Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll - a Poetry Friday post

[kellyrfineman]

First the poem, then some chat.

Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Comments

[lizjonesbooks]

Oh-- thanks for posting-- I'd never seen this version! This is my all time favorite poem. My dad used to perform it for us when we were kids (hilarious!) And now I do it for mine. I once auditioned for jr. hi drama club with this one(and also Death be not Proud-- no, I have no idea why. I was a weird kid).
Now we're all hanging out checking out various versions on youtube...

[kellyrfineman]

"Death be not proud, though some have called thee/mighty and powerful, for thou art not so . . ." (At least, that's how I remember the words and the line break.) Speaking of poetry and drama (kind of), I was in a play in high school in which my character wandered around spouting Shakespeare. "Tis a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" was one of my lines. I still love those lines.

[lizjonesbooks]

That is a wonderful line indeed-- sounds like a really fun play!
And yes-- that's how the poem starts! I'd read the novel (about the boy dying of brain cancer) and loved the poem so much I decided to memorize it...

[kellyrfineman]

I really need to memorize more poems. I'm good at opening lines, but I rarely have entire poems committed to memory. Maybe I'll try for one per week this year, just to keep my brain occupied.

[lizjonesbooks]

It's a great idea! I don't have all than many either-- most were required for school. Would like to have more of the "full fathom five" from Tempest, and more Coleridge...

[kellyrfineman]

Coleridge: "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree" is as far as I get with that one. And I've got "Water, water, everywhere/and all the boards did shrink./Water, water everywhere/nor any drop to drink" from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

[lizjonesbooks]

THat's about what I've got... and Xanadu in particular is one of my faves!