Nothing Twice

Szymborska’s “Nothing Twice” is a formal poem written in four-line stanzas or quatrains. The stanzas follow a set end rhyme scheme (ABAB) with some rhymes being true rhymes, in which the sounds are identical, and some being slant rhymes, in which the words have similar but not identical sounds. Composed of seven stanzas, “Nothing Twice” features an iambic tetrameter metrical pattern that adds rhythm and musicality.

The poem opens with a direct statement: “Nothing can ever happen twice” (Line 1). Here, the speaker sets the mood as being rooted in reason and logic. The first stanza relays the poem’s argument: Each moment only happens once, therefore life cannot be rehearsed. The speaker sets out to prove this statement. In Stanza 2, the speaker claims that one is given a single chance at life—“this course is only offered once” (Line 8). This metaphor—comparing life to a course—highlights the preciousness of each moment and introduces the poem’s themes: Life’s fleetingness and the value of existence.

“Nothing Twice” oscillates between warning and praise. The speaker warns of life’s brevity while celebrating each moment for its uniqueness—“no two nights will teach what bliss is / in precisely the same way” (Lines 10-11). In Stanza 3, the speaker argues that while moments occur only once, they contain their own, unique beauty. Even though life is passing, each experience offers a new lesson, a new example of what living and feeling is.

The phrase “One day” (Line 13) creates a shift in Stanza 4. Up until this point, the poem has made sweeping, generalized statements that aren’t attached to a particular time or place. With Line 13, the poem suddenly occupies a specific moment. The speaker also introduces a second person—“perhaps some idle tongue / mentions your name by accident” (Lines 13-14) and uses the first-person pronoun for the first time—“I feel” (Line 15). This brings the poem into a more personal territory. In this moment, all the speaker can think about is the “you” (Line 14) — as if this person was suddenly in the room. A simile represents the “you:” “I feel as if a rose were flung / into the room, all hue and scent” (Lines 15-16).

Stanzas 4 and 5 illustrate how the speaker fails to be present in the moment, how they miss life in the process. In Stanza 4, the speaker is daydreaming about the absent “you” (Line 14), whose name is spoken by “some idle tongue” (Line 13). The speaker feels giddy at the thought of them, but when they are actually present, the speaker “can’t help looking at the clock” (Line 18). The poem extends the metaphor of the rose: “Is it a flower or a rock?” (Line 20). What was a rose in Stanza 4 is now a burden or a rock in Stanza 5. With these two stanzas, the speaker argues that feelings pass as well as time. Each moment occupies its own unique space.

The final stanzas echo the logical and matter-of-fact tone that open Szymborska’s poem: The speaker uses the plural first person—“we”—and includes the reader in their questioning: “Why do we treat the fleeting day” (Line 21). The use of “we” draws the reader into the poem, creating intimacy.

The speaker tries to convince the reader that present moments should be enjoyed and celebrated, that it’s irrational to fear or lament the inevitability of death. Despite the spinning earth and passing time, causing one to age and change, the poem concludes with an image of peace, a “we” (Line 25) searching for bliss: “With smiles and kisses, we prefer /to seek accord beneath our star” (Lines 25-26).