Transparency and Translatability: Szymborska and Polish Poetry

Reading Clare Cavanagh’s The Art of Losing alongside the reflections of Wisława Szymborska’s translators I found myself noticing a tension at the heart of poetic translation: the negotiation between loss and gain. Cavanagh challenges the idea that translation is simply about “faithfulness” to an original text, arguing that poetry itself resists rigid literalism. Instead, poetry—like translation—is an art shaped by both constraints and creative transformation. I found this very interesting as someone who has always been a bit more intimidated by the translation of poetry than prose, as it invites more creativity and flexibility than I would usually associate with the practice. 

This idea is particularly compelling when applied to Szymborska’s work. As the translators in the other article note, her poetry appears “deceptively simple,” yet any attempt at direct, word-for-word translation results in something lifeless, as if the poem has "leaked" away. This makes sense with Cavanagh’s argument that translation is not a process of preservation but instead an act of recreation,  something dynamic and moving, which we've often talked about in class with regards to retranslation. 

I was curious, however, about what Piotr Wojciechowski describes as the "transparency" of Szymborska's works, and the ease with which they can be translated. While it doesn't contradict the comment about deceptive simplicity, it certainly adds some nuance to it. These works, in their writing, style, or ideas may lend themselves to translatability but the process still can't be approached without care and thought. Although it makes sense now, I also hadn't considered that some works may be inherently easier to translate, thinking more about what I find easier or more difficult. 

What I find especially interesting is how different translators describe their experiences with Szymborska’s poetry. Piotr Kamiński speaks of translation as “polishing diamonds,” emphasizing the precision required to capture her clarity. Meanwhile, Cavanagh describes how translating Szymborska changed her entire perception of the world. This suggests that translation is not just about transmitting meaning but about shaping the way we see and experience language itself.

- Kamryn Schult