Some men do write when they do wrong
And some do live who dye;
And some are short when they are long
And stand when they do lie.
A man is surly when he’s late,
And round when he is square;
He may die early and dilate,
And may be foul when fair.
He may be fast when he is slow,
And loose when he is tight,
And high when he is very low,
And heavy when he’s light.
He may be wet when he is dry,
He may be great when small;
May purchase when he won’t go by;
Have naught when he has awl.
He may be sick when he is swell,
And hot when he is cold;
He’s skilled so he on earth may dwell,
And when he’s young he’s old.
Transcriber's Notes:
Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.
Perceived typographical errors have been changed.