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“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,
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!”
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“Vous êtes vieux, Père Guillaume.
Vous avez des cheveux tout gris...
La tête en bas! Père Guillaume;
A votre âge, c’est peu permis!
—Étant jeune, pour ma cervelle
Je craignais fort, mon cher enfant;
Je n’en ai plus une parcelle,
J’en suis bien certain maintenant.
—Vous êtes vieux, je vous l’ai dit,
Mais comment donc par cette porte,
Vous, dont la taille est comme un muid!
Cabriolez-vous de la sorte?
—Étant jeune, mon cher enfant,
J’avais chaque jointure bonne;
Je me frottais de cet onguent;
Si vous payez je vous en donne.
—Vous êtes vieux, et vous mangez
Les os comme de la bouillie;
Et jamais rien ne me laissez.
Comment faites-vous, je vous prie?
—Étant jeune, je disputais
Tous les jours avec votre mère;
C’est ainsi que je me suis fait
Un si puissant os maxillaire.
—Vous êtes vieux, par quelle adresse
Tenez-vous debout sur le nez
Une anguille qui se redresse
Droit comme un I quand vous sifflez?
—Cette question est trop sotte!
Cessez de babiller ainsi,
Ou je vais, du bout de ma botte,
Vous envoyer bien loin d’ici.”
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