There was an Old Man in a boat, That unhappy Old Man in a boat. There was an Old Man with a poker, But knocked them all down with his poker. There was an Old Man who said, “Hush! When they said, "Is it small?” He replied, "Not at all! It is four times as big as the bush!" Edward Lear [1812-1888] THE TURTLE AND FLAMINGO A LIVELY young turtle lived down by the banks An enormously genteel flamingo! An expansively crimson flamingo! A beautiful, bouncing flamingo! Spake the turtle in tones like a delicate wheeze: "To the water I've oft scen you in go, And your form has impressed itself deep on my shell, You perfectly modeled flamingo! You tremendously 'A 1' flamingo! You inex-pres-si-ble flamingo! "To be sure I'm a turtle, and you are a belle, And my language is not your fine lingo; But smile on me, tall one, and be my bright flame, You miraculous, wondrous flamingo! You blazingly beauteous flamingo! You turtle-absorbing flamingo! You inflammably gorgeous flamingo!" Then the proud bird blushed redder than ever before, And she stood on one leg and looked out of one eye, The position of things for to vary,— This dreamy, uncertain flamingo! This embarrassing, harassing flamingo! Then she cried to the quadruped, greatly amazed: And you're an illogical turtle, A waddling, impossible turtle! A low-minded, grass-eating turtle! A highly improbable turtle!" Then the turtle sneaked off with his nose to the ground, And never more looked at the lasses; And falling asleep, while indulging his grief, Was gobbled up whole by Agassiz, The peripatetic Agassiz! The turtle-dissecting Agassiz! The illustrious, industrious Agassiz! Go with me to Cambridge some cool, pleasant day, And the skeleton lover I'll show you: He's in a hard case, but he'll look in your face, The green, but a very mock-turtle! James Thomas Fields [1816-1881] JABBERWOCKY 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves All mimsy were the borogoves, "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! He took his vorpal sword in hand: 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 He left it dead, and with its head "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves All mimsy were the borogoves, Lewis Carroll [1832-1898) THE GARDENER'S SONG From "Sylvie and Bruno " HE thought he saw an Elephant, He looked again, and found it was A letter from his wife. "At length I realize," he said, "The bitterness of life!". He thought he saw a Buffalo He looked again, and found it was He thought he saw a Rattlesnake He thought he saw a Banker's Clerk He looked again, and found it was "If this should stay to dine," he said, "There won't be much for us!" He thought he saw a Kangaroo He looked again, and found it was "Were I to swallow this," he said, He thought he saw a Coach-and-Four He looked again, and found it was "Poor thing," he said, "poor silly thing! It's waiting to be fed!" He thought he saw an Albatross That fluttered round the lamp: He looked again, and found it was "You'd best be getting home," he said: "The nights are very damp!" He thought he saw a Garden Door He looked again, and found it was A Double-Rule-of-Three: 'And all its mystery," he said, "Is clear as day to me!" Lewis Carroll [1832-1898] THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER From "Through the Looking-Glass" THE sun was shining on the sea, He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright— The moon was shining sulkily, The sea was wet as wet could be, The Walrus and the Carpenter They said, "it would be grand!” |