JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`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, has 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.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, Joseph, do I ever love the header on your blog. As soon as your page loaded my breath caught in my throat. And then, to read Jabberwocky with these stunning illustrations ... bliss.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the header and I love the poem. Thanks so much for brightening my day!

    Jessica
    A to Z Blogger & SF/Fantasy Writer @ Visions of Other Worlds

    ReplyDelete
  3. One of my favorites...ever a classic.

    Thanks for sharing! Good luck with the rest of the challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I've loved this poem for a long time. Did you know that 'vorpal swords' were adapted from Jabberwocky into Advanced Dungeons and Dragons? (In the game, they're a kind of magic sword blade that is infinitely thin and sharp.)

    Captcha words can be harder to figure out than Lewis Carrol. :(

    ReplyDelete