Speechstuff and Thoughtstuff : Musings on the Resonances Created by Words and Phrases via the Subliminal Perception of their Buried Parts

Several years ago I received an envelope from a reader of my writings, in which I found a few pages photocopied from a science-fiction magazine and a short note saying "You might enjoy this", or words to that effect, but no further explanation. I had heard of the piece's author, Poul Anderson, and knew he was a highly respected writer of science fiction, but had never read anything by him. I momentarily glanced at the strangely-titled piece but didn't even try to read it. It went into a pile of correspondence and remained thus buried for months. Finally one day it resurfaced, and as I was feeling a little less pressed, I decided togive it a chance. Here, then, are the first three paragraphs of Poul Anderson's "Uncleftish Beholding" (it is found in its entirety in Appendix I):