A recurring ideal, I find, is that of simplicity. At times there comes the desire to write with great precision and clarity, words so simple and moving that they bring tears to the eyes.
Interpretation
Simplicity in writing can evoke deep emotions and clarity.
In this quote, R. S. Thomas emphasizes the power of simplicity in writing. He suggests that the desire for clear and precise expression can lead to the creation of words so simple yet profound that they resonate deeply with readers, often evoking strong emotional responses such as tears.
In practice
This quote can be used in a workshop on creative writing to encourage participants to embrace simplicity.
The furies are at home in the mirror; it is their address. Even the clearest water, if deep enough can drown. Never think to surprise them. Your face approaching ever so friendly is the white flag they ignore. There is no truce with the furies. A mirror's temperature is always zero. It is ice in the veins. It's camera is an x-ray. It is a chalice held out to you in silent communion, where gaspingly you partake of a shifting identity never your own.
Imaginative truth is the most immediate way of presenting ultimate reality to a human being... ultimate reality is what we call God.
Man is a dream about a shadow. But when some splendour falls upon him from God, a glory comes to him and his life is sweet.
Poetry is that / which arrives at the intellect / by way of the heart.
What the poet is searching for_x000D_ is not the fundamental I_x000D_ but the deep you.
Life is an illusion. I am held together in the nothingness by art.
He with a graceful pride, While his rider every hand survey'd, Sprung loose, and flew into an escapade; Not moving forward, yet with every bound Pressing, and seeming still to quit his ground.
Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.
Artists working for other artists is all about knowing, learning, unlearning, initiating long-term artistic dialogues, making connections, creating covens, and getting temporary shelter from the storm.
We all need poetry. The moments in our lives that are characterized by language that has to do with necessity or the market, or just, you know, things that take us away from the big questions that we have, those are the things that I think urge us to think about what a poem can offer.
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