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 or fear.

They're like the sea on foggy days,

Not gray, nor quite blue;

They're like the wondrous 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!

Abbie Farewell Brown (1871 - 1927) was an American author and poet. She published her first children's book the The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts in 1900. She started the school newspaper, The Jabberwock, when she was a student.

1. abed: in bed
2. queer: strange
3. wondrous: strange and beautiful
4. tides: the regular rise and fall in the level of the sea due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun
5. sniffs: (here) expresses contempt or dislike