Sixty to Sixteen



If I were young as you, Sixteen,
   And you were old as I,
I would not be as I have been,
   You would not be so shy—
We should not watch with careless mien
   The golden days go by,
If I were young as you, Sixteen,
   And you were old as I.

The years of youth are yours, Sixteen;
   Such years of old had I,
But time has set his seal between
   Dark eyebrow and dark eye.
Sere grow the leaves that once were green,
   The song turns to a sigh:
Ah! very young are you, Sixteen,
   And very old am I.

Red bloom-times come and go, Sixteen,
   With snow-soft feet, but I
Shall be no more as I have been
   In times of bloom gone by;
For dimmer grows the pleasant scene
   Beneath the pleasant sky;
The world is growing old, Sixteen—
   The weary world and I.

Ah, would that once again, Sixteen,
   A kissing mouth had I;
The days would gaily go, I ween,
   Though death should stand anigh,
If springtime’s green were evergreen,
   If Love would never die,
And I were young as you, Sixteen,
   And you were old as I.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
92

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABcbabAB abababab abcbabab abaxabaB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 998
Words 196
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

Victor James Daley

Victor James William Patrick Daley was an Australian poet. more…

All Victor James Daley poems | Victor James Daley Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Sixty to Sixteen with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sixty to Sixteen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37521/sixty-to-sixteen>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Victor James Daley

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    15
    hours
    24
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    William Blake: "Tiger Tiger, burning bright, In the forests of the _________".
    A night
    B fight
    C knight
    D bites