To Whittier on His Seventieth Birthday by JG Holland Lyrics

Thou art ten gentle-hearted boys of seven,
Too young and sweet to stray from heaven,
Will - counting up the little men -
Amount to three score years and ten.

Thou art two gracious men of thirty-five,
With wits alight and hearts alive,
Will fill complete the rounded spheres
Of seventy strong and manly years.

Nay, Whittier, thou art not old;
Thy register a lie hath told,
For lives to devote to love and truth
Do only multiply their youth.

Thou art ten gentle boys of seven,
With souls too sweet to stray from heaven;
Thou art two men of thirty-five,
With wits alight, and hearts alive!