“Clear and cool, clear and cool, / By laughing shallow, and dreaming pool.”-Charles Kingsley
“The tame bird / Longs for his old forst- / The fish in the house-pond / Thinks of his ancient pool.” An excerpt from a Poem on Returning to Dwell In The Country by T’ao Ch’ien (365-427)(China) translated by William Acker. I don’t think the koi and goldfish in my pond know any other home. To them my ornamental pond is the only home they’re ever known, especially recent generations. George C. Blasiola II in the book Koi published in 1995 by Barron’s Educational Series, wrote: “Koi, as the major animate element in a water garden, bring an enhanced appreciation of nature. Their gentle disposition and relative ease of care make them one of the world’s favorite ornamental fish. A short walk in a garden to relax and enjoy nature is immeasurably enhanced by the sight and sound of koi rushing to their feeding area. The calm feeling that this produces will be eagerly anticipated at the end of a busy day.”
“Madame Pompadour of the court of King Louis XV of France was perhaps the first person in Europe to keep goldfish. A number were brought to her from China as a present. Because she was the leader of fashion, other people began importing them. The fad soon spread all over Europe. Goldfish have been bred in China for centuries, … The Japanese, also, have raised goldfish for more than 400 years.” An excerpt from a very old edition of the Britannica.
I wanted to once again share a few photos of the fish in my outdoor pond with you since they’re up and about after their long winter’s nap…
One final though. Rupert Brook posed this philosophical problem. “Fish say, they have their stream and pond; / But is there anything beyond?”
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Don Jackson
