I can't imagine ever writing anything of any kind on a machine. I never tried to write either poetry or prose on a typewriter. I like to do it on useless paper, scrap paper, because it's of no importance.
W. S. MerwinRead
Poetry is like making a joke. If you get one word wrong at the end of a joke, you've lost the whole thing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the precision and careful choice of words in poetry, similar to the timing required in humor.
W. S. Merwin's quote illustrates the delicate balance and precision needed in both poetry and humor. Just as a misplaced word can disrupt the effectiveness of a joke, so too can it undermine the impact of a poem. This highlights the importance of careful word selection and the artistry involved in crafting language that resonates.
Themes
PoetryWordsHumorPrecisionArtistry
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a creative writing workshop to discuss the importance of word choice.
More from W. S. Merwin
All quotes βI think there's a kind of desperate hope built into poetry that one really wants, hopelessly, to save the world. One is trying to say everything that can be said for the things that one loves while there's still time.
W. S. MerwinRead
The kind of writing that matters most to me is something you don't learn about. It's constantly coming out of what I don't know rather than what I do know.
W. S. MerwinRead
I say to my breath once again, little breath come from in front of me, go away behind me, row me quietly now, as far as you can, for I am an abyss that I am trying to cross.
W. S. MerwinRead
Through all of youth I was looking for you_x000D_ without knowing what I was looking for_x000D_ part memory part distance remaining _x000D_ mine in the ways that I learn to miss you_x000D_ from what we cannot hold the stars are made.
W. S. MerwinRead
What I really believe is the only hopeful relation between our life and the whole of life is one of reverence and respect and of feeling at one with it. The other attitude which is the one our society is based on is devastating and it is killing the earth and it is killing us too.
W. S. MerwinRead
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