Love at First Sight

Wislawa Szymborska was a Polish poet, editor, and columnist. She received international acclaim when she won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Szymborska did not subscribe to any poetic movement and is sometimes credited with pioneering a literary genre all her own—one which connected the political climate of the world to everyday life. During her long and productive career, Szymborska published over 16 collections of work. She was globally known for her clarity, wit, and precision in writing about everyday subjects.

“Love at First Sight” was first published in Szymborska’s collection The End and the Beginning (1993). The poem focuses on the roles of fate and serendipity in romantic relationships and, more broadly, life in general. While the poem’s lovers believe in the catchy concept of “love at first sight,” they seem unaware of the many ordinary situations in which they may have previously met. The poem explores how their conviction in a single, magical moment overshadows the many circumstances leading to their love. On a surface level, Szymborska asks her readers to reassess concepts like “love at first sight”; on a deeper level, she breathes new meaning into peoples’ daily habits and routines.

Poet Biography

Wislawa Szymborska was born on July 2, 1923, in Bnin (now Kornik), Poland.