Old age is courteous — no one more:
For time after time he knocks at the door,
But nobody says, “Walk in, sir, pray!”
Yet turns he not from the door away,
But lifts the latch, and enters with speed,
And then they cry, “A cool one, indeed.”
[Das Alter ist ein höflich’ Mann:
Einmal übers andre klopft er an;
Aber nun sagt niemand: „Herein!‟
Und vor der Türe will er nicht sein.
Da klinkt er auf, tritt ein so schnell,
Und nun heißt’s, er sei ein grober Gesell.]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Poem (1814), “Old Age [Das Alter]” [tr. Bowring (1853)]
More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/goethe-johann/86278/
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Goethe, Johann von - Poem (1814), "Old Age [Das Alter]" [tr. Bowring (1853)] | WIST Quotations
Old age is courteous — no one more: For time after time he knocks at the door, But nobody says, "Walk in, sir, pray!" Yet turns he not from the door away, But lifts the latch, and enters with speed, And then they cry, "A cool one, indeed.WIST Quotations