“But words are vain; reject them all—
They utter but a feeble part:
Hear thou the depths from which they call,
The voiceless longing of my heart.”
Every writer knows what it’s like when words hit exactly the spot intended. But they also know what it’s like when words fall short completely. In this excerpt from Phantastes, this is what MacDonald is describing. Words have utterly failed him. They cannot come close to the longings which he tries to voice. And yet, they are nevertheless beautifully written.
Do you have a quote from literature you love? Share it in the comments and I’ll include it in an upcoming post!
The irony of that is that MacDonald was a fairly prolific writer; he had to be to support his family back in the 19th century.
Beautiful poetry and I highly recommend!