The Mermaid

 Although a Fishwife in a sense,

She does not barter¹ Fish for Pence.

Fisher of Men, her Golden Nets

For foolish Sailormen she sets.

All day she combs her hair and longs

For Dimpled Feet and Curling-tongs.

All night she dreams in ocean caves

Of Low tide Shoes and Marcel Waves.

And while the Fishwife, making sales,

May sell her wares² upon her scales,

The Mermaid³, wonderful to tell,

Must wear her scales upon hersel'.

1 barter   

n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。

2 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

3 mermaid   

n.美人鱼

参考例句：

• How popular would that girl be with the only mermaid mom!和人鱼妈妈在一起，那个女孩会有多受欢迎！
• The little mermaid wasn't happy because she didn't want to wait.小美人鱼不太高兴，因为她等不及了。