I. Oh, thrilling the rise at the lure that is dry,
When the slow trout comes up to the slaughter,
Yet rather would I
Have the turn at my fly,
The cunning brown wink under water.
The cute little wink under water!
Mysterious wink under water!
Delightful to ply
The subaqueous fly,
And watch for the wink under water
II. Let the Purist rejoice in the fly that he dries,
And look down on my practice with hauteur,
But for me the surprise
Of the flash of the rise,
The rosy-brown wink under water.
The dear little wink under water,
The yellow-brown wink under water,
The subtle delight
Of the line that goes tight,
At the shy little wink under water.
III. Oh, give me the day when the fresh from the wold,
Comes down with rich colour of porter,
And tinges with gold
That is flashing and bold
That yellow-green wink under water.
That orange-brown wink under water,
That ruddy gold wink under water,
Oh, the glorious thrill
That the bosom will fill,
At that rollicking wink under water.
IV. Or a day on some smooth-flowing stream from the chalk,
When Aeolus no ruffle hath wrought her,
The keen subtle stalk
And the reel's sudden talk,
At the rusty-brown wink under water.
The heavy brown wink under water,
The fatuous wink under water
When the bumping big trout
That has got to come out
Gives his solemn brown wink under water.
V. I care for no trout that comes up with asplash
To capture the fly that I've brought her,
Let the trout that will dash
At my fly with a flash,
But tip me the wink under water.
The gleaming brown wink under water,
The golden-brown wink under water,
When I think I descry
The quick turn at my fly,
The fleeting brown wink under water.
VI. When trouting is over, and autumn is here,
The days growing shorter and shorter, The grayling will steer
For my fly with mere
Litlle hint of a wink under water.
A silvery wink under water,
A soft little wink under water, But she has it all right,
For the link has gone tight,
At that wee little wink under water.
VII. So plunging and rolling I lead her ashore
And as to the bank I escort her,
She repenteth her sore,
That she'll never no more
Give me that silver-brown wink under water.
That pinky-dun wink under water,
That shade of a wink under water,
That raises a doubt,
Is it grayling or trout
Gave me that misty brown wink under water?
VII. So here's to the fish that is crafty and shy,
With the lore that Dame Nature has taught her,
Yet we'll lure her to die,
As she captures our fly
With that giddy brown wink under water.
And here's to the wink under water,
Thewicked brown wink under water,
And here's to the wise
That decline to despise
Any kind of a wink under water.