At
the table you should sit calmly and not daydream. Let us recall what
an effort it took for the stormy ocean tides to arrange themselves in
quiet rings. A moment of inattention and everything might wash away.
It is also forbidden to rub the table legs, as they are very
sensitive. Everything at the table must be done coolly and
matter-of-factly. You can't sit down here with things not completely
thought through. For daydreaming we have been given other objects
made of wood: the forest, the bed.
Zbigniew Herbert, 1961
