"You are old, Father William," the young man cried,
"And life must be hastening away;
You are cheerful, and love to converse upon death!
Now, tell me the reason, I pray."

"I am cheerful, young man," Father William replied;
"Let the cause thy attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remembered my God!
And He hath not forgotten my age."


_Robert Southey._


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Tell the story of the poem in your own words. What are some of the
important lessons it teaches?


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_57_


smit' ing