Eight Supplemental Verses to Lewis Carroll's "You Are Old, Father William," 2005
- Eight Supplemental Verses to Lewis Carroll's "You Are Old, Father William," 2005
Dublin Core
Title
Eight Supplemental Verses to Lewis Carroll's "You Are Old, Father William," 2005
Subject
Carroll, Lewis, 1832-1898. Alice's adventures in Wonderland
Description
Poetry by Hailey Hoffman. 4 pages.
Creator
Hoffman, Hailey
Source
Box 1, Folder 12
Publisher
[host] University of Southern California. Libraries
Date
2005
Rights
Special Collections, Libraries, University of Southern California
Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Relation
[collection] G. Edward Cassady, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N. Lewis Carroll Collection
Format
poems
Language
eng
Type
text
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
Eight Supplemental Verses to Lewis Carroll’s “You Are Old, Father William”
By Hailey Hoffman
“You are old, Father William, and one would believe,
That your knowledge of fashion were weak;
But you wear silk chemises with fur on the sleeve—
Just how are you so very chic?”
“In my youth,” said the man, “I was frequently irked,
By the pitiful outfits I wore;
But I soon went to work as a young tailor clerk,
In a dignified gentlemen’s store.”
“You are old,” said the lad, “and it seems only right,
That you turn in to bed before eight;
Yet you venture out dancing ‘most every night,
And retire so awfully late!”
“In my youth,” said the elder, “I found it quite fun,
To watch owls that lived in the park;
The resulting distaste that I feel for the sun,
Is the reason I thrive in the dark.”
“You are old,” said the son, “And I wouldn’t expect,
That you act like a suave prince charming;
Yet you court different maidens one day to the next—
Why your skills are, quite frankly, alarming!”
“In my youth,” Father William replied with a smile,
“I learned how to shamelessly flatter;
The courtship of ladies, son, after a while,
Becomes a quite effortless matter.”
“You are old,” said the boy, “as I’ve frequently said,
And the memory can become dull;
But you keep all your finances up in your head,
Why, your brain must be awfully full!”
“In my youth,” said the father, “I took much joy,
In reciting the digits of pi;
And the knowledge of numbers I learned as a boy,
Is a talent on which I rely.”
By Hailey Hoffman
“You are old, Father William, and one would believe,
That your knowledge of fashion were weak;
But you wear silk chemises with fur on the sleeve—
Just how are you so very chic?”
“In my youth,” said the man, “I was frequently irked,
By the pitiful outfits I wore;
But I soon went to work as a young tailor clerk,
In a dignified gentlemen’s store.”
“You are old,” said the lad, “and it seems only right,
That you turn in to bed before eight;
Yet you venture out dancing ‘most every night,
And retire so awfully late!”
“In my youth,” said the elder, “I found it quite fun,
To watch owls that lived in the park;
The resulting distaste that I feel for the sun,
Is the reason I thrive in the dark.”
“You are old,” said the son, “And I wouldn’t expect,
That you act like a suave prince charming;
Yet you court different maidens one day to the next—
Why your skills are, quite frankly, alarming!”
“In my youth,” Father William replied with a smile,
“I learned how to shamelessly flatter;
The courtship of ladies, son, after a while,
Becomes a quite effortless matter.”
“You are old,” said the boy, “as I’ve frequently said,
And the memory can become dull;
But you keep all your finances up in your head,
Why, your brain must be awfully full!”
“In my youth,” said the father, “I took much joy,
In reciting the digits of pi;
And the knowledge of numbers I learned as a boy,
Is a talent on which I rely.”
Original Format
poems
Collection
Citation
Hoffman, Hailey, "Eight Supplemental Verses to Lewis Carroll's "You Are Old, Father William," 2005," in USC Libraries Exhibitions, Item #11, http://omeka.usclibraries.com/exhibits/show/wonderland/main/item/11 (accessed February 5, 2012).