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'Coral' by Derek Walcott


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Collected Poems 1948-1984This coral's hape ecohes the hand
It hollowed. ItsImmediate absence is heavy. As pumice,
As your breast in my cupped palm.Sea-cold, its nipple rasps like sand,
Its pores, like yours, shone with salt sweat.Bodies in absence displace their weight,
And your smooth body, like none other,Creates an exact absence like this stoneSet on a table with a whitening rackOf souvenirs. It dares my hand
To claim what lovers' hands have never known:The nature of the body of another.

Editor 1 Interpretation

#The Stunning Imagery in Derek Walcott's "Coral"

Derek Walcott's poem "Coral" is a masterful example of how a poet can use vivid imagery and sensory language to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Throughout this poem, Walcott weaves a complex tapestry of images that capture the beauty and danger of the coral reef.

##The Power of Sensory Language

One of the most striking aspects of "Coral" is how Walcott uses sensory language to convey the experience of diving among the coral. For example, in the opening lines of the poem, he writes:

Underwater it is done
with mirrors; 
I look at myself 
through the green distorting water, 
waving a hand, pointing a finger 
which the weak waves 
blur to a ghostliness.

Here, Walcott uses visual and tactile imagery to transport the reader into the underwater world. The image of looking at oneself "through the green distorting water" is particularly powerful, as it conveys both the beauty and the otherworldliness of the reef. Similarly, the description of the waves blurring the hand to a "ghostliness" creates a sense of the surreal and the ephemeral.

Throughout the poem, Walcott continues to use sensory language to great effect. For example, he describes the coral itself as "a garden of branching / and trellised organisms, a web / over the ocean floor, a lace / doily of living tissue". Here, he uses tactile and visual language to convey the delicate intricacy of the coral, while also suggesting its fragility.

##The Beauty and Danger of the Coral Reef

Another key theme in "Coral" is the interplay between the beauty and the danger of the coral reef. Walcott captures this dynamic in a variety of ways. For example, he writes:

The whole world keeps washing to this shore: 
the surfers and the dead,
tattooed, stoned, or drunk,
their heads full of roses, 
while the thin-grained sand
underfoot is numb as a dentist.

Here, Walcott juxtaposes the image of the "thin-grained sand" with the colorful and chaotic world of the surfers and the dead. The image of the sand being "numb as a dentist" is particularly powerful, as it suggests a sense of detachment and numbness in the face of the reef's beauty and danger.

Similarly, Walcott uses imagery to capture the way in which the reef can be both alluring and treacherous. For example, he writes:

But the reef is waiting, its granular
beauty a mask for its lethal cunning. 
We walk on its dangerous fabric,
watching the cuttlefish bear down,
the rainbow parrotfish disperse 
like a drifting keg of jewels.

Here, Walcott uses visual and tactile language to convey the sense of danger lurking beneath the reef's beauty. The image of the cuttlefish bearing down is particularly striking, as it suggests the suddenness and violence of the reef's predators.

##The Role of Memory and Imagination

Finally, "Coral" explores the role of memory and imagination in shaping our perception of the world around us. Walcott captures this idea in a number of ways throughout the poem. For example, he writes:

Time is our coral,
our past
that mirrors our movements.

Here, Walcott suggests that our past experiences shape our perception of the present, much as the coral reef reflects our movements underwater. Similarly, he writes:

We see what we are,
the imagination
sees us too.

This line is particularly powerful, as it suggests that the world around us is not fixed, but rather shaped by our own imagination and perception. Walcott's use of the word "sees" suggests that the world is not passive, but rather an active participant in our experiences.

##Conclusion

In "Coral," Derek Walcott demonstrates his mastery of sensory language, imagery, and poetic craft. Through his vivid descriptions of the coral reef, he captures both its beauty and its danger, while also exploring the role of memory and imagination in shaping our perception of the world. This poem is a testament to the power of poetry to transport us to new worlds, and to make us see the familiar in a new light.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Derek Walcott's "Poetry Coral" is a masterpiece of poetic expression that captures the essence of the Caribbean landscape and its people. The poem is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the Caribbean, and it is a tribute to the power of poetry to capture the essence of a place and its people.

The poem is structured as a coral, with each stanza representing a different aspect of the Caribbean landscape and its people. The first stanza sets the tone for the poem, with the speaker describing the beauty of the Caribbean sea and its coral reefs. The imagery is vivid and evocative, with the speaker describing the "coral gardens" and the "sea's green mansions." The use of personification in the line "the sea is a woman" adds to the sense of wonder and awe that the speaker feels for the Caribbean landscape.

The second stanza shifts the focus to the people of the Caribbean, and the speaker describes the diversity of the region's inhabitants. The use of the word "coral" in this stanza is significant, as it suggests that the people of the Caribbean are as diverse and colorful as the coral reefs that surround them. The speaker describes the "black coral" of the African slaves, the "white coral" of the European colonizers, and the "red coral" of the indigenous peoples. The use of color imagery in this stanza is powerful, as it highlights the diversity of the Caribbean and the complex history of its people.

The third stanza continues the theme of diversity, but this time the focus is on the different languages spoken in the Caribbean. The speaker describes the "coral of languages" that can be heard in the region, from the "Spanish coral" of Cuba to the "French coral" of Haiti. The use of the word "coral" in this stanza is again significant, as it suggests that the different languages of the Caribbean are as diverse and colorful as the coral reefs that surround them.

The fourth stanza shifts the focus back to the landscape of the Caribbean, and the speaker describes the beauty of the region's mountains and forests. The imagery is once again vivid and evocative, with the speaker describing the "coral of mountains" and the "coral of forests." The use of the word "coral" in this stanza is significant, as it suggests that the mountains and forests of the Caribbean are as diverse and colorful as the coral reefs that surround them.

The fifth and final stanza brings the poem to a close, with the speaker reflecting on the power of poetry to capture the essence of the Caribbean. The speaker describes poetry as a "coral of words," and suggests that it has the power to capture the beauty and diversity of the Caribbean landscape and its people. The final line of the poem, "the coral of love," is a powerful statement about the speaker's love for the Caribbean and its people, and the power of poetry to express that love.

Overall, "Poetry Coral" is a powerful and evocative poem that captures the essence of the Caribbean landscape and its people. The use of the coral metaphor throughout the poem is significant, as it suggests that the diversity and beauty of the Caribbean is as complex and colorful as the coral reefs that surround it. The poem is a celebration of the power of poetry to capture the essence of a place and its people, and it is a tribute to the beauty and diversity of the Caribbean.

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