O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! It’s Lewis Caroll’s birthday! Don’t you wish you could bust out the birthday cake and party by the Tumtum tree?

Born on January 27, 1832, Carroll (real name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) is best known for his beloved novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as his nonsense poems like Jabberwocky. In honor of his big day, why not take a moment out of your day to enjoy Carroll’s charming brand of imaginative absurdity?

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.

• Posted on 27 January, 2009
  by MaggieH
• Category
  General