The Maldive Shark (Sea Pieces)
This short story revolves around a harpooneer who encounters a maldive shark while on a whaling voyage. The shark's body is discovered and the crew decides to preserve it in a barrel of rum, where it remains for several years. When the barrel is opened, the shark's body has undergone significant changes due to its prolonged exposure to the rum, resulting in a grotesque and disturbing sight.
By Herman Melville · First published 1851 · Genre: Poetry, Nature, Symbolism · 168 words
First lines
About the Shark, phlegmatical one, / Pale sot of the Maldive sea, / The sleek little pilot-fish, azure and slim, / How alert in attendance be.
From his saw-pit of mouth, from his charnel of maw / They have nothing of harm to dread, / But liquidly glide on his ghastly flank / Or before his Gorgonian head: / Or lurk in the port of serrated teeth / In white triple tiers of glittering gates, / And there find a haven when peril's abroad, / An asylum in jaws of the Fates!
They are friends; and friendly they guide him to prey, / Yet never partake of the treat- / Eyes and brains to the dotard lethargic and dull, / Pale ravener of horrible meat.
What this Textopian page supports
The Maldive Shark (Sea Pieces) is listed on Textopian as a poem by Herman Melville, dated 1851 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Herman Melville
- Date: 1851 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Nature, Symbolism, Allegory, Philosophical
- Length: 168 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Maldive Shark (Sea Pieces) by Herman Melville
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, utilizing rhyme and meter, characteristic of poetry.
- Nature — The poem focuses on marine life, specifically the relationship between the shark and the pilot-fish, highlighting natural themes.
- Symbolism — The shark and pilot-fish serve as symbols, possibly representing broader themes of predation and symbiosis.
- Allegory — The interaction between the shark and pilot-fish can be interpreted as an allegory for human relationships or societal structures.
Tags
Nautical Fiction · Adventure Story · Maritime Literature · Sea Narrative · Whaling Industry · 19th Century Literature · American Classic · Short Story Collection · Literary Fiction · Symbolism · Mythology · Folklore