Explication of "The Coral Insect"
The constant use of alliteration and repetition of vowel and consonant sounds gives the lines in “The Coral Insect” uniformity even when they’re varying from a set pattern. The poem’s use of true rhyme also helps to further bind this structure together. These rhymes are all true, all following exact vowel sounds, such as “spring” and “king”, “dark” and “bark.” The poem also largely consists of masculine rhymes, with lines ending on a single stressed syllable. There’s alliteration throughout the poem that is coupled with the use of semivowels. Such is the case in stanza 1, line 5, with “fathomless fountains” serving as an example of alliteration, with the ‘f’ sounds, and ending with an aspirate semivowel, “s”. These sounds can be lengthened with a strong breath. Aloud, these sounds emulate the formation and crest of a wave. There is a frequent appearance of the letter ‘t’ throughout the poem and one instance where it serves as a mute can be found in stanza 2, line 8, “exult.” These physical sounds aid in representing the vast deep surrounding this “coral insect” where it builds its structures. This can be seen in stanza 2, line 8, “...And the mountain exult where the wave hath been.” The “wave” reaches its crescendo in the middle of the line with the hard “t,” letting the rest of the line fold out after it, literally reflecting “where the wave hath been.” These various sounds and the different ways they’re emphasized are like the build and crash of waves in the ocean. These instances of alliteration also help bring attention to the narrator’s descriptions of the subject. In line 8 of the first stanza, there’s a repeated use of the letter “r” in the line, “Ye’re a puny race, thus to boldly rear….” This repetition of “r” calls our attention to and positions the coral reef as being a small, almost insignificant part of the vast ocean and yet it still demands our attention.
“The Coral Insect” has several instances of end-stopped lines, including stanza 3, lines 1-2: “But why do ye plant ‘neath the billows dark / The wrecking reef for the gallant bark?” In these lines, the narrator frames the coral reef as something almost sinister, “wrecking” those who are brave enough to cross the sea. This line also doubles as an example of enjambment in the poem, with the first line only serving as half of the full question completed in line 2. This is an instance in which the narrator of the poem is directly talking to the object of the poem. The first two lines of stanza three are an enjambment with every line that follows it concluding with end -stops. The punctuation used for these end-stops switches between commas, semicolons, and question marks. In this stanza, the speaker struggles to comprehend the actions of the coral reef. This changed pattern reflects the change in who the narrator is addressing. Before this stanza, they were reflecting on the nature of the coral reef but here they are directly questioning it. In fact, the final words in most lines in stanza three end on a mute consonant. Aspirate semivowels are also present throughout the stanza, as in the final two lines of stanza 3 with the “-th” in breath and death. These consonants closing out the lines of stanza 3 force the narrator to slow down as they directly address the coral reef and wait for it to respond.
“The Coral Insect” uses tetrameter consistently throughout the poem. Though at first glance the various use of anapests and iambs may seem random, they are still following a pattern. Though the order in which the anapests and iambs appear differs widely, it is the use of both in each line that becomes a pattern in and of itself. In stanza 1, lines 3 and 5 both use the same order of an iamb followed by two anapests before finishing on an iamb. This same pattern of iambs and anapests is reflected later in the same stanza with line 7. Both lines are followed by lines that contain an anapest, an iamb, and an anapest and finish on an iamb. Together, these lines with various patterns flow together to create a complete thought. As the poem moves forward, anapests and iambs are both repeated and presented in new orders.
The meter in “The Coral Insect” reflects the unruly nature of the ocean the coral insect toils in. The strength of its waves can change by the hour and so does the meter with each line. Just as the coral reef’s structures “mock” man’s wisdom, so too does the meter resist a typical examination. The nature of the coral reef that man can’t comprehend isn’t that it’s beyond man’s reasoning; the coral is just using a set of standards that can’t be translated. There’s a structure and a reason for what the coral reef does; you must look more closely to understand it and it won’t stop to let man catch up with it. The meter, then, directly reflects the intelligence of the coral reef. The speaker describes the coral reef as something dangerous and intelligent. It “toils” in a brutal environment that keeps its creations hidden beneath the depths. The speaker is thus, in a way, giving the coral reef the praise and admiration that it earns but has aptly avoided while hidden in the depths of the ocean.
The only line from which Sigourney leaves out anapests entirely is stanza 4, line 7, “Hath earth no graves, that ye must spread.” Here the speaker is asking if there are not already enough graves on land? Why then must the coral wreck so many ships and cause so many sailors to be buried at sea? The meter in this line is steadier because it excludes any anapests, perhaps reflecting the solid ground of the earth that the coral reefs grow away from. In this line, the narrator has a temporary respite from the varying patterns of anapests and iambs and instead can keep a steady meter for the first half of the enjambment. However, the next line that completes the thought is once again interrupted with an anapest. Even when the narrator tries to impose the steadier pattern of earth-based structures onto the unruly and unpredictable coral reefs, they fail to do so and give in to the push and pull of the ocean.
The sounds, meter and rhyme used in “The Coral Insect” all work together to reflect the environment of the poem’s subject. The unpredictability of the impure meter gives readers a feel for the vast domain the coral insect is hiding and working beneath. As the speaker’s thoughts focus and address the coral reef directly, the coral reef’s power and intelligent design are reflected in the structure of the narrative. End-stops force readers to slow down and consider the motivations of the “insect.” The use of alliteration and semivowels echoes the push and pull of the sea. Further inspection of the poem’s structure reveals a purposeful and intelligent design just as the coral reef’s “sand-based structures'' do.