I
THE old man and his apple-tree
Are verging close on eighty-three;
’Twas planted there when he was two,
And almost side by side they grew.
How strong and straight they were at eight,
One leafy, one with curly pate.
How fine at twenty, how alive
And prosperous at twenty-five.
What health and grace in every limb,
Was said of it—was said of him.