The Contented Angler
Contented Woods
Contented Woods
"But let me tell you that an angler's occupation is a good cure for these evils, if for no other reason, because it
gently dissuadeth us from haste and leadeth us away from feverish anxieties into those ways which are
pleasantness and those paths which are peace. For an angler cannot force his fortune by eagerness, nor better it
by discontent. He must wait upon the weather, and the height of the water, and the hunger of the fish, and many
other accidents of which he has no control. If he would angle well, , he must not be in haste. And if he be in
haste, he will do well to unlearn it by angling, for I think there is no surer method."
gently dissuadeth us from haste and leadeth us away from feverish anxieties into those ways which are
pleasantness and those paths which are peace. For an angler cannot force his fortune by eagerness, nor better it
by discontent. He must wait upon the weather, and the height of the water, and the hunger of the fish, and many
other accidents of which he has no control. If he would angle well, , he must not be in haste. And if he be in
haste, he will do well to unlearn it by angling, for I think there is no surer method."
"This fair tree that shadows us from the sun hath grown many years in its
place without more unhappiness than the loss of its leaves in winter, which
the succeeding season doth generously repair ; and shall we be less
contented in the place where God hath planted us? or shall there go less time
to the making of a man than to the growth of a tree? This stream floweth
wimpling and laughing down to the great sea which it knoweth not; yet it
doth not fret because the future is hidden; and doubtless it were wise in us
to accept the mysteries of life as cheerfully and go forward with a merry
heart, considering that we know enough to make us happy and keep us
honest for to-day. A man should be well content if he can see so far ahead
of him as the next bend in the stream. What lies beyond , let him trust in the
hand of God."
place without more unhappiness than the loss of its leaves in winter, which
the succeeding season doth generously repair ; and shall we be less
contented in the place where God hath planted us? or shall there go less time
to the making of a man than to the growth of a tree? This stream floweth
wimpling and laughing down to the great sea which it knoweth not; yet it
doth not fret because the future is hidden; and doubtless it were wise in us
to accept the mysteries of life as cheerfully and go forward with a merry
heart, considering that we know enough to make us happy and keep us
honest for to-day. A man should be well content if he can see so far ahead
of him as the next bend in the stream. What lies beyond , let him trust in the
hand of God."
"Resting the Pool" by Diane Michelin. Copyright
Diane Michelin. Used by permission.
Diane Michelin. Used by permission.
"For be sure of this, Scholar, the more a man giveth himself to hatred in
this world, the more will he find to hate. But let us rather give ourselves to
charity, and if we have enemies (and what honest man hath them not?) let
them be ours, since they must, but let us not be theirs, since we know
better."
Above excerpts from :
The Ruling Passion
Henry Van Dyke
The Gentle Life
this world, the more will he find to hate. But let us rather give ourselves to
charity, and if we have enemies (and what honest man hath them not?) let
them be ours, since they must, but let us not be theirs, since we know
better."
Above excerpts from :
The Ruling Passion
Henry Van Dyke
The Gentle Life
| "Spruce Flats Falls" courtesy of Daniel P. Drake |
We are thrilled to have Diane Michelin's "Resting the Pool" enhance
this page. Diane has a gift for capturing the art, the poetry, and the
philosophy of "being on the river"
this page. Diane has a gift for capturing the art, the poetry, and the
philosophy of "being on the river"
