After the Second World War began, Širvys moved to Belarus where he came under arrest as a Nazi prisoner.
[1] Early lyrics of Paulius Širvys were dedicated to war experiences and the homeland defense from enemies.
Since the selection Beržų lopšinė ('Birch Lullaby', 1961) Širvys moved to the themes of unrequited love, yearning.
The poetry of Širvys is romantic, emotional, dramatic, melancholic, close to a ballad, a romance.
[2] His main selections are Beržų lopšinė ('Birch Lullaby', 1961), Ir nusinešė saulę miškai ('...And Forests Took the Sun', 1969), Ilgesys – ta giesmė ('Yearning Is This Song', 1972), also post-mortem anthologies Ir nusinešė saulę miškai ('...And Forests Took the Sun', 1987), Tiesiu toliams rankas ('I Stretch My Hands to the Distance', 1997).