The Critics’ Corner

A Crucial Spelling

with Hongping Liu

“Lose” and “loose” are frequently confused in writing by native speakers of English. As editor, I often have to search for “loose” in unfortunately written submissions to make sure the author did not misspell “lose.”

In this issue we have a remarkable counter-example. One of our new contributors, Hongping Liu, who writes fluently in a language completely unrelated to her own, illustrates a professional’s sensitivity.

In the first stanza of “Tidal Ebb and Flow” we find:

Flowers wither in the solitude of trees;
trilling birds loose their songs deep in the mountains

“Birds lose their songs” would fit with the idea of “flowers wither.”

On the other hand, “loose” in the sense of “let loose” fits with the lines that follow:

Pounding waves reveal the ocean’s depth.
The sound of your name deepens my loneliness.

Ms. Liu explains:

Yes, in the first stanza, it is “trilling birds loose their songs deep in the mountains.”
There is a saying: “Twittering birds make mountains more still.” So birdsongs sometimes can make people feel more lonely.

Thank you, Ms. Liu. What is a proverb in one language may provide another language with a new and fresh image. As I like to say, we need each other.

Don Webb
Managing Editor
Bewildering Stories