The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 351] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A PAUMANOK PICTURE.
TWO boats with nets lying off the sea-beach, quite still,
Ten fishermen waiting—they discover a thick school of moss-
bonkers—they drop the join'd seine-ends in the water,
bonkers—they drop the join'd seine-ends in the water,
The boats separate and row off, each on its rounding course to the
beach, enclosing the mossbonkers,
beach, enclosing the mossbonkers,
The net is drawn in by a windlass by those who stop ashore,
Some of the fishermen lounge in their boats, others stand ankle-
deep in the water, pois'd on strong legs,
deep in the water, pois'd on strong legs,
The boats partly drawn up, the water slapping against them,
Strew'd on the sand in heaps and windrows, well out from the
water, the green-back'd spotted mossbonkers.
water, the green-back'd spotted mossbonkers.