The Walrus and the Carpenter -- Lewis Carroll

(Poem #347) The Walrus and the Carpenter The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright -- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the sun Had got no business to be there After the day was done -- 'It's very rude of him.' she said, 'To come and spoil the fun!' The sea was wet as wet could be, The sands were dry as dry. You could not see a cloud, because No cloud was in the sky: No birds were flying overhead -- There were no birds to fly. The Walrus and the Carpenter Were walking close at hand: They wept like anything to see Such quantities of sand: 'If this were only cleared away,' They said, 'it would be grand.' 'If seven maids with seven mops Swept it for half a year, Do you suppose,' the Walrus said, 'That they could get it clear?' 'I doubt it,' said the Carpenter, And shed a bitter tear. 'O Oysters, come and walk with us! The Walrus did beseech. 'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, Along the briny beach: We cannot do with more than four, To give a hand to each.' The eldest Oyster looked at him, But never a word he said: The eldest Oyster winked his eye, And shook his heavy head -- Meaning to say he did not choose To leave the oyster-bed. Out four young Oysters hurried up. All eager for the treat: Their coats were brushed, their faces washed, Their shoes were clean and neat -- And this was odd, because, you know, They hadn't any feet. Four other Oysters followed them, And yet another four; And thick and fast they came at last, And more, and more, and more -- All hopping through the frothy waves, And scrambling to the shore. The Walrus and the Carpenter Walked on a mile or so, And then they rested on a rock Conveniently low: And all the little Oysters stood And waited in a row. 'The time has come,' the Walrus said, 'To talk of many things: Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax -- Of cabbages -- and kings -- And why the sea is boiling hot -- And whether pigs have wings.' 'But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried, 'Before we have our chat; For some of us are out of breath, And all of us are fat!' 'No hurry!' said the Carpenter. They thanked him much for that. 'A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said, 'Is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides Are very good indeed -- Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear, We can begin to feed.' 'But not on us!' the Oysters cried, Turning a little blue. 'After such kindness, that would be A dismal thing to do!' 'The night is fine,' the Walrus said, 'Do you admire the view?' 'It was so kind of you to come! And you are very nice!' The Carpenter said nothing but 'Cut us another slice- I wish you were not quite so deaf- I've had to ask you twice!' 'It seems a shame,' the Walrus said, 'To play them such a trick. After we've brought them out so far, And made them trot so quick!' The Carpenter said nothing but 'The butter's spread too thick!' 'I weep for you,'the Walrus said: 'I deeply sympathize.' With sobs and tears he sorted out Those of the largest size, Holding his pocket-handkerchief Before his streaming eyes. 'O Oysters,' said the Carpenter, 'You've had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?' But answer came there none -- And this was scarcely odd, because They'd eaten every one. -- Lewis Carroll

I've said it before and I'll say it again: writing good nonsense verse
is _hard_... I don't know how Carroll manages to do it with such
consummate ease.

What I find especially interesting is the way Carroll plays with so many
different _kinds_ of nonsense. For instance, the opening stanza (my
favourite one, btw) of today's poem reads like a piece of juvenilia
straight out of a high-school poetry class (or, even worse, a Victorian
children's book) - that is, until the brilliantly deadpan final couplet
[1], which catches readers completely off-balance with its reversal of
all that is 'normal'.

Indeed, that final couplet sets the tone for the rest of the poem -
snippets like

'The Walrus and the Carpenter
  Were walking close at hand:
They wept like anything to see
  Such quantities of sand:'

and

'Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
  Their shoes were clean and neat --
And this was odd, because, you know,
  They hadn't any feet.'

and of course the famous:

''The time has come,' the Walrus said,
  'To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --
  Of cabbages -- and kings --
And why the sea is boiling hot --
  And whether pigs have wings.''

are dazzling in their simplicity and sheer meaninglessness. And the
whole poem is written in the same vein - simple, matter-of-fact, and
utterly bizarre.

I suppose the key to Carroll's particular brand of lunacy is
_incongruity_. In 'Jabberwocky', the incongruity is verbal, with
invented words and strange constructions. In 'The Mad Gardener's Song',
the incongruity is one of non sequiturs. In today's poem, it's one of
situation. Each type is different (and difficult); yet each type is
handled to a nicety. Sheer genius.

thomas.

[Minstrels Links]

[1] I hadn't thought of it before, but yes, this does fit in nicely with
Martin's comments of Saturday - you can read them at poem #345

Jabberwocky: poem #52

The Mad Gardener's Song: poem #265

[End Note]

Those of you with good memories (or lots of disk space) will remember
that the Minstrels held a poetry-reading session in the Real World,
about a month ago, at the Crossword bookstore in Mumbai. It went off
pretty well (I thought), and plans are afoot to make it (the poetry
session) a monthly affair. If you're interested in attending the next
edition, do email me or Seema Bhatia (note the
double underscore) and we'll take it from there.