Just William

Poems, in the form of nursery rhymes, were, for many of us, our introduction to stories. I will post a favourite poem each week. Email me your favourite poems and I will post them too.

This week's poem, You are Old Father William by Lewis Carroll, was sent to me via email by Ariel of Coolcat's Jottings. Unfortunately, I seem to have ... er ... misplaced her comments about why this is one of her favourite poems.

If I remember correctly, Ariel said something about liking the way Father William always has a clever comeback for whatever's thrown at him. Me, I think the young man's obnoxious questions are a gas and I'd love to see his reaction to Father William's witty and sarcastic answers.

This is just one of several of Carroll's amusing verses which appear in his Alice books.

You Are Old, Father William

"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 you have grown most uncommonly fat;

Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--

Pray what is the reason for 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 a 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.

By Lewis Carroll

Comments

[Doris White]

Love Father William. I am emailing two by Hilary Belloc. Children love these two poems, a fact that never fails to surprise people.

[Ariel]

Hee, thanks for putting it up, Daphne! Here's my take on this cute poem:

"Read it as a kid and liked it so much that I had it memorised in a jiffy. Still remember some parts of it today. I like it because it is rhymes, catchy and downright funny! I feel for Father William and liked his response to the constant bombardment of silly questions... hee! I like poems that crack me up and there are not too many of those around."