Nobelprize.org
Nobelprize.org
Nobel Prizes and Laureates

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1996
Wislawa Szymborska

Poetry

 

The Three Oddest Words

When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.

When I pronounce the word Silence,
I destroy it.

When I pronounce the word Nothing,
I make something no non-being can hold.

 

By Wislawa Szymborska
Translated by S. Baranczak & C. Cavanagh

Copyright © Wislawa Szymborska, S. Baranczak & C. Cavanagh

 

  • Tell a Friend
  • Comments
To cite this page
MLA style: "Wislawa Szymborska - Poetry: The Three Oddest Words". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 18 Jun 2013. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1996/szymborska-poems-3-e.html>

Recommended:

Which Nobel Laureates are hidden within the maze of letters?

 

All you need to know about the Literature Prize!

 

Read about Alfred Nobel's Will and the Literature Prize.

 

Major Updates

We are currently working on the web site. Please report errors or problems.