晨讀英語美文100篇四級(jí)The Angler
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The Angler
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How comforting it is to see a cheerful and contented old age;
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and to behold a poor fellow, like this,
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after being tempest-tost through life,
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safely moored in a snug and quiet harbor
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in the evening of his days!
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His happiness, however, sprung from within himself,
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and was independent of external circumstances;
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for he had that inexhaustible good-nature,
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which is the most precious gift of Heaven,
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spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought,
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and keeping the mind smooth and tranquil in the roughest weather.
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On inquiring further about him I learned
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that he was a universal favorite in the village,
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and the oracle of the tap-room;
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where he delighted the rustics with his songs,
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and, like Sindbad,
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astonished them with his stories of strange lands,
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and shipwrecks, and sea-fights.
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He was much noticed too by gentlemen sportsmen of the neighborhood;
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had taught several of them the art of angling;
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and was a privileged visitor to their kitchens.
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The whole tenor of his life was quiet and inoffensive,
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being principally passed about the neighboring streams,
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when the weather and season were favorable;
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and at other times he employed himself at home,
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preparing his fishing tackle for the next campaign,
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or manufacturing rods, nets, and flies,
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for his patrons and pupils among the gentry.
