Themes in The Fish

In the final stanza, Moore further unveils the relationship between cliff and sea. The cliff persists by the sea—that which “can not revive its youth”—and the sea “grows old in” the cliff. The cliff and the sea define one another as they break one another down. Moore personifies these figures, imbuing them with mortality. Ultimately, this characterization reflects on us, and on the shortness of our own lives. For, unlike us, the cliff and the sea will carry on their struggle indefinitely.