Anna Swir

1909–1984

Priceless Gifts

An empty day without events.

And that is why

it grew immense

as space. And suddenly

happiness of being

entered me.

I heard

in my heartbeat

the birth of time

and each instant of life

one after the other

came rushing in

like priceless gifts.

Translated from the Polish by Czesław Miłosz and Leonard Nathan.