madam Szymborska did contribute some witty and wonderful figures in statistics of the humanity purely from her point of view, even until this decade, I think it applies~
As i explored more about Szymborska, I was saddened by her death's news, which happened recently.
In a memory of Wislawa Szymborska (1923 - 2012)
Perhaps you might find all these bored, dull or tedious...but nvm.
I was never in love with all these literature stuff too, but when I encountered one as meaningful as these, I would fall for them instantly, because Wislawa Szymborska was able to write and embrace humanities.
I enjoy many beautiful things in this world as I am not one of the "thirty", and I try to be one of the "twenty-some-odd at most" and "eighty-three" sooner or later~ because I will always be one of the "one hundred out of one hundred".
Thank you for reading...^^
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