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NL888 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Does "That scarce could bathe a star" mean...?

Does "That scarce could bathe a star" mean "(the pools are so small) that could hardly reflect a star in the sky""?

Context:

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
  

Top answer

NL888 "(the pools are so small) that could hardly reflect a star in the sky" That's possible. There are usually many interpretations to the expressions found in poetry. Nevertheless, I interpret it differently.

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4 Answers
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NL888"(the pools are so small) that could hardly reflect a star in the sky"
That's possible. There are usually many interpretations to the expressions found in poetry. Nevertheless, I interpret it differently. A star appears in the sky as a very tiny point of light, so to me the line means that each of the pools is so small that you would have trouble washi
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Thank you CJ.
But if it is as what you've explained, how could "We seek for slumbering trout" in such tyny pools? A wine cup could reflect a star in the sky, and there is no where that a cup can accommodate a trout.
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Typo: tyny - tiny
there is no where - there is no way
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NL888A wine cup could reflect a star in the sky, and there is no way that a cup can accommodate a trout.
That's what I mean when I say it's an exaggeration.

CJ