'Fish , The' by Rupert Brooke


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In a cool curving world he lies
And ripples with dark ecstasies.
The kind luxurious lapse and steal
Shapes all his universe to feel
And know and be; the clinging stream
Closes his memory, glooms his dream,
Who lips the roots o' the shore, and glides
Superb on unreturning tides.
Those silent waters weave for him
A fluctuant mutable world and dim,
Where wavering masses bulge and gape
Mysterious, and shape to shape
Dies momently through whorl and hollow,
And form and line and solid follow
Solid and line and form to dream
Fantastic down the eternal stream;
An obscure world, a shifting world,
Bulbous, or pulled to thin, or curled,
Or serpentine, or driving arrows,
Or serene slidings, or March narrows.
There slipping wave and shore are one,
And weed and mud.No ray of sun,
But glow to glow fades down the deep
(As dream to unknown dream in sleep);
Shaken translucency illumes
The hyaline of drifting glooms;
The strange soft-handed depth subdues
Drowned colour there, but black to hues,
As death to living, decomposes --
Red darkness of the heart of roses,
Blue brilliant from dead starless skies,
And gold that lies behind the eyes,
The unknown unnameable sightless white
That is the essential flame of night,
Lustreless purple, hooded green,
The myriad hues that lie between
Darkness and darkness! . . .

And all's one.
Gentle, embracing, quiet, dun,
The world he rests in, world he knows,
Perpetual curving.Only -- grows
An eddy in that ordered falling,
A knowledge from the gloom, a calling
Weed in the wave, gleam in the mud --
The dark fire leaps along his blood;
Dateless and deathless, blind and still,
The intricate impulse works its will;
His woven world drops back; and he,
Sans providence, sans memory,
Unconscious and directly driven,
Fades to some dank sufficient heaven.

O world of lips, O world of laughter,
Where hope is fleet and thought flies after,
Of lights in the clear night, of cries
That drift along the wave and rise
Thin to the glittering stars above,
You know the hands, the eyes of love!
The strife of limbs, the sightless clinging,
The infinite distance, and the singing
Blown by the wind, a flame of sound,
The gleam, the flowers, and vast around
The horizon, and the heights above --
You know the sigh, the song of love!

But there the night is close, and there
Darkness is cold and strange and bare;
And the secret deeps are whisperless;
And rhythm is all deliciousness;
And joy is in the throbbing tide,
Whose intricate fingers beat and glide
In felt bewildering harmonies
Of trembling touch; and music is
The exquisite knocking of the blood.
Space is no more, under the mud;
His bliss is older than the sun.
Silent and straight the waters run.
The lights, the cries, the willows dim,
And the dark tide are one with him.


Editor 1 Interpretation

Exploring Rupert Brooke's "Fish"

As someone who appreciates the beauty of words, it is always a pleasure to dive into the poetry world, where language is used to evoke emotions, to tell stories, to explore the human experience. Today, I want to take a closer look at one particular poem that has captured my attention: "Fish" by Rupert Brooke.

Context and Background

First, let's set the context. Rupert Brooke was a well-known English poet who lived from 1887 to 1915. He died at the young age of 27, during World War I, and his poetry was widely read and admired during his lifetime and after his death. Brooke is often associated with the Georgian poets, a group of writers who expressed traditional values and celebrated nature, love, and beauty.

"Fish" was published in 1911, in Brooke's first collection of poems, "Poems." The poem is short, only 12 lines long, and it is written in free verse, without any rhyme or meter. The title, "Fish," is simple and straightforward, but it gives us a clue about the subject matter of the poem.

Analysis and Interpretation

Now, let's dive into the poem itself and see what Brooke has to say about fish. Here is the text of the poem:

In a cool curving world he lies And ripples with dark ecstasies. The kind luxurious lapse and steal Shapes all his universe to feel And know and be; the clinging stream Closes his memory, glooms his dream, Who lips the roots o' the shore, and glides Superb on unreturning tides. Those silent waters weave for him A fluctuant mutable world and dim, Where wavering masses bulge and gape Mysterious, slow, sublime, and shape.

At first glance, the poem seems to describe a fish as it lies in a stream, enjoying the sensations of its environment. We can almost see the fish in our minds, as it ripples in the water, feeling the coolness and the currents. But as we read further, we realize that Brooke is not just describing the fish, but he is using the fish as a metaphor for something else, something deeper.

The first two lines set the scene: "In a cool curving world he lies / And ripples with dark ecstasies." The fish is in its own world, a world that is cool and curving, a world that is both beautiful and mysterious. We can imagine the fish moving gracefully through the water, experiencing the pleasure of its existence. But what does it mean to ripple with dark ecstasies? Here, Brooke is using the fish as a symbol of the human experience, of our own desires and passions. The dark ecstasies suggest a kind of pleasure that is intense and perhaps even dangerous, a pleasure that is not easily understood or controlled.

The next four lines expand on this idea: "The kind luxurious lapse and steal / Shapes all his universe to feel / And know and be; the clinging stream / Closes his memory, glooms his dream." Here, Brooke is suggesting that the fish's experience is all-encompassing, that everything it feels and knows and is, is shaped by its environment. The luxurious lapse and steal suggest a kind of indulgence, as if the fish is giving in to its desires without restraint. And yet, the fish is also trapped in its environment, unable to escape the stream that both sustains it and limits it. The clinging stream closes its memory and glooms its dream, suggesting that the fish is unable to remember the past or imagine the future, that it is confined to the present moment.

The next three lines describe the fish's movements: "Who lips the roots o' the shore, and glides / Superb on unreturning tides. / Those silent waters weave for him." Here, Brooke is emphasizing the fish's grace and power, as it moves through the water with ease and confidence. The unreturning tides suggest that the fish is moving forward, that it is always in motion, and that it cannot go back. The silent waters weave for him suggest that the fish is at the center of its universe, that everything around it is created for its benefit.

The final three lines of the poem describe the world that the fish inhabits: "A fluctuant mutable world and dim, / Where wavering masses bulge and gape / Mysterious, slow, sublime, and shape." Here, Brooke is using language to create a sense of mystery and wonder, as if the fish is living in a world that is constantly changing and evolving. The fluctuant mutable world and dim suggest a kind of fluidity and ambiguity, as if the fish's world is always shifting and changing. The wavering masses bulge and gape suggest a kind of otherworldly quality, as if the fish is living in a place that is both familiar and strange. The mysterious, slow, sublime, and shape suggest a kind of grandeur and majesty, as if the fish is living in a world that is both beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Conclusion

So, what can we learn from Rupert Brooke's "Fish"? I think the poem is a meditation on the human experience, on our desires and passions, on our limitations and possibilities. Brooke is suggesting that we are all like fish, living in a world that both sustains us and limits us, experiencing pleasures that are both intense and dangerous, always in motion but unable to go back. But he is also suggesting that there is beauty and wonder in our existence, that we are part of a grand and mysterious universe that we can only glimpse and appreciate.

Overall, I find "Fish" to be a beautiful and evocative poem, one that uses language in a powerful and imaginative way to explore the human experience. I hope this analysis has given you a deeper appreciation for this wonderful piece of literature, and that it inspires you to explore more of Rupert Brooke's poetry. Happy reading!

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Poetry Fish by Rupert Brooke is a classic piece of literature that has stood the test of time. This poem is a beautiful and powerful expression of the human experience, and it has been beloved by readers for generations. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language used in The Poetry Fish, and we will examine how these elements work together to create a truly remarkable piece of poetry.

The first thing that strikes the reader about The Poetry Fish is its vivid imagery. Brooke uses a variety of sensory details to paint a picture of the fish that is both beautiful and haunting. He describes the fish as "a silver shadow," "a flash of light," and "a sudden gleam." These descriptions create a sense of movement and energy, as if the fish is constantly in motion, darting through the water with grace and speed.

But there is more to this imagery than just the beauty of the fish. Brooke also uses it to convey a deeper meaning. The fish is a symbol of the poet's art, and the way it moves through the water represents the way the poet moves through the world. The fish is elusive and difficult to catch, just as the poet's ideas and inspirations are elusive and difficult to capture. But when the poet does manage to catch the fish, it is a moment of triumph, a moment of pure creative energy.

This theme of creativity and inspiration is central to The Poetry Fish. Brooke is exploring the idea of what it means to be a poet, and how the act of writing poetry can be both exhilarating and frustrating. He writes, "I have caught this silver fish / And it flashes in my hands." This line captures the excitement of the creative process, the feeling of holding something beautiful and powerful in one's hands. But Brooke also acknowledges the difficulty of this process, writing, "But I cannot hold it long / Nor can I keep it still."

This tension between inspiration and frustration is something that all artists can relate to, and it is what makes The Poetry Fish such a powerful piece of literature. Brooke is not just describing the act of catching a fish; he is describing the act of creating art, of trying to capture something elusive and beautiful and make it tangible.

Another important theme in The Poetry Fish is the idea of transformation. Brooke writes, "It is a fish no longer / But a poem." This line suggests that the act of catching the fish has transformed it into something else entirely. It is no longer just a fish, but a work of art, a poem that can be shared with others. This transformation is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of art, and how it can take something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary.

The language used in The Poetry Fish is also worth examining. Brooke's use of imagery and metaphor is masterful, and he creates a sense of rhythm and flow that is both musical and poetic. He uses repetition to great effect, repeating the phrase "silver fish" throughout the poem to create a sense of unity and coherence.

But perhaps the most striking aspect of the language in The Poetry Fish is its simplicity. Brooke does not use complex or obscure language; instead, he relies on simple, straightforward words that are easy to understand. This simplicity is part of what makes the poem so powerful. It is a reminder that sometimes the most profound ideas can be expressed in the simplest of terms.

In conclusion, The Poetry Fish by Rupert Brooke is a classic piece of literature that has stood the test of time. It is a powerful exploration of the creative process, the transformative power of art, and the beauty of the natural world. Brooke's use of imagery, language, and metaphor is masterful, and he creates a sense of rhythm and flow that is both musical and poetic. This poem is a testament to the enduring power of poetry, and it is a reminder that sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most profound.

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