Give me a rod of the split
bamboo,
a rainy day and a fly or two,
a mountain stream where the eddies play,
and mists hang low o'er the winding way,
Give me a haunt by the furling brook,
A hidden spot in a mossy nook,
No sound save hum of the drowsy bee,
or lone bird's tap on the hollow tree.
The world may roll with it's busy throng,
And phantom scenes on it's way along,
It's stocks may rise, or it's stocks may
fall,
Ah! What care I for it's baubles all?
I cast my fly o'er the troubled rill,
Luring the beauties by magic skill,
With mind at rest and a heart at ease,
And drink delight at the balmy breeze.
A lusty trout to my glad surprise,
Speckled and bright on the crest arise,
Then splash and plunge in a dazzling whirl,
Hope springs anew as the wavelets curl.
Gracefully swinging from left to right,
Action so gentle- motion so slight,.
Tempting, enticing, on craft intent,
Till yielding tip by the game is bent
Drawing in slowly, then letting go
Under the ripples where mosses grow
Doubting my fortune, lost in a dream,
Blessing the land of forest and stream.
Rochester, N.Y.
December fifteenth, 1873
These lines were written on the spur of the
moment at the famous pool midway between
Martin's and Bartlett's on the Saranac
River- Adirondacks- As Mr. Lamberton "with
split bamboo and a fly or two" whipped the
water.
-A. B. Lamberton
NOTE: I found this
hand-written in the front pages of an old
book. I have transcribed the entire page,
including the footnote it had, and added
some of my own revisions and updates to the
wording. Apparently written by Mrs.
Lamberton as she watched her husband fish,
it captures the excitement and joy of fly
fishing in a few verses. I know you will
enjoy it.
First published online by me
on my original fishingantiques.com site in
the late '90s, it's been stolen by dozens of
people and incorporated into their websites.
I know this because even if it was
published somewhere in it's original form,
it would be highly unlikely to have the same
revisions that I made to modernize it.
Please enjoy it, and respect
it by linking to it if you wish to share it.
Thanks.
