DURING THE PRESENT CENTURY. 275 



Germany has contributed several good things, within 

 the present century, to piscatory literature, both in prose 

 and verse. We shall insert a few lines from Goethe's 

 Angler > of a playful and imaginary caste : 



" There was a gentle angler who angled in the sea, 



With heart as cool as any heart, untaught of love, could be. 



When suddenly the waters rushed and swelled and up there 



sprung, 



A humid maid of beauty's mould and thus to him she sung. 

 ' Why dost thou strive so artfully to lure my brood away, 

 And leave them then to die beneath the sun's all-scorching ray ? 

 Could' st thou but tell how happy are the fish that swim below, 

 Thou would' st with me, and taste of joy which earth can never 



know. 



Does not bright Sol, Diana too, more lovely far appear 

 When they have dipped in ocean's wave their golden silvery hair ? 

 And is there no attraction in this heavenly expanse of blue, 

 Nor in thy image mirrored in this everlasting dew ? ' 

 The water rushed, the water swelled, and touched his naked feet, 

 And fancy whispered to his heart it was a love-pledge sweet. 

 She sung another syren lay, more witching than before, 

 Half-pulled half-plunging down he sank, and ne'er was heard 



of more." 



In the northern parts of Europe, Norway, Denmark, 

 Sweden, Poland, Hungary, &c. &c. angling has long 

 formed a portion of the recreations of the people. There 

 have several small works appeared of late years, in which 

 there is .more or less of imaginary and descriptive writing. 

 For the translation of the following Norwegian ballad, we 



