Word magic

An Afrikaner, Johan Degenaar, on word magic:

"For the poet the word is not only a sound-combination; not only the carrier of an idea; not only the form in which he maintains strict discipline in the experiences of his life. The word is a magical medium, a weapon with which impurity can be excised, a spell or magic formula by which things are exorcised, a chisel with which planets can be split open."