_When, haply, you have fared Where glad Aladdin shared His lamp with you, and dared The Afrite and his clan; And, with him, clambered through The trees where jewels grew-- And filled your pockets, too, Old Man?_ _Or, with Sinbad, at sea-- And in veracity Who has sinned as bad as he, Or would, or will, or can?-- Have you listened to his lies, With open mouth and eyes, And learned his art likewise, Old Man?_ _And you need not deny That your eyes were wet as dry, Reading novels on the sly! And review them, if you can, And the same warm tears will fall-- Only faster, that is all-- Over Little Nell and Paul, Old Man!_ _O, you were a lucky lad-- Just as good as you were bad! And the host of friends you had-- Charley, Tom, and Dick, and Dan; And the old School-Teacher, too, Though he often censured you; And the girls in pink and blue, Old Man._ _And--as often you have leant, In boyish sentiment, To kiss the letter sent By Nelly, Belle, or Nan-- Wherein the rose's hue Was red, the violet blue-- And sugar sweet--and you, Old Man,--_ _So, to-day, as lives the bloom, And the sweetness, and perfume Of the blossoms, I assume, On the same mysterious plan The master's love assures, That the self-same boy endures In that hale old heart of yours, Old Man._ CONTENTS THE OLD SWIMMIN'-HOLE, AND 'LEVEN MORE POEMS _The Delights of our Childhood is soon Passed Away_ 2 THE OLD SWIMMIN'-HOLE 3 THOUGHTS FER THE DISCURAGED FARMER 6 A SUMMER'S DAY 9 A HYMB OF FAITH 13 WORTERMELON TIME 16 MY PHILOSOFY 20 WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN 23 ON THE DEATH OF LITTLE MAHALA ASHCRAFT 26 THE MULBERRY TREE 29 TO MY OLD FRIEND, WILLIAM LEACHMAN 31 MY FIDDLE 36 THE CLOVER 39 NEGHBORLY POEMS ON FRIENDSHIP, GRIEF AND FARM-LIFE _Us Farmers in the Country, as the Seasons go and Come_ 42 ERASMUS WILSON 43 MY RUTHERS 48 ON A DEAD BABE 51 A OLD PLAYED-OUT SONG 52 "COON-DOG WESS" 55 PERFESSER JOHN CLARK RIDPATH 62 A TALE OF THE AIRLY DAYS 66