A BOAT beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --
Children three that nestle near,
...
When midnight mists are creeping,
And all the land is sleeping,
Around me tread the mighty dead,
...
Inscribed to a Dear Child:
In Memory of Golden Summer Hours
And Whispers of a Summer Sea
...
All in the golden afternoon
Full leisurely we glide;
For both our oars, with little skill,
By little arms are plied,
...
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --
...
"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
Do you think, at your age, it is right?
...
Little maidens, when you look
On this little story-book,
Reading with attentive eye
Its enticing history,
...
AY, 'twas here, on this spot,
In that summer of yore,
Atalanta did not
Vote my presence a bore,
...
I'll tell thee everything I can;
There's little to relate.
I saw an aged, aged man,
...
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
...