Father William - Lewis Carroll

" 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
gray 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."