THE OSPREV. 83 



" Soon as the sun, great ruler of tlie year, 

 Bends to oTTrnorthern climes his bright career, 

 And from the caves of ocean calls from sleep 

 The fiunv shoals and myriads of the deep ; 

 When freezing tempests back to Greenland ride, 

 And day and night the ecpial hours divitle ; 

 True to the season, o'er our sea-beat shore, 

 The sailing osprey high is seen to soar, 

 With broad unmoving wing ; and circling slow, • 

 Marks each loose straggler in the deep below ; 

 Sweeps down like lightning ! plunges with a roar ! 

 And bears his struggling victim to the shore. 

 The long-housed fisherman beholds with joy 

 The well-known signals of his rough employ. 

 And, as he bears his net and oars along, 

 Thus hails the welcome season with a song : — 



THE fisherman's HYMJf. 



The osprey sails above the sound. 



The geese are gone, the gulls are flying ; 

 The herring shoals swarm thick around, 



The nets are launched, the boats are plying ; 

 Yo ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep. 



Raise high the song, and cheerily wish her, 

 Still as the bending net we sweep, 



' God bless the fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' 

 She brings us fish, — she brings us spring. 



Good times, fair weather, warmth, and plenty, 

 Fine stores of chad, trout, heri'ing, ling, 



Sheepshead, and drum, and old wives' dainty. 

 Yo ho, my hearts ! &c. 

 She rears her young on yonder tree. 



She leaves her faithful mate to mind 'em ; 

 Like us, for fish, she sails to sea. 



And plunging shows us where to find 'em. 

 Yo ho, my hearts ! &c." 



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