This is my favorite love poem at the moment.
"True Love" by Wislawa Szymborska
True love. Is it normal
is it serious, is it practical?
What does the world get from two people
who exist in a world of their own?
Placed on the same pedestal for no good reason,
drawn randomly from millions but convinced
it had to happen this way - in reward for what?
For nothing.
The light descends from nowhere.
Why on these two and not on others?
Doesn't this outrage justice? Yes it does.
Doesn't it disrupt our painstakingly erected principles,
and cast the moral from the peak? Yes on both accounts.
Look at the happy couple.
Couldn't they at least try to hide it,
fake a little depression for their friends' sake?
Listen to them laughing - it's an insult.
The language they use - deceptively clear.
And their little celebrations, rituals,
the elaborate mutual routines -
it's obviously a plot behind the human race's back!
It's hard even to guess how far things might go
if people start to follow their example.
What could religion and poetry count on?
What would be remembered? What renounced?
Who'd want to stay within bounds?
True love. Is it really necessary?
Tact and common sense tell us to pass over it in silence,
like a scandal in Life's highest circles.
Perfectly good children are born without its help.
It couldn't populate the planet in a million years,
it comes along so rarely.
Let the people who never find true love
keep saying that there's no such thing.
Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.
I would hardly read this poem to some girl outing the rain beneath her window, but it is a love poem, barely. It has emphasis on how the lovers are considered above the single people in the world, especially in the third paragraph. She also places a spotlight on the fact that couples seem to be always together, always happy and meant to be that way. The author marvels at how the world continues to function despite the potential that is wasted when one falls in love. The author herself is a wife and has written some very literal essays as well. She also tends to criticize love's impracticality in the poem, but the last three lines contradict her entire argument expressed in the previous lines. She says that the people who have never found true love in life make up these excuses that she outlines in the above stanzas because it makes their lives easier. If they can push it out of mind, then it doesn't really exist and they lead normal, happy lives. At first I really disliked this poem because it goes against everything that I believe in, but the last lines make it one of my new favorites. It's funny how just a few words can make such a big difference.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you said, except I thought this poem was awesome until I read the last few lines. They were okay though they were less likable and interesting, but all the previous lines were so much better. This would be my favorite poem for this year if the last lines were different (but it is still one of my favorites this year anyway).
DeleteI think this poem is awesome, partly because of the punctuation and way lines are broken up. All of the questions and answers are a really engaging and interesting way to write. It brings the reader into the poem more. The line at the beginning really stood out to me. "True love. Is it normal / is it serious, is it practical?" The way all of the different ideas are broken up is really interesting. This poem is also thought provoking because I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with most of the poet's ideas. The line, "What does the world get from two people / who exist in a world of their own?" was such an effective way to begin the poem after the lines about true love. It sort of sets the overall feeling for the poem (until you get to the last few lines).
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much everything you said. I really love the punctuation and the structure of the poem as well. I was actually thinking the same thing- if I agree with his ideas or not.
DeleteI am the 3rd one to comment? That's pretty weird. Anyways, I like the poem because it has so many question marks! I don't know why but personally I really like the idea.. it makes you actually think of the poem. The way the poem structured kinda says how Szymborska is thinking while writing it. I agree with Kate overall. I don't think the poem has a rhym, does it?
ReplyDeleteI really like the punctuation of this poem. When I was reading it to myself, I would constantly pause and start reading again. I think this actually made the poem seem a bit humorous to me (I'm not sure why). Considering the topic of the poem, the author must be single and feels a bit bitter towards the feeling of love. I also like how each stanza represents a reason why he feels this way.
ReplyDeleteI mainly like the poem because it seems kind of complains about couples that are in actual love. She says it as if it is a rare condition to be in because actual love is hard to find and how people who haven't been in love lie to themselves to believe that there's no such thing. I love that because it is not a regular love poem and it lets the reader actually think about questions that involve changing their perspective in love. I like the shift before the third line because it shows how she seperates herself from people who haven't aren't in love which makes the poem even more interesting because she is questioning her own love (if that makes any sense).
ReplyDeleteI like the repetition of the poem has, which is the poet mocking the readers. The poet is mocking her readers who do not believe in true love. She is speaking to all people who don't really know the meaning of love by asking amounts of questions. The poet claims that people do not want to view the happiness and laughter of couples who share mutual relation, since they themselves have not yet found it. The poet looks like she is trying to view at the positive side in life and that true love is the most beautiful thing they will ever encounter. Faith in love will result in happiness.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is probably written by someone who sees all of their friends finding love and is jealous. The author says that lonely people try to convince themselves that true love doesn't exist so they don't feel as lonely. The author is obviously bitter, but has an interesting point of view.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to agree with Anika, after reading the poem I felt the same. I felt the author was bitter towards those who are in love.
DeleteThe author is just like any single person. Some people are okay with being single only because they convince themselves that they are okay. Like the author says they are jealous of couples in love and need something to make them feel better about themselves. He comments on the point if true love is necessary in life, mostly to give himself support. It is very interesting how he says in the last lines, "Let the people who never find true love
ReplyDeletekeep saying that there's no such thing.
Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die".
Some people might argue that this isn't a love poem, but I suppose it is. The speaker is amazingly bitter about the concept of true love and has obviously never experienced it themselves. Even so, they do believe in it, but seem doubtful that they'll ever find it. Kate and I were talking about the last three lines of the poem a bit the other day. She felt very strongly that those lines ruined the poem, and I agree since that's like the saddest and most pessimistic thing I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteI actually find this poem to be very much so a love poem, contrarily to what you said here. I believe all the comments on couples and the almost disgusted tone is the author taking on the profile of someone who feels that way. The author is portraying a profile that they find ridiculous, and I believe the whole poem is written sarcastically. The last three lines are what gives this away to me. I believe the last two stanzas are where the shift occurs. The author returns to their own state of mind in this part and pities people that feel the way the narrator just described. The narrator is saying that it is alright for these people to feel this way about true love, and to believe that it doesn't exist, but in reality, they are the ones that are missing out.
DeleteI would just like to point out that the author is a happily married old woman. everyone seems to assume she is single. but she's not.
ReplyDeletePainstakenly erected! Hahahaha! This poem definitely amuses me because I feel like as if this author is a total grouch. I can imagine the narrator gets this from personal perspective . The author could be jealous of a friend or something. I find the first two stanzas true because it sure is odd that out of all the billions of people in the world, why does that certain couple have to be together. It is sort of hard to explain but I can see what the author is getting at. Very funny.
ReplyDeleteI would like to disagree with you. This is a love poem and the author seems to have a positive attitude towards love, not negative.
DeleteFrom this poem, I get the feeling this narrator is single and bitter towards PDA or love at all. I really like the poem and thought it was funny but once the narrator mentioned couples plotting behind the human race's back, I started to think it was weird. I don't think it is realistic that a couple would plot against all other humans. The narrator's dislike of love might have lead him/her to be kind of crazy about it. The narrator must hate it so much that it makes him/her have unrealistic thoughts about it. They even says it could affect religion or poetry. I think the punctuation is interesting because there I a pause after every line. I think the author does that so readers will take her poem more seriously.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginnig it was a seeet poem but then there was resentment and envy weaved into the words of the poem. It suggest to hide love from others to spare them of rhat suffering. The last line was mean and kinda telling the people who can't find love to deal with it and to stop lting to themselves because iin the insise they know they envy the true love that other people have.
ReplyDeleteThe poem is about love and how some people find it, while others convince themselves that they don't need it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice poem. This can actually relate to many people. Lots of people get jealous of other people's relationships. When I read the title I thought the poem was actually going to be a romantic love poem.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is a love poem. The middle threw me off a little bit, but then I realized that the author is showing how some people don't believe in true love and get jealous of people that are in love and show their affection towards each other. I really liked the last line of the poem because death is usually a bad thing, but when someone has a partner to share their life with, death is no longer scary and it is only another part of someone's life. Also, the author put a lot of questions in the poem that made it more interesting and easier to understand.
DeleteWell now that Ms.Prodromo read it, the ending makes more sense. The way she read it sounds like it really is romantic and other people who don't believe in love can just stay that way.
DeleteTrue love...the author seems to be in love and she seems happy in love. While many people think she is jealous of someone, i think she is happy i love. The author acknowledges some aspects of love, but overall she is a happy lady.
ReplyDeleteThis is a love poem just not the typical type of love we think of immediately. This type of love is like Barney from How I Met Your Mother. It is very against true love and doing common rituals that couples do. Perhaps this person is in love but does not like to express it in the same drag ways that everyone else does.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker of this poem seems to be listing many things poeple who havn't experinced true love seem to say. At the end of the poem, the speaker claims that maing these remarks makes thpse people capable of going through life easier.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about true love and how people who haven't experienced it are jealous. I think it shows that true love is important and necessary and that people shouldn't hide their love for the sake of other people.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is a bash on TRUE LOVE. The author is trying to tell the reader about how rare true love is and a great thing to witness between two people. With this said true love is also a painful and upsetting thing to witness for the lonely. As time passes pain turns to outrage. She some what jokingly says that the couple should hide there true love for the sake of others, but in the end she claims that people would be better off without true love.
ReplyDeleteThe poem seems to be about how ridiculous the idea of true love is and how anyone who feels such emotions shouldn't show themselves. The narrator believes that all basic principle, moral, and justice is thrown out the window in the face of true love, causing society to suffer. Its as if the narrator thinks that true love is something evil that is meant to throw normal people off their balance and make others depressed. The narrator believes that there is no benefit from true love and that anyone not experiencing it should just stay away from its happiness. It makes me wonder if the writer created this poem after suffering from a heartbreaking relationship and decided to vent their anger on every other person who had obtained what they hadn't.
ReplyDeletePEOPLE. This is REALLY a love poem. The speaker is NOT bitter or angry. Look at the tone.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator is expressing her jealousy and want for true love. It seems like she is heartbroken from her previous relationship and wants love again. She feels that other people shouldn't have this love and wants it for herself.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest part of this poem is the last 3 lines with the way they're written with compete confidence and security. I love that the whole poem is almost trashing the idea of true love and saying that it's unnecessary, but then everything gets turned around in the lines "let the people who never find true love keep saying that there is no such thing" because it's actually a mockery of people who don't believe in true love from the point of view of a person who has found true love. My favorite part is where she writes "tact and common sense tell us to pass over it in silence like a scandal in Life's highest circles". Just the comparison of people's reaction to affairs among the rich and powerful to the practical reaction people should have to true love, it's a contradictory simile and I love it.
ReplyDeleteThe author has a heck of a name eh? This person seems a tad paranoid, with the whole "plot behind human race's back" part... other than that, I think this Swedish person is writing about what goes on in a relationship people often classify as "love", or "in love." He/she (really strange frickin' name!) is explaining about the things couples do, whether it be laughing or celebrating that the "light has shown on them two." It is written as if this author happens to not accept the idea of "true love", but I can be as wrong as Ross sleeping with the girl from the copy place, who knows!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I thought it was written by somebody who did not understand true love or was bitter that he/she did not have it. However, I now see that it is quite the opposite. It is written FOR someone who does not understand love. The author, almost sarcastically, asks and answers all these questions. This really is where the difference is between being in "true love" and not being in it. Those who are not in it only find the annoying parts, however, that is what makes it so beautiful. The experience. Those in true love embrace the experience and enjoy the little thiings, while the others "make it easier for them to live and die."
ReplyDeleteDespite the author's seemingly negative attitude to true love, the author sincerely appreciates the beauty of true love. At several points in the poem, it may seem that the author may detest love, but by pointing how irrational the idea of true love really is, the author expresses how special it is to her. True love is not about making sense or explaining yourself to others, it is about how you personally feel when you are with your companion, and according to the author, nothing else matters.
ReplyDeleteAhhhhh sorry this is so late! I just kept forgetting after my last response wouldn't post. Well, anyways, I really love this poem because it is not expressing love in the way most poems do. it seems to be the more negative connotation of love and how small love is in the scheme of things. The poem says that people should be in love but at least try and keep it out of everyone else's faces. I am one for a great love story but I love this poem because it shows the side of love people see from the outside of relationships. The poem seems to be saying that people in love should try to find something else along with their significant other to deeply care about. While love is important: it should not consume our lives.
ReplyDeleteSo my comments go through half the time...... greaaaat. So like some people I don't think this is a poem about his own love affair, but to others reflected upon his own. He speaks of "others" and "they", but at some points he seems to be reminiscent of his own relationship.
ReplyDeleteAghhhh! My comment didn't post either... Anyways!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gianna that this is a love poem but it is just being expressed in a different way. Most people consider it not so much of a love poem but rather a complaint and jealousy of love. I love the use of questions in this poem. Most poems do not use this many questions but this author does and it really fits the poem. It keeps me intrigued in the poem and it makes it seems as though the narrator is very lost and confused. He doesn't know what love feels like and he's not sure he ever will so he's curious.
Why is there a shadow commenting on our poem
DeleteWhile it can be interpreted that the narrator truly despises true love, it's quite the opposite. The beginning is more questioning than anything, more so like a person who's never experienced true love and is legitimately questioning it rather than despising it. The narrator talks about true love more like a person who's experienced it. Who is currently in it, and can't shake how special it is. By irrationalizing true love, she only goes to show how much it means to her. I mean if the last three lines don't convince you, I don't know what will to be completely honest.
ReplyDeleteThis poem made me feel both happy and sad. What I got from the poem is that love is supposed to be a happy thing in life and if no one has it then it is not that great.I think in this poem the narrator is mocking people who do not believe in true love. I can tell by the end of the poem that the narrator has found true love and will not let anyone's negative attitude make her change her mind about it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the author is mocking people who don't understand love for most of the poem. The message he/she is trying to communicate is that people who haven't found love often try to convince themselves it doesn't exist in order to avoid feeling like they're missing out.
ReplyDeleteI think that the author is mocking people who don't understand love for most of the poem. The message that he/she is trying to communicate is that people who haven't found love often try to convince themselves that love doesn't exist in order to avoid feeling like they're missing out. I had more to say but I keep having to retype it.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is funny! I like how sarcastic the author is and is not necessarily against love but is just making fun of it. The speaker may be against love but they make fun of it in a pessimistic but relatable way. At first, this poem seems to be from the point of view of a bitter and unloved person who hates love, but after reading it further I realized it's just a woman making fun of the idea of love. To many people, falling in love seems to be their ultimate goal or the source of all their joy, but in reality, one can experience these feelings on their own. The poem states that those who don't find true love believe that it doesn't exist which may be true but the way the author makes her point is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sofi that the question marks make the speaker seem sacrastic. Questioning life is always good! However, in this poem he isn't asking these questions for himself, but he's kind of making fun of those who do ask those questions. He obviously didn't want to write and typical love poem for the lovely person he probably thought about when writing this. If anything, this is the best love poem because he's practically saying, "hey look, we found something that seems impossible to others." Instead of living life with a leather collar around the neck, why not go out and try.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this pome is clearly trying to shut out the unhappiness that he or she has my making fun of people who are happy and in love. It seems that the author is extremely bitter about love and tries to cover up his or her bitterness with sarcasm, by making the reader think that love is a silly thing and only still people fall for it.
ReplyDelete