Looking Toward Sunset

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE OLD MAN DREAMS. By OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. OFOR one hour of youthful joy Give back my twentieth spring I 'd rather laugh a bright-haired boy, Than reign a gray-beard king Off with the wrinkled spoils of age Away with learning's crown Tear out life's wisdom-written page, And dash its trophies down One...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE OLD MAN DREAMS. By OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. OFOR one hour of youthful joy Give back my twentieth spring I 'd rather laugh a bright-haired boy, Than reign a gray-beard king Off with the wrinkled spoils of age Away with learning's crown Tear out life's wisdom-written page, And dash its trophies down One moment let my life-blood stream From boyhood's fount of fame Give me one giddy, reeling dream Of life all love and flame My listening angel heard the prayer, And, calmly smiling, said, If I but touch thy silvered hair, Thy hasty wish hath sped. But is there nothing in thy track To bid thee fondly stay, While the swift seasons hurry back To find the wished-for day? Ah, truest soul of womankind Without thee, what were life ? One bliss I cannot leave behind: I '11 take ? my?precious ? wife The angel took a sapphire pen And wrote in rainbow dew, The man would be a boy again, And be a husband too And is there nothing yet unsaid, Before the change appears ? Remember, all their gifts have fled With those dissolving years Why, yes; for memory would recall My fond paternal joys; I could not bear to leave them all: I '11 take ? my ? girl ? and ? boys The smiling angel dropped his pen, ? Why, this will never do1; The man would be a boy again, And be a father too And so I laughed, ? my laughter woke The household with its noise, ? And wrote my dream, when morning broke, To please the gray-haired boys. A RUSSIAN LADY OF THE OLD SCHOOL. IVE me your hand, dear reader, and accompany me on a visit to one of my neighbors. The day is fine, the blue sky of the month of May is a beautiful object; the smooth young leaves of the white hazel-trees are as brilliant ...