Love at First Sight

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1993

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Literary Context

Szymborska’s poetic style shifted from the beginning of her career to when “Love at First Sight” was published in The End and the Beginning (1993). The socialist philosophies of Lenin and Stalin influenced her earlier, more politically oriented writings, which she later renounced. These early works, like the pro-Stalinist “For the Youth Who Are Building Nowa Huta” (1952), can be categorized as Socialist Realism. After 1952 when Szymborska became disillusioned with the socialist cause in Poland and abroad, her works became more personal, reflective, and philosophical. She was particularly interested in exploring life’s unanswered questions and reconceptualizing the routines of daily living. She published “Love at First Sight” toward the end of this transformative period in her career. It follows the formula Szymborska developed in Call to Yeti (1957) in its use of simplistic language and precise irony.

“Love at First Sight” features some of Szymborska’s running themes: love, chance, fate, and the power of little moments to reveal cosmic truths. Szymborska’s famous irony fosters a sympathetic atmosphere of humor and questioning. She gently breaks down a system of culturally accepted beliefs, asking her readers to reevaluate the concept of “love at first sight” and the possibilities to be found in their daily lives. While the poem diverts from the historical subjects found in Szymborska’s earlier works, it also conforms to her theoretical musings on the importance of the ordinary.

Rhetorical Context

Szymborska encourages her readers to redefine their understanding of “love at first sight,” a common concept not only in literature and film, but also in the lives of ordinary people. By focusing on this widely acknowledged idea, Szymborska connects with her readers by engaging them on a familiar topic.

The poem’s speaker dismantles surety in preconceived notions. They ask the reader to reflect on the cosmic forces dictating how life unfolds on both macro and the micro levels. In the speaker’s view, both Chance and its mature form Destiny pull the strings in daily life to create possibilities in seemingly random experiences. It is up to the individual to either learn to read the “signs and signals” (Line 26) or—perhaps more likely—to accept their inability to dictate the course of their life. Most of all, Szymborska asks her readers to question their assumptions and discern how past and present merge to create opportunity. In doing so, she breathes life into the everyday experience, illuminating otherwise trivial or overlooked moments. This allows Szymborska’s readers to reconceptualize the importance of every activity in their daily routine.