"We are dealing here with a poetry that presents the concrete experience of human beings living in their time. The essence of such an experience and its poetic transcription is the sacral reality that lies beyond the duration of nature and history. This experience is signalled ... by the intervention of visual elements, by the use of parallelism and paradox. Paradox appears in Jawien's (KW's) earlier texts, but only in 'Considerations on Death' has it been given the main role. The structure of the poem is supported by paradox. The theme of death/resurrection and the schema of death leading to life are two of the most important paradoxes in Christianity. Semantic figures based on antithesis (include): 'maturity, descending into the hidden essence', 'passing is also gathering'; 'the dying world reveals its life anew';'the body of my soul and the soul of my body are united again'. Words with antithetical meanings are linked in a dialectic tension: maturation/regression, word/silence, body/persistence, death/hope."
from The Poetic Phenomenology of a Religious Man: About the Literary Creativity of Karol Wojtyta By KRZYSZTOF DYBCIAK
1530s, from L. paradoxum "paradox, statement seemingly absurd yet really true," from Gk. paradoxon, from neut. of adj. paradoxos "contrary to expectation, incredible," from para- "contrary to" + doxa "opinion," from dokein "to appear, seem, think"
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