Form

Because "Astonishment" was originally written in Polish, it is difficult to comment on the subtleties of the poem's style since some of the techniques in the translation may in fact not apply to the original work. However, the most obvious device the poet uses—that of posing a series of questions— is as effective in English as it must be in the Polish original. The entire poem is simply a series of questions that are loosely organized around certain broad themes. The poem begins by asking questions about the specific "self" that occupies the poet's body. It then moves to asking questions about time and place, moving away from the poet's particular self to her place in the cosmos as she shares it with all manner of other creatures. The poet then turns to asking questions about what could have made things as they are and what has...