John Wolcott-Peter Pindar
Ballade to a Fish of the Brooke
「c1787-97」John Wolcot 「Peter Pindar」, Ballade to a Fish of the Brooke in vol. 5 of The Works of Peter Pindar [Gooogle Books] (London, 1797; 1812); 「Possibly published as early as 1787 in Poems on Various Subjects」.
Why flyest thou away, with fear?
Trust me, there’s nought of danger near;
I have no wicked hooke,
All cover’d with a snaring bait,
Alas ! to tempt thee to thy fate,
And dragge thee from the brooke.
O harmless Tenant of the Flood,
I do not wish to spill thy blood;
For Nature unto thee
Perchance hath given a tender wife,
And children dear, to charme thy life,
As she hath done for me.
Enjoy thy streame, O harmless Fish!
And when an Angler, for his dish,
Through gluttony’s vile sin,
Attempts, a wretch, to pull thee out;
God give thee strength, O gentle Trout,
To pull the raskall in! (108)
