Jabberwocky and other poems

The Hunting Of The Snark
Dedication

Inscribed to a dear Child:
in memory of golden summer hours
and whispers of a summer sea.


Girt with a boyish garb for boyish task,
Eager she wields her spade; yet loves as well
Rest on a friendly knee, intent to ask
The tale he loves to tell.

Rude spirits of the seething outer strife,
Unmeet to read her pure and simple spright,
Deem, if you list, such hours a waste of life,
Empty of all delight!

Chat on, sweet Maid, and rescue from annoy
Hearts that by wiser talk are unbeguiled.
Ah, happy he who owns that tenderest joy,
The heart-love of a child!

Away, fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more!
Work claims my wakeful nights, my busy days--
Albeit bright memories of that sunlit shore
Yet haunt my dreaming gaze!


PREFACE


If--and the thing is wildly possible--the charge of writing nonsense were ever brought against the author of this brief but instructive poem, it would be based, I feel convinced, on the line (in p.18)

"Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes."

In view of this painful possibility, I will not (as I might) appeal indignantly to my other writings as a proof that I am incapable of such a deed: I will not (as I might) point to the strong moral purpose of this poem itself, to the arithmetical principles so cautiously inculcated in it, or to its noble teachings in Natural History--I will take the more prosaic course of simply explaining how it happened.

The Bellman, who was almost morbidly sensitive about appearances, used to have the bowsprit unshipped once or twice a week to be revarnished, and it more than once happened, when the time came for replacing it, that no one on board could remember which end of the ship it belonged to. They knew it was not of the slightest use to appeal to the Bellman about it--he would only refer to his Naval Code, and read out in pathetic tones Admiralty Instructions which none of them had ever been able to understand--so it generally ended in its being fastened on, anyhow, across the rudder. The helmsman* used to stand by with tears in his eyes; he knew it was all wrong, but alas! Rule 42 of the Code, "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm," had been completed by the Bellman himself with the words "and the Man at the Helm shall speak to no one." So remon{-} strance was impossible, and no steering could be done till the next varnishing day. During these bewildering intervals the ship usually sailed backwards.

As this poem is to some extent connected with the lay of the Jabberwock, let me take this opportunity of answering a question that has often been asked me, how to pronounce "slithy toves." The "i" in "slithy" is long, as in "writhe"; and "toves" is pronounced so as to rhyme with "groves." Again, the first "o" in "borogoves" is pronounced like the "o" in "borrow." I have heard people try to give it the sound of the"o" in "worry." Such is Human Perversity. This also seems a fitting occasion to notice the other hard works in that poem. Humpty-Dumpty's theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a port{-} manteau, seems to me the right explanation for all.

For instance, take the two words "fuming" and "furious." Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts incline ever so little towards "fuming," you will say "fuming-furious;" if they turn, by even a hair's breadth, towards "furious," you will say "furious-fuming;" but if you have that rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say "frumious."

Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known
words--

"Under which king, Bezonian? Speak or die!"

Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either William or Richard, but had not been able to settle which, so that he could not possibly say either name before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than die, he would have gasped out "Rilchiam!"


CONTENTS

Fit the First. The Landing
Fit the Second. The Bellman's Speech
Fit the Third. The Baker's Tale
Fit the Fourth. The Hunting
Fit the Fifth. The Beaver's Lesson
Fit the Sixth. The Barrister's Dream
Fit the Seventh. The Banker's Fate
Fit the Eighth. The Vanishing


Fit the First.

THE LANDING


"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true."

The crew was complete: it included a Boots--
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods--
A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes--
And a Broker, to value their goods.

A Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense,
Might perhaps have won more than his share--
But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense,
Had the whole of their cash in his care.

There was also a Beaver, that paced on the deck,
Or would sit making lace in the bow:
And had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck,
Though none of the sailors knew how.

There was one who was famed for the number of things
He forgot when he entered the ship:
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and rings,
And the clothes he had bought for the trip.

He had forty-two boxes, all carefully packed,
With his name painted clearly on each:
But, since he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach.

The loss of his clothes hardly mattered, because
He had seven coats on when he came,
With three pair of boots--but the worst of it was,
He had wholly forgotten his name.

He would answer to "Hi!" or to any loud cry,
Such as "Fry me!" or "Fritter my wig!"
To "What-you-may-call-um!" or "What-was-his-name!"
But especially "Thing-um-a-jig!"

While, for those who preferred a more forcible word,
He had different names from these:
His intimate friends called him "Candle-ends,"
And his enemies "Toasted-cheese."

"His form in ungainly--his intellect small--"
(So the Bellman would often remark)
"But his courage is perfect! And that, after all,
Is the thing that one needs with a Snark."

He would joke with hy{ae}nas, returning their stare
With an impudent wag of the head:
And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw, with a bear,
"Just to keep up its spirits," he said.

He came as a Baker: but owned, when too late--
And it drove the poor Bellman half-mad--
He could only bake Bridecake--for which, I may state,
No materials were to be had.

The last of the crew needs especial remark,
Though he looked an incredible dunce:
He had just one idea--but, that one being "Snark,"
The good Bellman engaged him at once.

He came as a Butcher: but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week,
He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked scared,
And was almost too frightened to speak:

But at length he explained, in a tremulous tone,
There was only one Beaver on board;
And that was a tame one he had of his own,
Whose death would be deeply deplored.

The Beaver, who happened to hear the remark,
Protested, with tears in its eyes,
That not even the rapture of hunting the Snark
Could atone for that dismal surprise!

It strongly advised that the Butcher should be
Conveyed in a separate ship:
But the Bellman declared that would never agree
With the plans he had made for the trip:

Navigation was always a difficult art,
Though with only one ship and one bell:
And he feared he must really decline, for his part,
Undertaking another as well.

The Beaver's best course was, no doubt, to procure
A second-hand dagger-proof coat--
So the Baker advised it-- and next, to insure
Its life in some Office of note:

This the Banker suggested, and offered for hire
(On moderate terms), or for sale,
Two excellent Policies, one Against Fire,
And one Against Damage From Hail.

Yet still, ever after that sorrowful day,
Whenever the Butcher was by,
The Beaver kept looking the opposite way,
And appeared unaccountably shy.


II.--THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

Fit the Second.

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.


The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies--
Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
The moment one looked in his face!

He had bought a large map representing the sea,
Without the least vestige of land:
And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be
A map they could all understand.

"What's the good of Mercator's North Poles and Equators,
Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?"
So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply
"They are merely conventional signs!

"Other maps are such shapes, with their islands and capes!
But we've got our brave Captain to thank
(So the crew would protest) "that he's bought us the best--
A perfect and absolute blank!"

This was charming, no doubt; but they shortly found out
That the Captain they trusted so well
Had only one notion for crossing the ocean,
And that was to tingle his bell.

He was thoughtful and grave--but the orders he gave
Were enough to bewilder a crew.
When he cried "Steer to starboard, but keep her head larboard!"
What on earth was the helmsman to do?

Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes:
A thing, as the Bellman remarked,
That frequently happens in tropical climes,
When a vessel is, so to speak, "snarked."

But the principal failing occurred in the sailing,
And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed,
Said he had hoped, at least, when the wind blew due East,
That the ship would not travel due West!

But the danger was past--they had landed at last,
With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted to chasms and crags.

The Bellman perceived that their spirits were low,
And repeated in musical tone
Som

The Hunting Of The Snark
Dedication

Inscribed to a dear Child:
in memory of golden summer hours
and whispers of a summer sea.


Girt with a boyish garb for boyish task,
Eager she wields her spade; yet loves as well
Rest on a friendly knee, intent to ask
The tale he loves to tell.

Rude spirits of the seething outer strife,
Unmeet to read her pure and simple spright,
Deem, if you list, such hours a waste of life,
Empty of all delight!

Chat on, sweet Maid, and rescue from annoy
Hearts that by wiser talk are unbeguiled.
Ah, happy he who owns that tenderest joy,
The heart-love of a child!

Away, fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more!
Work claims my wakeful nights, my busy days--
Albeit bright memories of that sunlit shore
Yet haunt my dreaming gaze!


PREFACE


If--and the thing is wildly possible--the charge of writing nonsense were ever brought against the author of this brief but instructive poem, it would be based, I feel convinced, on the line (in p.18)

"Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes."

In view of this painful possibility, I will not (as I might) appeal indignantly to my other writings as a proof that I am incapable of such a deed: I will not (as I might) point to the strong moral purpose of this poem itself, to the arithmetical principles so cautiously inculcated in it, or to its noble teachings in Natural History--I will take the more prosaic course of simply explaining how it happened.

The Bellman, who was almost morbidly sensitive about appearances, used to have the bowsprit unshipped once or twice a week to be revarnished, and it more than once happened, when the time came for replacing it, that no one on board could remember which end of the ship it belonged to. They knew it was not of the slightest use to appeal to the Bellman about it--he would only refer to his Naval Code, and read out in pathetic tones Admiralty Instructions which none of them had ever been able to understand--so it generally ended in its being fastened on, anyhow, across the rudder. The helmsman* used to stand by with tears in his eyes; he knew it was all wrong, but alas! Rule 42 of the Code, "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm," had been completed by the Bellman himself with the words "and the Man at the Helm shall speak to no one." So remon{-} strance was impossible, and no steering could be done till the next varnishing day. During these bewildering intervals the ship usually sailed backwards.

As this poem is to some extent connected with the lay of the Jabberwock, let me take this opportunity of answering a question that has often been asked me, how to pronounce "slithy toves." The "i" in "slithy" is long, as in "writhe"; and "toves" is pronounced so as to rhyme with "groves." Again, the first "o" in "borogoves" is pronounced like the "o" in "borrow." I have heard people try to give it the sound of the"o" in "worry." Such is Human Perversity. This also seems a fitting occasion to notice the other hard works in that poem. Humpty-Dumpty's theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a port{-} manteau, seems to me the right explanation for all.

For instance, take the two words "fuming" and "furious." Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts incline ever so little towards "fuming," you will say "fuming-furious;" if they turn, by even a hair's breadth, towards "furious," you will say "furious-fuming;" but if you have that rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say "frumious."

Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known
words--

"Under which king, Bezonian? Speak or die!"

Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either William or Richard, but had not been able to settle which, so that he could not possibly say either name before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than die, he would have gasped out "Rilchiam!"


CONTENTS

Fit the First. The Landing
Fit the Second. The Bellman's Speech
Fit the Third. The Baker's Tale
Fit the Fourth. The Hunting
Fit the Fifth. The Beaver's Lesson
Fit the Sixth. The Barrister's Dream
Fit the Seventh. The Banker's Fate
Fit the Eighth. The Vanishing


Fit the First.

THE LANDING


"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true."

The crew was complete: it included a Boots--
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods--
A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes--
And a Broker, to value their goods.

A Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense,
Might perhaps have won more than his share--
But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense,
Had the whole of their cash in his care.

There was also a Beaver, that paced on the deck,
Or would sit making lace in the bow:
And had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck,
Though none of the sailors knew how.

There was one who was famed for the number of things
He forgot when he entered the ship:
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and rings,
And the clothes he had bought for the trip.

He had forty-two boxes, all carefully packed,
With his name painted clearly on each:
But, since he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach.

The loss of his clothes hardly mattered, because
He had seven coats on when he came,
With three pair of boots--but the worst of it was,
He had wholly forgotten his name.

He would answer to "Hi!" or to any loud cry,
Such as "Fry me!" or "Fritter my wig!"
To "What-you-may-call-um!" or "What-was-his-name!"
But especially "Thing-um-a-jig!"

While, for those who preferred a more forcible word,
He had different names from these:
His intimate friends called him "Candle-ends,"
And his enemies "Toasted-cheese."

"His form in ungainly--his intellect small--"
(So the Bellman would often remark)
"But his courage is perfect! And that, after all,
Is the thing that one needs with a Snark."

He would joke with hy{ae}nas, returning their stare
With an impudent wag of the head:
And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw, with a bear,
"Just to keep up its spirits," he said.

He came as a Baker: but owned, when too late--
And it drove the poor Bellman half-mad--
He could only bake Bridecake--for which, I may state,
No materials were to be had.

The last of the crew needs especial remark,
Though he looked an incredible dunce:
He had just one idea--but, that one being "Snark,"
The good Bellman engaged him at once.

He came as a Butcher: but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week,
He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked scared,
And was almost too frightened to speak:

But at length he explained, in a tremulous tone,
There was only one Beaver on board;
And that was a tame one he had of his own,
Whose death would be deeply deplored.

The Beaver, who happened to hear the remark,
Protested, with tears in its eyes,
That not even the rapture of hunting the Snark
Could atone for that dismal surprise!

It strongly advised that the Butcher should be
Conveyed in a separate ship:
But the Bellman declared that would never agree
With the plans he had made for the trip:

Navigation was always a difficult art,
Though with only one ship and one bell:
And he feared he must really decline, for his part,
Undertaking another as well.

The Beaver's best course was, no doubt, to procure
A second-hand dagger-proof coat--
So the Baker advised it-- and next, to insure
Its life in some Office of note:

This the Banker suggested, and offered for hire
(On moderate terms), or for sale,
Two excellent Policies, one Against Fire,
And one Against Damage From Hail.

Yet still, ever after that sorrowful day,
Whenever the Butcher was by,
The Beaver kept looking the opposite way,
And appeared unaccountably shy.


II.--THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.

Fit the Second.

THE BELLMAN'S SPEECH.


The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies--
Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
The moment one looked in his face!

He had bought a large map representing the sea,
Without the least vestige of land:
And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be
A map they could all understand.

"What's the good of Mercator's North Poles and Equators,
Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?"
So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply
"They are merely conventional signs!

"Other maps are such shapes, with their islands and capes!
But we've got our brave Captain to thank
(So the crew would protest) "that he's bought us the best--
A perfect and absolute blank!"

This was charming, no doubt; but they shortly found out
That the Captain they trusted so well
Had only one notion for crossing the ocean,
And that was to tingle his bell.

He was thoughtful and grave--but the orders he gave
Were enough to bewilder a crew.
When he cried "Steer to starboard, but keep her head larboard!"
What on earth was the helmsman to do?

Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes:
A thing, as the Bellman remarked,
That frequently happens in tropical climes,
When a vessel is, so to speak, "snarked."

But the principal failing occurred in the sailing,
And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed,
Said he had hoped, at least, when the wind blew due East,
That the ship would not travel due West!

But the danger was past--they had landed at last,
With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted to chasms and crags.

FIT V.--THE BEAVER'S LESSON.

Fit the Fifth.

THE BEAVER'S LESSON.


They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Then the Butcher contrived an ingenious plan
For making a separate sally;
And had fixed on a spot unfrequented by man,
A dismal and desolate valley.

But the very same plan to the Beaver occurred:
It had chosen the very same place:
Yet neither betrayed, by a sign or a word,
The disgust that appeared in his face.

Each thought he was thinking of nothing but "Snark"
And the glorious work of the day;
And each tried to pretend that he did not remark
That the other was going that way.

But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening got darker and colder,
Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.

Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tail,
And even the Butcher felt queer.

He thought of his childhood, left far far behind--
That blissful and innocent state--
The sound so exactly recalled to his mind
A pencil that squeaks on a slate!

"'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!" he suddenly cried.
(This man, that they used to call "Dunce.")
"As the Bellman would tell you," he added with pride,
"I have uttered that sentiment once.

"'Tis the note of the Jubjub! Keep count, I entreat;
You will find I have told it you twice.
Tis the song of the Jubjub! The proof is complete,
If only I've stated it thrice."

The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,
Attending to every word:
But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,
When the third repetition occurred.

It felt that, in spite of all possible pains,
It had somehow contrived to lose count,
And the only thing now was to rack its poor brains
By reckoning up the amount.

"Two added to one--if that could but be done,"
It said, "with one's fingers and thumbs!"
Recollecting with tears how, in earlier years,
It had taken no pains with its sums.

"The thing can be done," said the Butcher, "I think.
The thing must be done, I am sure.
The thing shall be done! Bring me paper and ink,
The best there is time to procure."

The Beaver brought paper, portfolio, pens,
And ink in unfailing supplies:
While strange creepy creatures came out of their dens,
And watched them with wondering eyes.

So engrossed was the Butcher, he heeded them not,
As he wrote with a pen in each hand,
And explained all the while in a popular style
Which the Beaver could well understand.

"Taking Three as the subject to reason about--
A convenient number to state--
We add Seven, and Ten, and then multiply out
By One Thousand diminished by Eight.

"The result we proceed to divide, as you see,
By Nine Hundred and Ninety and Two:
Then subtract Seventeen, and the answer must be
Exactly and perfectly true.

"The method employed I would gladly explain,
While I have it so clear in my head,
If I had but the time and you had but the brain--
But much yet remains to be said.

"In one moment I've seen what has hitherto been
Enveloped in absolute mystery,
And without extra charge I will give you at large
A Lesson in Natural History."

In his genial way he proceeded to say
(Forgetting all laws of propriety,
And that giving instruction, without introduction,
Would have caused quite a thrill in Society),

"As to temper the Jubjub's a desperate bird,
Since it lives in perpetual passion:
Its taste in costume is entirely absurd--
It is ages ahead of the fashion:

"But it knows any friend it has met once before:
It never will look at a bride:
And in charity-meetings it stands at the door,
And collects--though it does not subscribe.

"Its flavour when cooked is more exquisite far
Than mutton, or oysters, or eggs:
(Some think it keeps best in an ivory jar,
And some, in mahogany kegs:)

"You boil it in sawdust: you salt it in glue:
You condense it with locusts and tape:
Still keeping one principal object in view--
To preserve its symmetrical shape."

The Butcher would gladly have talked till next day,
But he felt that the Lesson must end,
And he wept with delight in attempting to say
He considered the Beaver his friend.

While the Beaver confessed, with affectionate looks
More eloquent even than tears,
It had learned in ten minutes far more than all books
Would have taught it in seventy years.

They returned hand-in-hand, and the Bellman, unmanned
(For a moment) with noble emotion,
Said "This amply repays all the wearisome days
We have spent on the billowy ocean!"

Such friends, as the Beaver and Butcher became,
Have seldom if ever been known;
In winter or summer, 'twas always the same--
You could never meet either alone.

And when quarrels arose--as one frequently finds
Quarrels will, spite of every endeavour--
The song of the Jubjub recurred to their minds,
And cemented their friendship for ever!

Fit the Second ( Hunting of the Snark )
Le discours du

Bellman Le Bellman lui-même,
ils ont tous loué au ciel - une telle voiture, une telle facilité et une telle grâce!
Une telle solennité, aussi! On pouvait voir qu’il était sage, Au
moment où on regardait dans son visage!
Il avait acheté une grande carte
représentant la mer,
sans le moindre vestige de terre: Et l’équipage était très heureux quand ils ont trouvé que c’était
une carte qu’ils pouvaient tous comprendre. « Quel est le bien des pôles nord et
des équateurs de Mercator, des tropiques, des zones et des lignes méridiennes ? »


Ainsi, le Bellman criait:
et l’équipage répondait: « Ce ne sont que des signes conventionnels!
« D’autres cartes sont de telles formes, avec leurs îles et capes!

Mais nous avons notre courageux capitaine
à remercier » (Donc l’équipage protesterait) « qu’il nous a acheté le meilleur -
Un blanc parfait et absolu! »



C’était charmant, sans doute: mais ils ont vite découvert que le capitaine en qui ils avaient si bien confiance n’avait qu’une seule idée pour traverser l’océan et c’était de sonner la cloche.
Il était pensif et grave -
mais les ordres qu’il a donnés étaient suffisants pour déconcertant un équipage.


Quand il s’écria: « Dirigez-vous vers tribord, mais gardez sa tête larboard! »
Qu’est-ce que le timonier devait faire ?



Puis le beaupré s’est mélangé avec le gouvernail de direction parfois: Une chose, comme le Bellman fait remarquer, Qui arrive fréquemment dans les climats tropicaux, Quand un navire est, pour ainsi dire, « grondé ».




Mais le principal échec s’est produit dans la voile, Et le Bellman, perplexe et affligé, a dit qu’il avait espéré, au moins, quand le vent soufflait en raison de l’Est, que le navire ne voyagerait pas en raison de l’Ouest!




Mais le danger était passé - ils avaient atterri enfin, avec leurs boîtes, port manteaux, et sacs: Pourtant, à première vue, l’équipage n’était pas satisfait de la vue qui se composait de gouffres et de rochers.




Le Bellman a perçu que leurs esprits étaient bas, et répété dans le ton musical Quelques blagues qu’il avait gardé pour une saison de malheur - Mais l’équipage ne ferait que gémir.




Il a servi quelques grog avec une main libérale, et les assoit sur la plage: Et ils ne pouvaient que posséder que leur capitaine avait l’air grand, Comme il se tenait et a prononcé son discours.

« Amis, Romains et compatriotes, prêtez-moi vos
oreilles! »
(Ils étaient tous friands
de citations: Alors ils ont bu à
sa santé, et ils lui ont donné trois acclamations, Alors qu’il servait des rations supplémentaires).



« Nous avons navigué de nombreux mois, nous avons navigué de nombreuses semaines, (Quatre semaines au mois que vous pouvez marquer), Mais jamais encore ('tis votre capitaine qui parle) Avons-nous attrapé le moindre aperçu d’un Snark!




« Nous avons navigué de nombreuses semaines, nous avons navigué de nombreux jours, (Sept jours à la semaine, je le permets), Mais un Snark, sur lequel nous pourrions regarder avec amour, Nous n’avons jamais vu jusqu’à présent!




« Venez, écoutez, mes hommes, tandis que je vous le dis à nouveau Les cinq marques indubitables par lesquelles vous pouvez savoir, où que vous allez, Les pièges authentiques justifiés.

« Prenons-les en
ordre. Le premier est
le goût, qui est maigre
et creux, mais croquant: Comme
un manteau qui est un peu trop serré dans la taille, Avec une saveur de Will-o'-the-Wisp.



« Son habitude de se lever tard, vous conviendrez qu’il porte trop loin, quand je dis qu’il copie fréquemment les petits déjeuners à cinq heures de thé, et dîne le lendemain.

« Le troisième est sa lenteur à prendre une
plaisanterie.
S’il vous arrive
de s’aventurer sur un, Il
soupirera comme une chose qui est profondément affligé: Et il semble toujours grave à un jeu de mots.



« Le quatrième est son penchant pour les machines de bain, qu’il porte constamment sur, Et croit qu’ils ajoutent à la beauté des scènes - Un sentiment ouvert au doute.

« Le cinquième est l’ambition.
Il sera ensuite
juste de décrire
chaque lot particulier: Distinguer ceux
qui ont des plumes, et mordre, De ceux qui ont des moustaches, et gratter.



« Car, bien que les Snarks communs ne font aucune manière de mal, Pourtant, je pense qu’il est de mon devoir de dire que certains sont Boojums - " Le Bellman rompu dans l’alarme, Pour le boulanger s’était évanoui.

The Walrus And The Carpenter

Tweedledee dit à Alice: « Vous

aimez la poésie- » « Ye-es, assez bien-un peu de poésie, » Alice a dit dubitatif. — Que lui répéterai-je, dit Tweedledee en regardant
Tweedledum avec de grands yeux solennels.

— Le Morse et le Charpentier est le plus long,
répondit Tweedledum en donnant un câlin affectueux à son frère.

Tweedledee a commencé instantanément: Le Morse et le Charpentier Le soleil brillait sur la mer, Brillant de toutes ses puissances: Il a fait de son mieux pour rendre les billows lisses et lumineux- Et c’était étrange, parce que c’était le milieu de la nuit.

La lune brillait boudeusement, parce qu’elle pensait que le soleil n’avait rien à faire après la journée a été fait- « C’est très impoli de lui, dit-elle, pour venir gâcher le plaisir! »
La mer était humide comme
humide pouvait être, le sable était sec comme sec.


On ne pouvait pas
voir un nuage,
parce qu’aucun
nuage n’était


dans le ciel:
Pas d’oiseaux volaient au-dessus- Il n’y avait pas d’oiseaux à voler Le Morse et le Charpentier marchaient à portée de main;
Ils pleuraient comme
n’importe quoi
pour voir de telles
quantités de sable : « Si cela n’était que défriché, d’après eux, ce serait grandiose ! »



— Si sept femmes de chambre avec sept vadrouilles balayaient pendant six mois, croyez-vous, dit le morse, qu’elles pourraient être claires ?

— J’en doute,
dit le charpentier, et je verse une larme amère.
« O, Huîtres, venez marcher avec
nous! »
Le Morse a bien hêtre.
« Une promenade agréable, une
conversation agréable,
Le long de la
plage saumurée: Nous ne pouvons pas faire avec plus de quatre, Pour donner un coup de main à chacun. »

L’aîné Oyster le regarda, Mais jamais un mot, il a dit: L’huître aîné clin d’œil, Et secoua la tête lourde- Ce qui signifie qu’il n’a pas choisi de quitter le lit d’huîtres.


Mais quatre jeunes huîtres se sont précipitées, toutes avides de la gâterie: leurs manteaux ont été brossés, leurs visages lavés, leurs chaussures étaient propres et soignées- Et c’était bizarre, parce que, vous savez, Ils n’avaient pas de pieds.
Quatre autres huîtres les
suivirent, et encore quatre autres;


Et épais et rapides,
ils arrivaient enfin, et
de plus en plus,
et plus encore- Tous sautant à travers les vagues mousseux, et se bousculant à la rive.


Le Morse et le Charpentier marchaient sur un mile ou deux, et puis ils se sont reposés sur un rocher commodément bas: Et toutes les petites huîtres se tenaient et attendu dans une rangée.


— Le temps est venu, dit le Morse, de parler de beaucoup de choses : des chaussures et des navires - et de la cire d’étanchéité - des choux et des rois - et pourquoi la mer est bouillante - et si les porcs ont des ailes.
— Mais attendez un peu,
s’écriant les Huîtres, avant d’avoir notre conversation ;

Pour certains d’entre nous
sont à bout de souffle, et nous sommes tous gros!
« Pas pressé! », A déclaré le charpentier.
Ils l’ont beaucoup remercié pour cela.


— Une miche de pain, dit le Morse, c’est ce dont nous avons surtout besoin : le poivre et le vinaigre en plus sont très bons, maintenant si vous êtes prêts, huîtres chères, nous pouvons commencer à nous nourrir.

« Mais pas sur nous! »

— La nuit va bien, dit le Morse.
« Admirez-vous la vue? »
« C’était si gentil d’entre vous à
venir!
Et vous êtes très gentil!
Le Charpentier ne
dit rien d’autre que « Coupez-nous une autre tranche :
j’aimerais que vous n’étiez pas si sourd -
j’ai dû vous demander deux fois ! »

— C’est dommage, dit le Morse, de leur jouer un tel tour, après les avoir sortis jusqu’à présent, et les avoir fait trot si vite !

Le Charpentier ne
dit rien d’autre que « Le beurre est trop épais! » — Je pleure pour vous, dit
le Morse : « Je compatis profondément. »


Avec des sanglots et
des larmes,
il a trié ceux
de la plus grande taille, tenant son mouchoir de poche devant ses yeux en streaming. — O Huîtres, dit
le charpentier, vous avez eu une course agréable !


Allons-nous trottiner à la maison à nouveau?
Mais la réponse
est venue là aucun-
Et ce n’était guère étrange, parce qu’ils avaient mangé chacun.