Sri Aurobindo
Letters on Poetry and Art
SABCL - Volume 27
Part 1. Poetry and its Creation
Section 3. Poetic Technique
Substance, Style, Diction
Sentimentality and Clichés [2]
“Young heart”, “thrilled companionship”, “warm hour ...
lip to lip”, “passionate unease” are here poorly sensuous clichés — they
or any one or two of them might have been carried off in a more moved and
inspired style, gathering colour from their surroundings or even a new and rich
life; but here they stand out in a fashionable dressed-up insufficiency. This
secret of fusing all in such a white heat or colour heat of sincerity of
inspiration that even the common or often-used phrases and ideas catch fire and
burn brilliantly with the rest is one of the secrets of the true poetic
afflatus. But if you stop short of that inspiration and begin to write only efficient poetry, then you must be careful about
your “P”s and “Q”s.
19 March 1932