Fish in the Unruffled Lakes
Fish in the Unruffled Lakes - meaning Summary
Transient Splendour and Chosen Love
The poem contrasts animals’ effortless perfection and passing lives with human moral burden and anxiety. Auden sets images of fish, swans, and a lion as naturally acting creatures, then shifts to human obligations: remorse, duty, and guarded virtue worn for atonement or luck. The speaker accepts this constrained condition but celebrates a beloved swan whose voluntary love transcends instinct, offering consolation amid temporal loss and envious longing.
Read Complete AnalysesFish in the unruffled lakes Their swarming colours wear, Swans in the winter air A white perfection have, And the great lion walks Through his innocent grove; Lion, fish and swan Act, and are gone Upon Time's toppling wave. We, till shadowed days are done, We must weep and sing Duty's conscious wrong, The Devil in the clock, The goodness carefully worn For atonement or for luck; We must lose our loves, On each beast and bird that moves Turn an envious look. Sighs for folly done and said Twist our narrow days, But I must bless, I must praise That you, my swan, who have All gifts that to the swan Impulsive Nature gave, The majesty and pride, Last night should add Your voluntary love.
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