POEMS OLD AND NEW

And he sternly bade them never more to kneel to

human clay.
But alone to praise and worship That which earth and

seas obey :
And his golden crown of empire never wore he from

that day.

W. M. THACKERAY

YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM
ce You are old. Father William," the young man
said,
" And your hair has become very white ;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age, it is right ? "
" In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
" I feared it might injure the brain ;
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, 10
Why, I do it again and again."
" You are old," said the youth, " as I mentioned
before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door—
Pray, what is the reason of that ? "
" In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey
locks,
" I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box—
Allow me to sell you a couple ? "
" You are old," said the youth, " and your jaws are
too weak 20
For anything tougher than suet ;