My apologies to chance for calling it necessity.
My apologies to necessity if I'm mistaken, after all.
Please, don't be angry, happiness, that I take you as my due.
May my dead be patient with the way my memories fade.
My apologies to time for all the world I overlook each second.
My apologies to past loves for thinking that the latest is the first.
Forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home.
Forgive me, open wounds, for pricking my finger.
I apologize for my record of minuets to those who cry from the depths.
I apologize to those who wait in railway stations for being asleep today at five a.m.
Pardon me, hounded hope, for laughing from time to time.
Pardon me, deserts, that I don't rush to you bearing a spoonful of water.
And you, falcon, unchanging year after year, always in the same cage,
your gaze always fixed on the same point in space,
forgive me, even if it turns out you were stuffed.
My apologies to the felled tree for the table's four legs.
My apologies to great questions for small answers.
Truth, please don't pay me much attention.
Dignity, please be magnanimous.
Bear with me, O mystery of existence, as I pluck the occasional thread from your train.
Soul, don't take offense that I've only got you now and then.
My apologies to everything that I can't be everywhere at once.
My apologies to everyone that I can't be each woman and each man.
I know I won't be justified as long as I live,
since I myself stand in my own way.
Don't bear me ill will, speech, that I borrow weighty words,
then labor heavily so that they may seem light.
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This poem makes me think about two persons. one of the person is God and the other is a parent. When Szymborska says "I cant be everywhere at once" it makes me think about God and how people think that jsut because something bad happens its not because God is not there to protect u but because he know you have done something bad and he just wants you to realize that you have done something bad. One reason why i think its a parent is because he keeps saying the word "apologies" as if he has done something bad. It makes me think that the writer hasnt been a good father and wants for his/her kids to forgive that person for all times the writer hasnt been there.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the poet is speaking to people in the world that have worse lives. Szymborska feels that that she has taken things in her life too lightly, realizing that there are many people on this earth who feel like it is the worst place to be. When others are lamenting death she is happy, "Forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home.". When reading this i feel she is ashamed for having any sense of pleasure or happiness, because she feels it is selfish to do so when others are suffering.
ReplyDeleteSzymborska's "Under One Small World" is directed to everyone in the world. It talks about pain, and struggles or wishes that not just Szymborska, but everyone wants. He repeats over and over that he wants to be forgiven. This allows the reader to connect with him, because everyone makes mistakes one way or another.
ReplyDeleteThe repetition of "My Apologies" signifies that he has gone through a lot and later realized the truth of what he went through. He talks about wars, “for bringing flowers home”. Which is the opposite, since war never makes a positive outcome. All the things he wants to be forgiven for are things that can never happen because it’s opposites. Maybe he wants us to realize that forgiveness can never happen, because problems can never be solved.
This poem is about the speaker not only apologizing for her wrong doings but also for other wrong doing in which she is not involved in, for example when she/he says "My apologies to necessity if I'm mistaken, after all" this quote comes from the beginning of the poem and the use of the word "if" states that her apologies are towards things that might not relate to her but she is apologizing anyway just in case "If" perhaps she has done wrong in one of the numerous things she talks about. She wants to cover all the areas and apologize about them just in case.
ReplyDeleteI agree with "stylez". The speaker wants to apologize for every wrong doing in this world and attempts not to leave out any. The use of the phrase “My”, I believe, stands for the entire population not just the speaker. The speaker uses apostrophe to make the effect of guiltiness greater. By addressing something as if it were alive, it makes the reader feel very guilty for having neglected and hurt possible feelings. The poem symbolizes our everyday life. This world is full of mistakes that affect everyone else around us but we sometimes think we are the center of the world and ignore the rest; we think everything revolves around us but in reality we are all under this tiny star, the sun, and we are as insignificant as anyone else; we are all the same. The speaker has realized how for granted all of us take every emotion in our lives. He/she wants to apologize for not being able to do anything to fix this world. By picking out small details like the four legs of a table, we can see that the speaker is aware of everything in this world, of all the things we all ignore or overlook and is now apologizing for this. The speaker is taking a big responsibility by apologizing for all of our ignorance and not being able to grasp or appreciate life.
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