When Mabel Goes A-Fishing
WHEN MABEL GOES A-FISHING
WHEN tender June is in the land,
And wood and wold are ringing
With melody of Daphne's band,
And mating birds are singing;
When bush and tree of hill and glen
Their happy leaves are swishing
In time to Spring's sweet strains, why, then—
Then Mabel goes a-fishing!
The fly is cast; (ah, he's a fool
Who'd flee from Beauty's wounding!)
Above the silent, sun-flecked pool
The reel's shrill song is sounding;
And all the little fishes race
As fast as e'er they're able,
To kiss the ripple-mirrored face
Of cruel, winsome Mabel.
Ah, Master Walton, were you here,
Were this the River Dove,
The scene would evermore endear
To you the sport you love;
You'd idly sit, as I, sans doubt;
As I, would fall to wishing
That you were just a speckled trout
When Mabel goes a-fishing!
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1944, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 79 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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