The Old, Old Song

Charles Kingsley 1819 – 1875



When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen—
Then hey for boot and horse lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.

When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down—
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and manned among;
God grant you find one face there
You loved when all was young.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 31, 2023

30 sec read
90

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABACAC ADADEFEF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 487
Words 101
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley was a priest of the Church of England, a university professor, historian and novelist. more…

All Charles Kingsley poems | Charles Kingsley Books

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