"If my tongue were trained to measures, I would sing a stirring song"

Paul Tillich's words evoke a longing for the power to express, to shape language so that it not only communicates but transforms. The phrase "If my tongue were trained to measures" conjures the discipline of poetic or musical form, measures marking rhythm and order. It suggests a yearning for mastery, for the technical skill to wield language as an artist crafts his medium. Tillich places himself in a position of humility, implicitly recognizing that the passion or vision inside him is not sufficient; it must be matched by the ability to give that feeling adequate and moving expression.

By wishing to "sing a stirring song", he signals a desire to move others, to inspire, to awaken through words what mere prose or untrained speech might dimly evoke. A "stirring song" implies more than melody. It carries bold emotion and the capacity to reach across the private barriers that separate individuals. Here, song is emblematic of art at its highest function: to rouse, to challenge, and to touch something deep in the soul of another.

Underlying Tillich’s statement is the inevitability of limitations, how often people feel the depth of experience or conviction, yet lack the cultivated tools of communication to adequately convey that inner world. The "measures" stand for technique, form, discipline, the scaffolding upon which inspiration can be built into a structure strong enough to reach others. Without training, the song remains silent; with it, even the most private passion finds public life, resonance, and a chance to stir those who listen.

This reflection embodies not only the challenge facing every artist and thinker, but also the universal human wish: that our most profound perceptions and emotions might leap from our inmost self into the hearts of others, creating connection and transformation, if only we possessed the means to give them wholly authentic and resonant expression.