‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe’ has got to be one of the quirkiest openings to any piece of literature in the history of writing … Jabberwocky, penned by Lewis Carroll, first saw the light of day in 1871 when Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There was published. I read it when I was about 8 years old and two things stay with me. One is the very scary monster drawn by John Tenniel and the other was the very bonkers words which somehow made sense, even when they shouldn’t.

My favourite line from Jabberwocky is when the monster has been killed, “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” which is just one of the most joyful phrases ever IMO 🙂 

Many of the words in the poem are nonsense words of Carroll’s own invention, without any specific meaning. Did you know he invented galumphing? Alice’s impression after reading it chimes with many of us:

“It seems very pretty,” she said when she had finished it, “but it’s rather hard to understand!” (You see she didn’t like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn’t make it out at all.) “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don’t exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that’s clear, at any rate.”

This poem is more of a journey in mind and spirit than in body. Read it here and see what you think …

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.

By Lewis Carroll from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872

Like this? Read more

Quirky Travel Poem: The Owl and The Pussycat by Edward Lear

Quirky Travel Poem: The Jumblies by Edward Lear

Quirky Travel Poem: Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr Seuss

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