Words Are the Boards Thrown over the Abyss (a text of Paul Valéry translated by Vadim Bystritski) — Before and After Francis Ponge

Words are like boards when projected over some abyss spanned by human intellect. We are allowed a swift passage but not a deliberate stop. A quick one passes safely, but the moment we linger, the time-sensitive tissue rips and everything collapses to meet a bottomless chasm. Les mots sont des planches jetées sur un abîme […]

via Words Are the Boards Thrown over the Abyss (a text of Paul Valéry translaed by Vadim Bystritski) — Before and After Francis Ponge