The historian calmly leafs through Gilgamesh, that most ancient epic of humankind, and immediately latches on to what he needs, ie. 'one of the earliest testaments to the formation of the state leadership’s social base.' The poet isn’t equipped to relish the epic for such reasons. Gilgamesh might just as well not exist for him if it holds only such information. But it does exist, because its titular hero mourns the death of his friend. One single human being laments the woeful fate of another single human being. For the poet this fact is of such momentous weight that it can’t be overlooked in even the most succinct historical synthesis. As I say, the poet can’t keep up, he lags behind. In his defense I can only say that someone’s got to straggle in the rear. If only to pick up what’s been trampled and lost in the triumphal procession of objective laws.
Nonrequired Reading (2002)
Use the link below to read more (in English) about the life and work of Polish poet and essayist WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA:
https://culture.pl/en/artist/wislawa-szymborska
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Poet of the Month 003: WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA
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