An Unrecognized Herbertian Source for Bishop’s “The Fish”

Abstract

George Herbert was a favorite poet of Elizabeth Bishop. This essay examines the relationship of Bishop’s “The Fish” to Herbert’s “The Collar.” Despite their differences in subject, image and diction, the poems’ structural design, rhyme scheme, tonal shifts, and above all, allusions to traditional Christian ideas have similarities that convincingly demonstrate Bishop’s debt to the earlier poet.