'Once called the ‘doctor fish’ because his slime

Was said to heal the wounds of fish that touched it' (Heaney 20)

In this poem The Guttural Muse by Seamus Heaney, he uses metaphors throuhgout the poem. In this quote from the second stanza, Heaney refers to the fish as the younger generation through which he can relive his past. While he talks about the 'doctor fish' , this suggests how someone can heal someone's wound without even knowning that they are able to do that. Furthermore, the wounds refer to his own loneliness and old age that he is sad about. The touch further brings in the idea of being isolated and loneliness since he has no one to talk to or turn to when he needs to share his feelings. The idea of loneliness connects to the novel 'The Heart is  a lonely hunter'. The image of Singer is vivid through the poem since he went through the same emotions of loneliness. Also, other people would 'heal the wounds' and make him feel better. A similar image is portrayed in this poem The Guttural Muse.