Bishop on "At the Fishhouses"At the last minute, after I'd had a chance to do a little research in Cape Breton, I foundI'd said codfish scales once when it should have been herring scales. I hope theycorrected it all right.2Quite a few lines of "At the Fishhouses" came to me in a dream, and the scene- whichwas real enough, I'd recently been there-but the old man and the conversation, etc.,were all in a later dream
Elizabeth BishopIt is like what we imagine knowledge to be: dark, salt, clear, moving, utterly free.
Elizabeth BishopThink of the long trip home. Should we have stayed home and thought of here? Where should we be today?
Elizabeth BishopIf after I read a poem the world looks like that poem for 24 hours or so I'm sure it's a good oneโand the same goes for paintings.
Elizabeth BishopPorts are necessities, like postage stamps or soap, but they seldom seem to care what impressions they make.
Elizabeth Bishop