Monday, June 7, 2010

Jabberwocky


Jabberwocky

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Those who enjoy in its own right this nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1872) need no further explanation of its meanings.  As Alice says to herself after reading the poem:  "It seems very pretty but it's rather hard to understand! Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don't exactly know what they are!"

For those who do want some explanation of the words, Carroll provided some clues in Alice's Advenrures in Wonderland and in other writings.  There are numerous sites that offer explanations, such as that at:

Have a frabjous day.

 

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