They are still suckling and just beginning to blossom, dear; Oh brother, at such a tender age, you wear the holy ash.

This line beautifully captures the tender innocence of childhood. It speaks of a time when a child is still so young, perhaps even still being nursed, that they carry the sweet scent of milk. The poet then questions, "Brother, at such a tender, childlike age, why ash?" Ash here symbolizes renunciation, detachment, or the end of life's worldly pleasures. The couplet gently laments or questions why someone so pure and new to the world would already be associated with symbols of detachment or the profound gravity typically reserved for later stages of life. It highlights the preciousness of unspoiled youth.