Nature
This poem centers around an encounter between the man-made world and the natural world. Nature, represented by the fish, is described as at once sublime, vulnerable, and tough. The natural world is in some ways unappealing, even frightening, and at the same time worthy of awe: the speaker describes the fish as "homely" and speaks of its alien grandeur and mysteriousness. Still, despite this powerful exterior, the fish, and by extension the natural world, faces danger in the form of human intervention and needless cruelty. The fish has been injured through other encounters with humanity, and the speaker has the option to kill it, asserting power over nature. Ultimately, her choice not to do so is an act of deference to nature.
Empathy and Compassion
Initially, the speaker views the fish as a mere object. She intends, it seems, to catch the fish without letting it go, and does not see this as especially problematic. But by looking closely at the fish, she develops an understanding of it as a complex creature, with a subjective experience of its own, and with preferences and desires of its own. This is not to say that she entirely understands the fish. Instead, by acknowledging and appreciating its strangeness, taking note of the way that its body is foreign to her, she is able to comprehend the fish as a being separate from her and complete unto itself. Through this appreciation of the fish's point of view, the speaker comes to see its triumph over other humans as something to be celebrated. She takes joy in that triumph, and then contributes to it by letting the fish live.
