Words ... are little houses, each with its cellar and garret. Common sense lives on the ground floor, always ready to engage in 'foreign commerce' on the same level as the others, as the passers-by, who are never dreamers. To go upstairs in the word house is to withdraw step by step; while to go down to the cellar is to dream, it is losing oneself in the distant corridors of an obscure etymology, looking for treasures that cannot be found in words. To mount and descend in the words themselves-this is a poet's life. To mount too high or descend too low is allowed in the case of poets, who bring earth and sky together.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Words have hidden layers like houses; poets explore them to unite earth and sky.
- In plain terms
- Poets dig deep into words to find hidden meanings.
- What can you take from it?
- Language holds depths beyond ordinary sense.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What lies beneath common words?
- How do words shape thought?
Another view
Not all writing aims for deep meaning.
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