The Lure

“WHAT bait do you use,' said a Saint to the Devil,
When you fish where the souls of men abound?'
'Well, for special tastes,' said the King of Evil,
'Gold and Fame are the best I've found.'
'But for common use?' asked the Saint. 'Ah, then,'
Said the Demon, 'I angle for Man, not men,
And a thing I hate
Is to change my bait,
So I fish with a woman the whole year round.'

poem by John Boyle O'Reilly
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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