Ad Piscatorem

FOR these are sacred fishes all

Who know that lord that is the lord of all;

Come to the brim and nose the friendly hand

That sways and can beshadow all the land.

Nor only so, but have their names, and come

When they are summoned by the Lord of Rome.

Here once his line an impious Lybian threw;

And as with tremulous reed his prey¹ he drew,

Straight, the light failed him.

He groped, nor found the prey that he had ta’en.

Now as a warning to the fisher clan²

Beside the lake he sits, a beggarman.

Thou, then, while still thine innocence³ is pure,

Flee swiftly, nor presume to set thy lure⁴;

Respect these fishes, for their friends are great;

And in the waters empty all thy bait.

The End

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

3 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

4 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。