Analyzing Aix Qing's Poem 'Fish Fossil'

In the poem, “Fish Fossil” by Aix Qing, the speaker is sympathetic towards the fossil. He is reminiscing the time where the fish, “leapt in the foam / And swam in the sea,” (4-5). The speaker admires the life the fish once lived. Then there is a shift at line 5 because the speaker begins to express a sorrowful tone. He tells the fish how, “ Unfortunately, a volcano’s eruption / or perhaps an earthquake / cost you your freedom,” (5-8). In this same stanza, the poet creates an allusion to the event at Pompeii where the entire city was buried under volcanic ash. This reference to a historical event, emphasizes the tragedy that took away the fish’s life. Throughout the rest of the poem the speaker continues to expand on the loss of freedom. The