Well, but you two are dancing around in your iridescent little downpour, whooping and stomping as sane people ought to do when they encounter a thing so miraculous as water.

Marilynne Robinson
About This Quote

There’s a lot going on in this quote. The first thing is the use of the phrase “sane people.” In this context, it means those who accept the universe as it has been designed and function as a member of that universe. It is important to note that Shakespeare was talking about those who accept the universe as it is now, not those who try to change it from a supernatural place. Secondly, “whoop and stomp” is a reference to how water is often described as a mystical thing, especially by those who have never experienced it for themselves. Finally, there’s the description of water as being magical and mysterious.

All three of these things are true, but they are also just words that don’t really capture the full picture of how water can be seen as magical and mystical by those who have never experienced it for themselves. That is why Shakespeare says that they are acting “as sane people ought to do when they encounter a thing so miraculous as water.”

Source: Gilead

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