JABBERWOCKY

by Lewis Carol
from Through the Looking Glass,
sequel of Alice in Wonderland.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: And through the Looking Glass is one of the good books that surprised me. I used to think that it were a fancy girlie story, like portrated by the motion picture. Turns out that it is an interesting story with substance and lots of word play.

Incidentally, the game American McGee Alice is also a very good game. Who is American McGee? He's the designer of Doom and Quake! You play Alice and enters the Wonderland rendered by the Quake III engine, and meets the Rabit, the Cheshire Cat, soldiers of the Deck and other people, of course, including the Queen. Even your weapons are interest stuff that came from the story. Download the demo, and remember to have a look at the settings screen. Or read a preview prepared by Game Center.

The poem goes:

’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.

If you find this poem too difficult to read, click this button to reverse it:

Copying his style, I wrote a French poem of the same nature. Do visit the page to have a look!

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Another interesting poem by Lewis Carol: The Walrus and the Carpenter
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