I think I’ve got it – and it has nothing to do with whales.
The key, for me, was the author and the time of publication
The original poem/riddle is reposted below in ALL CAPS
My justifications are in Mixed Case (regular sentences).
I’ve even included some urls to pages that can further explain my justifications.
Ember:
Embertides of Christian tradition are fasting periods that came to celebrate the four seasons (at least as far back as 1298). At some point they were just called the Embers, Ember days (of the week) and Ember Weeks (four in a year). An English bishop (particularly one rumored to have a Roman bias) would certainly be familiar with such seasonal rituals.
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/09/ember-week-in-september
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Wilberforcehtml
I’M THE SWEETEST OF SOUNDS IN ORCHESTRA HEARD,
Father Antonio Lucio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, composed and published in 1725, celebrates the seasons (or perhaps each of the Embers). By 1873 a hundred-fifty years later, it’s quite likely Bishop Wilberforce would have heard that music – it’s well recognized and popular even today – but it requires an orchestra, rather than the more common instruments of banjo, guitar, etc. of the late 1800’s.
YET IN ORCHESTRA NEVER WAS SEEN.
You don’t see embers in the orchestra. None of the instruments use flame or combustion to work
I’M A BIRD OF GAY PLUMAGE,
Embers travel through the air and are typically colored in bright reds, oranges, and yellows. [See my ‘title’ above.]
YET LESS LIKE A BIRD, NOTHING EVER IN NATURE WAS SEEN.
No birds look like burning embers – and the phoenix is considered mythological rather than natural/real
TOUCH THE EARTH I EXPIRE,
Embers which land in the dirt will fade (nothing to burn) or get smothered (ex-spire).
IN WATER I DIE,
Embers are extinguished by water
IN AIR I LOSE BREATH,
Embers merely floating in the air will eventually fade as they exhaust their fuel source
YET CAN SWIM AND CAN FLY;
Floating embers seem to fly and swim on the air/wind currents
DARKNESS DESTROYS ME,
complete darkness means the ember has consumed all its fuel; it’s gone
AND LIGHT IS MY DEATH,
An abundance of light overpowers the faint glow of an ember
AND I ONLY KEEP GOING BY HOLDING MY BREATH.
Without oxygen (air) an ember will fade out
IF MY NAME CAN’T BE GUESSED BY A BOY OR A MAN,
It’s not typically a man’s name* --, unless the namer is Hungarian.
BY A WOMAN OR GIRL IT CERTAINLY CAN.
It is more commonly a name given to females – Ember or Emberly
–Grestarian the Wanderer
So what do I win?
*Wouldn’t someone trying to invoke the concept for a male call him “Sparky”?