"Do you ever fish？" I asked.  "Oh yes， I catch a mess now and then when I am lying by； good perch I catch. ―― "What's your bait？" "I catch shiners with fishworms， and bait the perch with them." "You'd better go now， John，" said his wife， with glistening and hopeful face； but John demurred.

　　The shower was now over， and a rainbow above the eastern woods promised a fair evening； so I took my departure.  When I had got without I asked for a drink， hoping to get a sight of the well bottom， to complete my survey of the premises； but there， alas！ are shallows and quicksands， and rope broken withal， and bucket irrecoverable.  Meanwhile the right culinary vessel was selected，water was seemingly distilled， and after consultation and long delay passed out to the thirsty one ―― not yet suffered to cool， not yet to settle.  Such gruel sustains life here， I thought； so， shutting my eyes， and excluding the motes by a skilfully directed undercurrent， I drank to genuine hospitality the heartiest draught I could.  I am not squeamish in such cases when manners are concerned.

　　As I was leaving the Irishman's roof after the rain， bending my steps again to the pond， my haste to catch pickerel， wading in retired meadows， in sloughs and bog-holes， in forlorn and savage places， appeared for an instant trivial to me who had been sent to school and college； but as I ran down the hill toward the reddening west， with the rainbow over my shoulder， and some faint tinkling sounds borne to my ear through the cleansed air， from I know not what quarter， my Good Genius seemed to say ―― Go fish and hunt far and wide day by day ―― farther and wider ―― and rest thee by many brooks and hearth-sides without misgiving.  Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth.  Rise free from care before the dawn， and seek adventures.  Let the noon find thee by other lakes， and the night overtake thee everywhere at home.  There are no larger fields than these， no worthier games than may here be played.  Grow wild according to thy nature， like these sedges and brakes， which will never become English bay.  Let the thunder rumble； what if it threaten ruin to farmers' crops？  That is not its errand to thee. Take shelter under the cloud， while they flee to carts and sheds. Let not to get a living be thy trade， but thy sport.  Enjoy the land， but own it not.  Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are， buying and selling， and spending their lives like serfs.

　　O Baker Farm！

　　"Landscape where the richest element Is a little sunshine innocent." ……

　　"No one runs to revel On thy rail-fenced lea." ……

　　"Debate with no man hast thou，With questions art never perplexed，As tame at the first sight as now，In thy plain russet gabardine dressed." ……

　　"Come ye who love，And ye who hate，Children of the Holy Dove，And Guy Faux of the state，And hang conspiracies From the tough rafters of the trees！"

　　Men come tamely home at night only from the next field or street， where their household echoes haunt， and their life pines because it breathes its own breath over again； their shadows，morning and evening， reach farther than their daily steps.  We should come home from far， from adventures， and perils， and discoveries every day， with new experience and character.

　　Before I had reached the pond some fresh impulse had brought out John Field， with altered mind， letting go "bogging" ere this sunset. But he， poor man， disturbed only a couple of fins while I was catching a fair string， and he said it was his luck； but when we changed seats in the boat luck changed seats too.  Poor John Field！

　　―― I trust he does not read this， unless he will improve by it ――thinking to live by some derivative old-country mode in this primitive new country ―― to catch perch with shiners.  It is good bait sometimes， I allow.  With his horizon all his own， yet he a poor man， born to be poor， with his inherited Irish poverty or poor life， his Adam's grandmother and boggy ways， not to rise in this world， he nor his posterity， till their wading webbed bog-trotting feet get talaria to their heels.

　　“你釣過魚嗎？”我問。“啊，釣過，有時我休息的時候，在湖邊釣過一點，我釣到過很好的鱸魚。”“你用什么釣餌！”“我用魚蟲釣銀魚，又用銀魚為餌釣鱸魚。”

　　“你現在可以去了，約翰，”他的妻子容光煥發(fā)、滿懷希望他說；可是約翰躊躇著。

　　陣雨已經過去了，東面的林上一道長虹，保證有個美好的黃昏；我就起身告辭。出門以后，我又向他們要一杯水喝，希望看一看他們這口井的底奧，完成我這一番調查；可是，唉！井是淺的，盡是流沙，繩子是斷的，桶子破得沒法修了。這期間，他們把一只廚房用的杯子找了出來，水似乎蒸餾過，幾經磋商，拖延再三，最后杯子遞到口渴的人的手上，還沒涼下來，而且又混濁不堪。我想，是這樣的臟水在支持這幾條生命；于是，我就很巧妙地把灰塵搖到一旁，閉上眼睛，為了那真誠的好客而干杯，暢飲一番。

　　在牽涉到禮貌問題的時候，我在這類事情上，并不苛求。

　　雨后，當我離開了愛爾蘭人的屋子，又跨步到湖邊，涉水經過草原上的積水的泥坑和沼澤區(qū)的窟窿，經過荒涼的曠野，忽然有一陣子我覺得我急于去捕捉梭魚的這種心情，對于我這個上過中學、進過大學的人，未免太猥瑣了；可是我下了山，向著滿天紅霞的西方跑，一條長虹挑在我的肩上，微弱的鈴聲經過了明澈的空氣傳入我的耳中，我又似乎不知道從哪兒聽到了我的守護神在對我說話了，――要天天都遠遠地出去漁獵，――越遠越好，地域越寬廣越好，――你就在許多的溪邊，許許多多人家的爐邊休息，根本不用擔心。記住你年輕時候的創(chuàng)造力。黎明之前你就無憂無慮地起來，出發(fā)探險去。讓正午看到你在另一個湖邊。夜來時，到處為家。沒有比這里更廣大的土地了，也沒有比這樣做更有價值的游戲了。按照你的天性而狂放地生活，好比那蘆葦和羊齒，它們是永遠不會變成英吉利干草的啊。讓雷霆咆哮，對稼穡有害，這又有什么關系呢？這并不是給你的信息。他們要躲在車下，木屋下，你可以躲在云下。你不要再以手藝為生，應該以游戲為生。只管欣賞大地，可不要想去占有。由于缺少進取心和信心，人們在買進賣出，奴隸一樣過著生活哪。

　　呵，倍克田莊！

　　以小小爛漫的陽光為最富麗的大地風光。……

　　牧場上圍起了欄桿，沒有人會跑去狂歡。……

　　你不曾跟人辯論，也從未為你的疑問所困，初見時就這樣馴良，你穿著普通的褐色斜紋。……

　　愛者來，憎者亦來，圣鴿之子，和州里的戈艾。福克斯，把陰謀吊在牢固的樹枝上！

　　人們總是夜來馴服地從隔壁的田地或街上，回到家里，他們的家里響著平凡的回音，他們的生命，消蝕于憂愁，因為他們一再呼吸著自己吐出的呼吸；早晨和傍晚，他們的影子比他們每天的腳步到了更遠的地方。我們應該從遠方，從奇遇、危險和每天的新發(fā)現中，帶著新經驗，新性格而回家來。

　　我還沒有到湖邊，約翰。斐爾德已在新的沖動下，跑到了湖邊，他的思路變了，今天日落以前不再去沼澤工作了。可是他，可憐的人，只釣到一兩條魚，我卻釣了一長串，他說這是他的命運；可是，后來我們換了座位，命運也跟著換了位。可憐的約翰。斐爾德！我想他是不會讀這一段話的，除非他讀了會有進步，――他想在這原始性的新土地上用傳統(tǒng)的老方法來生活，――用銀魚來釣鱸魚。有時，我承認，這是好釣餌。他的地平線完全屬于他所有，他卻是一個窮人，生來就窮，繼承了他那愛爾蘭的貧困或者貧困生活，還繼承了亞當的老祖母的泥濘的生活方式，他或是他的后裔在這世界上都不能上升，除非他們的長了蹼的陷在泥沼中的腳，穿上了有翼的靴。

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