Address to Certain Goldfishes

Description

Nature poems were in full bloom in the early 19th century, with poets such as William Wordsworth, John Clare and, of course, Hartley Coleridge. The vibrancy, elegance and fluidity with which Coleridge addressed the subject of most of his poems shone through even more in Address to Certain Goldfishes, a melodic poem that aims to draw the reader into an enchanting world where only nature’s most benign and beautiful of creatures tend to dwell.

Address to Certain Goldfishes was written by Hartley Coleridge (1796 – 1849) in an attempt to take his nature poetry to a level where very few other authors have been. Coleridge was not satisfied with merely writing about goldfish with a detached pomposity and reverence that many of his peers would employ. Instead, he used words that caress the reader through their melodious nature, and attempts to portray the full dimensions of beauty of the world where the goldfish dwells.

The poet is not merely attempting to describe the fish themselves, but goes further to give the reader a glimpse of what it is actually like to be the goldfish and draw from its experiences. Phrases that denote an acute visualization of the creatures’ surroundings and attempt to describe their gentle yet carefree and precise movements, as well as musings that convey the poet’s desire to understand the inner emotional and existential experience of the fish create a rich and unique atmosphere that will make you come alive as you read these elegant verses.

Without exaggerating it can be said that Address to Certain Goldfishes was one of Coleridge’s crowning achievements, despite the accomplished poet having created many other acclaimed works such as his well-received sonnets and an unfinished lyrical drama.

Coleridge is recognized to this day as a skilled poet who wrote with a passion seldom encountered in nature poetry, and who, through his beautiful poems, still manages to stir the emotions of his fans worldwide.
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