Zbigniew Herbert

“الحصاةكائن كاملمتوائمة مع ذاتهاواعية لحدودهامليئة بدقة بمعنى حصوىّبرائحة لا تذكّر المرء بشىءلا ترعب أحداً لا تثير رغبةحرارتها وبرودتهامتعادلتان ومفعمتان بالوقارأشعر بندم ثقيلحين تمسك بها يدىوجسدها النبيل يخترقه دفء زائف-لا يمكن تدجين الحصواتستنظر إلينا حتى النهايةبعين هادئة شديدة الصفاء”

“Inanimate objects are always correct and cannot, unfortunately, be reproached with anything. I have never observed a chair shift from one foot to another, or a bed rear on its hind legs. And tables, even when they are tired, will not dare to bend their knees. I suspect that objects do this from pedagogical considerations, to reprove us constantly for our instability.”

“... nuestros ojos reflejan una preguntaapacible como un espejoque ya no enmohece el alientocada día renuevo mi mirarcada día va creciendo mi tactocon el cosquilleo de la cercanía de tantas cosas.”

“So is blurred so is blurred in me what white-haired gentleman separated once and for all and said this is the subject this is the object we fall asleep with one hand under our head and with the other in a mound of planets our feet abandon us and taste the earth with their tiny roots which next morning we tear out painfully”

“Bądź wierny Idź”

“I could write a treatiseon the sudden transformationof life into archaeology”

“forgive me also that I didn't fight like Lord Byron for the happiness of captive peoples that I watched only risings of the moon and museums”

“when the Lord built the worldhe furrowed his browcalculated calculated calculatedthat is why the world is perfectand uninhabitableinstead the world of the painteris goodand full of mistakesthe eye wandersfrom one color to anotherone fruit to anotherthe eye mumblesthe eye smilesremembersthe eye says it is bearableonly if one couldenter insidethere where the painter waswithout wingsin slippers that fall offwithout Virgilwith a cat in the pocketa benevolent fantasyand a handthat unknowingly corrects the world”

“The carpet is too soft. Also the palm tree in the lobby is unbelievable. For a long time the Maitre looks at our faces, shuffling passports in his hands. "Such dark-ringed eyes, such dark-ringed eyes. I knew a merchant from Smyrna, who also had a false front tooth. Nowadays one has to be terribly careful: informers and scorpions are everywhere."In the elevator we stand facing the mirror, but already at the first jerk we see silvery mildew in the place of our faces.”

“A craftsman must probe to the very bottom of cruelty.”

“We fall asleep on words / we wake among words”

“Be courageous when the mind deceives youBe courageousIn the final account only this is important”