|
|
Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE ANGLER, by JOHN CHALKHILL Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Oh, the brave [or, gallant] fisher's life Last Line: And to be lamented. Subject(s): Fish & Fishing; Nature; Anglers | |||
OH, the brave fisher's life, It is the best of any, 'Tis full of pleasure, void of strife, And 'tis beloved of many: Other joys Are but toys, Only this Lawful is, For our skill Breeds no ill, But content and pleasure. In a morning up we rise Ere Aurora's peeping, Drink a cup to wash our eyes, Leave the sluggard sleeping; Then we go To and fro, With our knacks At our backs, To such streams As the Thames, If we have the leisure. When we please to walk abroad For our recreation, In the fields is our abode, Full of delectation: Where in a brook With a hook, Or a lake Fish we take, There we sit For a bit, Till we fish entangle. We have gentles in a horn, We have paste and worms too, We can watch both night and morn, Suffer rain and storms too: None do here Use to swear, Oaths do fray Fish away, We sit still Watch our quill, Fishers must not wrangle. If the sun's excessive heat Makes our bodies swelter, To an osier hedge we get For a friendly shelter, Where in a dike Perch or pike, Roach or dace We do chase, Bleak or gudgeon Without grudging, We are still contented. Or we sometimes pass an hour Under a green willow, That defends us from a shower, Making earth our pillow; There we may Think and pray Before death Stops our breath: Other joys Are but toys And to be lamented. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...JOURNEY INTO THE EYE by DAVID LEHMAN THE GREAT BLACK HERON by DENISE LEVERTOV ISLA MUJERES by WILLIAM MATTHEWS SCHOOLS OF LITTLE FISH by MARVIN BELL TWO PICTURES OF A LEAF by MARVIN BELL OF FISH AND FISHERMEN by JOHN CIARDI CORIDON'S SONG (IN ISAAK WALTON'S 'COMPLEAT ANGLER') by JOHN CHALKHILL |
| |