The Fisherman
by Abbie Farwell Brown (Cambridge Connection English)
The Poem :
"The fisherman goes out at dawn
When every one's abed,
And from the bottom of the sea
Draws up his daily bread.
His life is strange; half on the shore
And half upon the sea-
Not quite a fish, and yet not quite
The same as you and me.
The fisherman has curious eyes;
They make you feel so queer,
As if they had seen many things
Of wonder and of fear.
They're like the sea on foggy days,-
Not gray, nor yet quite blue;
They're like the wonderous tales he tells
Not quite-yet maybe-true.
He knows so much of boats and tides,
Of winds and clouds and sky!
But when I tell of city things,
He sniffs and shuts one eye!
Summary of the Poem :
A fisherman goes to the sea early in morning when everyone is asleep. He catches fish from underwater to earn his livelihood.
He spends a strange life being both on the shore and upon the sea. He is neither like the fish nor like the common human beings like us.
The curious eyes of the fisherman make us curious. They tell us that they have seen both wonderful and fearful things in the sea.
The eyes of the fisherman are like the sea on foggy days. They are neither gray nor blue. They are like the mysterious stories told by the fisherman.
The fisherman knows many things about boats, tides, winds, clouds and sky. But he does not know much about the city things.
Comprehension
A. Say which answers are correct.
1. The fisherman has to wake up early. [✓]
2. The fisherman spends most of his time on land. [🇽]
3. His eyes seem to say that he has had happy experiences. [🇽]
4. He loves to tell tales. [✓]
5. And he loves to listen to tales. [🇽]
B. Choose the correct answer.
1. What is meant by daily bread?
a. The daily haul of bread from underwater. [ ]
b. The daily catch of fish from underwater. [✓]
c. The regular catch of underwater creatures. [ ]
2. The fisherman's eyes are curious because
a. they seem to talk of his varied experiences on the sea. [✓]
b. they talk of strange things he had seen in the sea. [ ]
c. they continuously gaze at the sea. [ ]
3. The fisherman knows a lot about boats and tides because
a. he learnt about them in school. [ ]
b. he learnt of these through his daily experiences. [✓]
c. he learnt about them by looking at the mobile app. [ ]
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. "Not quite a fish, and yet not quite
The same as you and me."
a. Who is being referred to here?
= The fisherman is being referred to here.
b. Why are the people being compared to a fish?
= The people are being compared to a fish because they spend half of their time upon the sea.
c. What is meant by not quite...the same as you and me?
= The fisherman spends a strange life being both on the shore and upon the sea. He is neither like the fish nor like the common human beings like us.
2. "They're like the sea on foggy days,-
Not gray, nor yet quite blue;"
a. What is referred to as they?
= The eyes of the fisherman is referred to as they.
b. How does the sea look on foggy days?
= The sea looks neither gray nor blue on foggy days.
c. What colour are the fisherman's eyes on foggy days?
= On foggy days, the eyes of the fisherman are wondrous telling some curious tales which are neither quite nor true.
3. "They're like the wondrous tales he tells
Not quite-yet maybe-true."
a. What do they refer to?
= They refer to the eyes of the fisherman.
b. In what way are they like the wondrous tales?
= The eyes of the fisherman are like the sea on foggy days. They are neither gray nor blue. They are like the mysterious stories told by the fisherman.
c. How does the break in the last line quoted above help in making the sense clear?
= The break in the last line quoted above tells that the stories of the fisherman are neither true nor false. They have seen any strange and fearful incident while being upon the sea.
D. Think and answer.
1. Do you think the fisherman have easy lives? Give reasons.
= I don't think the fisherman have easy lives. They have to get up at the dawn while other people are still asleep in their cosy bed. They have to go upon the sea with their boats. They have the risk of rough weather and of unknown misfortune on the sea. They do not have the surety of catching proper amount of fish to earn their livelihood.
2. What idea does the speaker have about the fisherman? Quote lines from the poem to support your answer.
= A fisherman goes to the sea early in morning when everyone is asleep. He catches fish from underwater to earn his livelihood. He 'goes out at dawn' and 'draws up his daily bread.'
He spends a strange life being both on the shore and upon the sea. He is neither like the fish nor like the common human beings like us. He stays 'half on the shore and half upon the sea-".
The curious eyes of the fisherman make us curious. They tell us that they have seen both wonderful and fearful things in the sea. Their eyes 'had seen many things of wonder and of fear.'
The eyes of the fisherman are like the sea on foggy days. They are neither gray nor blue. They are like the mysterious stories told by the fisherman. Their stories are 'not quite-yet maybe-true.'
The fisherman knows many things about boats, tides, winds, clouds and sky. But he does not know much about the city things. The fisherman knows about 'boats and tides, of winds and clouds and sky!'
3. What idea have you formed of the fisherman from the poem? Write down your ideas.
= The fisherman has a hard working life. He has to go to sea and spend a laborious time there to catch fish and earn his livelihood. They have both wonderful and fearful experience. Their eyes tell many untold and mysterious stories of their life. They have much knowledge about the weather and the sea. But they are not much aware about the modern life of the cities.
About the Poet :
Abbie Farwell Brown (1871-1927) was an American poet. She wrote poems for children. She also wrote lyrics.