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Jabberwocky

869

"You earnest Sage!" aloud they cried, "your book you've

read enough in!

We wish to chop you into bits and mix you into Stuffin'!"

But that old Sage looked calmly up, and with his awful book At those two Bachelors' bald heads a certain aim he took; And over crag and precipice they rolled promiscuous down,— At once they rolled, and never stopped in lane or field or

town;

And when they reached their house, they found (besides their want of Stuffin')

The Mouse had fled-and previously had eaten up the Muffin.

They left their home in silence by the once convivial door; And from that hour those Bachelors were never heard of

more.

JABBERWOCKY

Edward Lear.

'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!
Oh, 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.

Lewis Carroll.

WAYS AND MEANS

I'LL tell thee everything I can;

There's little to relate.

I saw an aged aged man,
A-sitting on a gate.

"Who are you, aged man?" I said,
"And how is it you live?"

His answer trickled through my head
Like water through a sieve.

He said, "I look for butterflies
That sleep among the wheat:
I make them into mutton-pies,
And sell them in the street.
I sell them unto men," he said,
"Who sail on stormy seas;
And that's the way I get my bread-
A trifle, if you please."

But I was thinking of a plan

To dye one's whiskers green,

And always use so large a fan

That they could not be seen.

Ways and Means

So, having no reply to give

To what the old man said,

I cried, "Come, tell me how you live!"
And thumped him on the head.

His accents mild took up the tale;
He said, "I go my ways

And when I find a mountain-rill

I set it in a blaze;

And thence they make a stuff they call
Rowland's Macassar Oil-

Yet twopence-halfpenny is all
They give me for my toil."

But I was thinking of a way
To feed oneself on batter,
And so go on from day to day
Getting a little fatter.

I shook him well from side to side,
Until his face was blue;

"Come, tell me how you live," I cried,
"And what it is you do!"

He said, "I hunt for haddock's eyes
Among the heather bright,

And work them into waistcoat-buttons
In the silent night.

And these I do not sell for gold
Or coin of silvery shine,

But for a copper halfpenny
And that will purchase nine.

"I sometimes dig for buttered rolls,
Or set limed twigs for crabs;
I sometimes search the grassy knolls
For wheels of Hansom cabs.
And that's the way" (he gave a wink)
"By which I get my wealth-

And very gladly will I drink

Your Honor's noble health."

871

I heard him then, for I had just
Completed my design

To keep the Menai Bridge from rust
By boiling it in wine.

I thanked him much for telling me
The way he got his wealth,
But chiefly for his wish that he
Might drink my noble health.

And now if e'er by chance I put
My fingers into glue,

Or madly squeeze a right-hand foot
Into a left-hand shoe,

Or if I drop upon my toe

A very heavy weight,

I weep, for it reminds me so

Of that old man I used to know

Whose look was mild, whose speech was slow,

Whose hair was whiter than the snow,

Whose face was very like a crow,

With eyes, like cinders, all aglow,
Who seemed distracted with his woe,
Who rocked his body to and fro,
And muttered mumblingly, and low,
As if his mouth were full of dough,
Who snorted like a buffalo-
That summer evening, long ago,

A-sitting on a gate.

Lewis Carroll.

HUMPTY DUMPTY'S RECITATION

"IN winter, when the fields are white, I sing this song for your delight

"In spring, when woods are getting green, I'll try and tell you what I mean:"

"In summer, when the days are long, Perhaps you'll understand the song:

Humpty Dumpty's Recitation

In autumn, when the leaves are brown,
Take pen and ink, and write it down."

"I sent a message to the fish:

I told them 'This is what I wish.'

The little fishes of the sea,

They sent an answer back to me.

The little fishes' answer was,
'We cannot do it, Sir, because-

"I sent to them again to say 'It will be better to obey.'

The fishes answered, with a grin,
'Why, what a temper you are in!'

I told them once, I told them twice:
They would not listen to advice.

I took a kettle large and new,

Fit for the deed I had to do.

My heart went hop, my heart went thump:
I filled the kettle at the pump.

Then some one came to me and said,

'The little fishes are in bed.'

I said to him, I said it plain,
'Then you must wake them up again,'

I said it very loud and clear:

I went and shouted in his ear.

But he was very stiff and proud:
He said, 'You needn't shout so loud!'

And he was very proud and stiff:
He said, 'I'd go and wake them, if-

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