No cares assail the fisherman -
neither grief nor sorrow;
Early in the morning he unties
His boat with a light heart.

It is peaceful all about him
In woods and meadows and brooks;
He rouses with his song
The golden sun. 

To his labours he sings
with a full and sanguine heart;
The work gives him strength --
And strength gives life joy.

Soon a colorful throng is
swarming loudly in the depths,
And it splashes through the sky
That lies reflected in the water -

And it slips over smooth stones
And swims and darts:
The large creature feeds upon the small,
Just as it is throughout the world.

But he who wishes to cast a net
Needs eyes both clear and good;
He must be swift, like the waves,
And unfettered, like the stream.

There on the bridge the shepherdess
Is fishing. Artful creature,
Enough of your tricks --
You will not deceive this fish.