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 would injure the brain; 
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, 
    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 
    For anything tougher than suet; 
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak -- 
    Pray, how did you manage to do it? 

In my youth, said his father, I took to the law, 
    And argued each case with my wife; 
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw, 
    Has lasted the rest of my life. 

You are old, said the youth; one would hardly suppose 
    That your eye was as steady as ever; 
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -- 
    What made you so awfully clever? 

I have answered three questions, and that is enough, 
    Said his father; don't give yourself airs! 
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? 
    Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs! 
