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Floods - a prophecy from 1902

Vagabond

By Vagabond
in Coarse Fishing

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Vagabond Member

Vagabond

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Posted (edited)

Thought you might like to share this.

 

THE DYKES (1902)

 

We have no heart for the fishing - we have no hand for the oar –
All that our fathers taught us of old pleases us now no more.

 

Look you, our foreshore stretches far, through sea-gate, dyke and groin –
Made-land all, that our fathers made, where the flats and the fairway join.

 

They forced the sea a sea-league back. They died, and their work stood fast.
We were born to peace in the lee of the dykes, but the time of our peace is past.

 

Far off, the full tide clambers and slips, mouthing and testing all,
Nipping the flanks of the water-gates, baying along the wall;

 

Turning the shingle, returning the shingle, changing the set of the sand......
We are too far from the beach, men say, to know how the outworks stand.

 

So we come down, uneasy, to look; uneasily pacing the beach.
These are the dykes that our fathers made. We have never known a breach.

 

Time and again has the gale blown by, and we were not afraid;
Now we come only to look at the dykes – at the dykes our fathers made.

 

O’er the marsh, where the homesteads cower, the harried sunlight flies,
Shifts and considers, wanes and recovers, scatters and sickens and dies –

 

An evil ember, embedded in ash – a spark blown along by the wind....
We are surrendered to night and the sea – the gale and the tide behind.

 

At the bridge of the lower saltings, the cattle gather and blare,
Roused by the feet of running men, dazed by the lantern-glare.

 

Unbar, and let them away for their lives – the levels drown as they stand,
Where the flood-flash forces the sluices back, and the ditches deliver inland.

 

Ninefold deep to the top of the dykes the galloping breakers stride,
And their o’ercarried spray becomes a sea – a sea on the landward side.

 

Coming, like stallions, they paw with their hooves, - going, they snatch with their teeth,
Till the bents and the furze and the sand are dragged out, and the old-time hurdles beneath.

 

Bid men gather fuel for fire, the tar, the oil, and the tow –
Flame we shall need, not smoke, in the dark, if the riddled sea-banks go.

 

Now we can only wait till the day, wait and apportion shame.
These are the dykes that our fathers left, but we would not look to the same.

 

Time and again we were warned of the dykes, time and again we delayed;
Now it may fall, we have slain our sons, as our fathers we have betrayed.

 

Rudyard Kipling

Edited by Vagabond
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RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

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Newt Member

Newt

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I knew he was a poet. Never realized he was also a prophet.

 

Interesting stuff.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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gozzer Member

gozzer

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Cheers Dave, I like that. :thumbs:

I wonder if that event was "unprecedented", "the worst in living memory/since records began", "a sign of climate change", or any other description we hear in the modern media?

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Dales Member

Dales

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Nice to have a bit of culture on AN, I enjoyed reading that.

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

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Dave H Member

Dave H

Posted
Posted

That was good.

 

I was hoping something would happen in 2012 and finally we could meet God. Was he not a Fisherman or was in boat builder if so i bet today he would be a carp angler.....


There is not one thing different between ideology and religeon
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Vagabond Member

Vagabond

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That was good.

 

I was hoping something would happen in 2012 and finally we could meet God. Was he not a Fisherman ........ i bet today he would be a carp angler.....

Some of them think they are !

There is one chap called Gord (pronounced "gawd" and he may take to spelling it that way).........

 

Thanks chaps for the positive comments - I thought the quote very apt, and as the floods have fallen out of the media limelight it seems a good time to reflect on how often the scenario has been repeated since 1902 .....and how often it may be repeated in the future.

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

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Dave H Member

Dave H

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Posted

Indeed.

 

A specialist carp angler has a large wallet

A specialist carp angler is usually a large man

A specialist carp angler has large amounts of tackle

A specialist carp angler puts large amounts of bait in

A specialist carp angler has a large vehicle to put a large amount in.

A specialist carp angler will try to catch the largest carp

 

You can spot a specialist carp angler in the fast food shop as he will always have the 'Go Large' option...


There is not one thing different between ideology and religeon
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