Byways Around San Francisco Bay

<h2><SPAN name="topic20" id="topic20"></SPAN>The Song of the Reel</h2> <div class="poem"> <div class="stanza"> <p>Close by the edge of the lily pads,</p> <p class="i4">there's a flash and swirl of spray,</p> <p>And the line draws taut, and the rod dips</p> <p class="i4">low, and I sing as he speeds away;</p> <p>And I whir and click with the joy of life, as</p> <p class="i4">the line runs in and out,</p> <p>And I laugh with glee as I reel him in, the</p> <p class="i4">gamy and speckled trout.</p> </div> <div class="stanza"> <p>And again the silken line is cast, and the fly</p> <p class="i4">like a feather glides,</p> <p>Close to the rock where the water's deep, and</p> <p class="i4">the wary black bass hides.</p> <p>There's a strike and a run as the game is</p> <p class="i4">hooked, and his rush with a snub is met,</p> <p>But he yields at last to the steady strain, and</p> <p class="i4">is brought to the landing net.</p> </div> <div class="stanza"> <p>As the sun sinks low in the western sky, and</p> <p class="i4">the shadows longer grow,</p> <p>And the night hawk wheels in his silent flight,</p> <p class="i4">and the crickets draw their bow,</p> <p>And the cat-tails wave in the gentle breeze,</p> <p class="i4">and the boat glides on apace;</p> <p>Then I reel in the line, while the bamboo rod</p> <p class="i4">is laid away in its case.</p> </div> <div class="stanza"> <p>The bass and the trout, and the wall-eyed pike,</p> <p class="i4">the pickerel and muskalonge,</p> <p>Have each and all been lost or won as I caused</p> <p class="i4">them to race or plunge,</p> <p>I'm the sportsman's friend, and a foeman bold,</p> <p class="i4">and I've filled full many a creel;</p> <p>For what would the fisherman's luck be worth</p> <p class="i4">without the song of the reel?</p> </div> </div> <hr /> <div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/topic21.png" target="blank"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%" src= "images/topic21.png" alt="The Old Road" /></SPAN></div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />