But as I grow younger each year, I have tried
To subdue that untimely desire."
"You are old," said the youth, "yet your seat appears firm,
You are still pretty good over timber;
Your double back somersaults make your foes squirm.
What keeps you so nimble and limber?"
"In my youth," said the Senior, "I kept all my limbs—
And some say my principles—supple;
And that's why old age neither stiffens nor dims,
And years with alertness I couple."