The most outstanding verse in the poem is verse one. In this verse there is a line “As a white stone draws down the fish” this quote introduces you to the sustained metaphor of the attractive woman being referred to as a white stone. I think this comparison is very clever because a stone which is white stands out on the seafloor and also attracts fish; this is also true for the woman in the tea-garden because she is so beautiful that she stands out. Also another comparison is that a stone is smooth and round; perhaps this is referring to the woman’s figure or personality. One last comparison is that a stone is hard; this indicates that the woman is hard to get and confident, proving that she will not be as easy a catch for the fish surrounding her!
The poem uses the technique of enjambment. One example of this is at the end of verse one where it says “Her red lip on the spoon” and then carries this sentence through to the start of verse two “slips in a morsel of ice-cream.” I find the technique of enjambment helps the poem because it coaxes the reader into paying more attention in trying to bring the poem together and help them understand it and it helps to increase the woman’s seductiveness.
Throughout the poem there are many figures of speech – mainly metaphors and the simile. One of my favourite metaphors is in verse five, “Captain on leave, a lean dark mackerel” throughout this poem it refers to the men in the Egyptian tea-garden as different species of fish however, I think this is the most cleverly linked comparison. The metaphor describes the captain as a mackerel and this suits him very well because a mackerel is colourful, handsome and fast – I think this describes this specific ‘species’ of man well because it is more than likely that he is interesting, handsome and fit with having the job of a Captain. Another figure of speech used is similes. Here is a quote of a simile from verse two “Her hands as white as shell.” I think this is a very good description of what the woman looks like. Throughout the poem there are many sustained metaphors, one of these being the theme of the attractive woman in the tea-garden being referred to as a white stone and thereafter she is described using themes from the sea, for example “Her hands as white as shell, are submarine fronds sinking with spread fingers.”
The themes of the poem are wealth and competition. In the following paragraphs I will explain why I think these are the themes of the poem.
I think one of the themes in the play is wealth because the attractive woman thinks this is a very important factor when choosing a husband. To prove this in the final verse after all the different ‘species’ of men have gone back to work the woman sits in the tea-garden alone “a white stone useless except to a collector, a rich man.” This quote shows that the woman is hard to get and perhaps this quote also shows that the man she would marry may have more than one wife – she would be one of many as this situation is re-occurring is the such places as Egypt.
The theme of competition I think plays a part in the poem because of all the different species of fish (men) competing to gain the white stone’s (woman’s) attention. For example the “cotton magnate, an important fish” whilst he is powerful and confident and perhaps assumes he has a chance with the attractive woman, the “crustacean old man, clamped to his chair” was forced to fantasise about the woman as he knew he didn’t have a chance with her.
The setting of the poem is in an Egyptian Tea-Garden. I think the setting of this particular poem is important because it sounds luxurious and somewhat exotic and that is how the personality of the attractive woman comes across. It is an ideal location for the woman to be in – it suits her.
My response to the poem “Behaviour of Fish in an Egyptian Tea-Garden” as a whole is that it is an interesting subject which I found amusing. The poem is quite easy to interpret and I think the metaphorical names for both the men and woman made the poem more interesting and this poem would encourage me to read more of Keith Douglas’ work.
