"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white,
And yet you incessantly stand on your head -
incessantly = Unceacing , never ceasing, never stopping.
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;
Injure= Hurt, Harm, Damage .
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;
Uncommonly= not common, unusual.
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door -
Somersault= Jump up and turn over in the air.
Pray, what is the reason of that?"
"In my youth, "said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
Locks= His hair.
"I kept all my limbs very supple
Limbs= arms and legs.
By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box -
Ointment = Salva, " to put on skin."
Allow me to sell you a couple?"
"You are old, " said the youth, "and your jaws are too
weak Jaws= "as in mouth'
For anything tougher than suet;
Suet= A type of fat.
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak
- Goose= A
large bird . Beak= bill of a bird(mouth)
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"
Pray= request, "Excuse me but how..."
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law
I took to the law= I studied 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
one would hardly suppose = I would not think.
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -
Eel= a snake like water creature/animal...
What made you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
"don't give yourself airs!= Do not make your self out to be somthing
your not.
Do you think l can listen all day to such stuff?
Stuff= "such things"
Be off or I'll kick you downstairs!"
Kick you down the stairs,