 | The complete poetical writings of J. G. Holland |  |
TO WHITTIER ON HIS SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY.
Ten gentle-hearted boys of seven,
Too young and sweet to stray from heaven,
Will—counting up the little men—
Amount to three score years and ten.
Too young and sweet to stray from heaven,
Will—counting up the little men—
Amount to three score years and ten.
Two gracious men of thirty-five,
With wits alight and hearts alive,
Will fill complete the rounded spheres
Of seventy strong and manly years.
With wits alight and hearts alive,
Will fill complete the rounded spheres
Of seventy strong and manly years.
Nay, Whittier, thou art not old;
Thy register a lie hath told,
For lives devote to love and truth
Do only multiply their youth.
Thy register a lie hath told,
For lives devote to love and truth
Do only multiply their youth.
464
Thou art ten gentle boys of seven,
With souls too sweet to stray from heaven:
Thou art two men of thirty-five,
With wits alight, and hearts alive!
With souls too sweet to stray from heaven:
Thou art two men of thirty-five,
With wits alight, and hearts alive!
| The complete poetical writings of J. G. Holland | |