A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before been spoken. The seed-word is always so ordinary that hardly anyone perceives it. Classical odes grow from and or because, romantic lyrics from but or if. Immature verses expand a personal pronoun ad nauseam, the greatest works bring glory to a common verb.


"Prometheus", pp. 208-9. - Unlikely Stories, Mostly (1983)

Alasdair Gray Quotes

A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before been spoken. The...

A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before been spoken. The...

A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before been spoken. The...

A good poem is a tautology. It expands one word by adding a number which clarify it, thus making a new word which has never before been spoken. The...