![]() | Leaves of grass (1872) | ![]() |
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I knew a man, a common farmer—the father of five sons;And in them were the fathers of sons—and in them were the fathers of sons.
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This man was of wonderful vigor, calmness, beauty of person;The shape of his head, the pale yellow and white of his hair and beard, and the immeasurable meaning of his black eyes—the richness and breadth of his manners,
These I used to go and visit him to see—he was wise also;
He was six feet tall, he was over eighty years old—his sons were massive, clean, bearded, tan-faced, handsome;
They and his daughters loved him—all who saw him loved him;
They did not love him by allowance—they loved him with personal love;
He drank water only—the blood show'd like scarlet through the clear-brown skin of his face;
He was a frequent gunner and fisher—he sail'd his boat himself—he had a fine one presented to him by a ship-joiner—he had fowling-pieces, presented to him by men that loved him;
When he went with his five sons and many grand-sons to hunt or fish, you would pick him out as the most beautiful and vigorous of the gang,
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![]() | Leaves of grass (1872) | ![]() |