Das Jabberwock - for Ann

[Bara]

Found one!

Legende vom Schebberroch
(Günther Flemming)

"'s war britzlich, und der schlinke Totz
Zerschirrt' und drilberte 's Geweech;
Ganz jimmrig war's dem Borgoglotz,
Und die traute Schratte schreech.

Hüt Dich, mein Sohn, vorm Schebberroch,
Des Maules Biß, der Klauen Krall!
Nah weder öm Sabbsabb-Vogel
noch Wutschnaufgem Geißelprall!'

Er nahm's vorpale Schwert zur Hand:
Nach dem kattmanen Feind er spürt' -
Als unterm Tamtam-Baum er stand
Und Selbstgespräche führt',

In zwidrer Stimmung, da kam bald
Der Schebberroch mit Flammenblick
Laut jiffelnd durch den tulgen Wald:
Senkt burbelnd das Genick!

Eins, zwo! Eins, zwo! Und so! Und so!
Die Klinge führt er schnacke-schnick!
Schlug ab den Kopf, ergriff den Schopf,
Und galumphiert' zurück.

Erschlugst den Schebberroch?
Dann ach: Strahlischer Knab' an meine Brust!
Fantabler Tag! Ich juch! Ich jauch!'
Gluckst der in seiner Lust.

's war britzlich, und der schlinke Totz
Zerschirrt' und drilberte ös Geweech;
Ganz jimmrig war's dem Borgoglotz,
Und die traute Schratte schreech."

[Bara]

Oh fiddle. I'd logged out and now I've had to log back in.

Well. There we are. Pride goeth..

I have known this nonsense poem all my life, but I am missing one line. Missing. Presumed lost for ever. I refuse to look it up.

I can do all the German - (ha ha!) except :

Er nahm's vorpale Schwert zur Hand:
Nach dem kattmanen Feind er spürt' -
Als unterm Tamtam-Baum er stand
Und Selbstgespräche führt',

"He took his vorpal sword in hand
(Ti tum, ti tum, ti tum, ti tum)
Then rested he by a Tum-Tum tree
And stood a while in thought.

And as he stood in uffish thought.."

I can remember the rest. But what did he do after taking his sword in hand and before resting under the tree?

No cheating and looking it up.

Damn. Damn. It's driving me mad.

Ah! Long time the () foe he sought. (Manxious?)


Oh fiddle. Still not right.

[adcooper]

Girding our loins today???

Librarians look EVERYthing up. It's what we do.

'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.

[sarafina]

aahhh....never were more beautiful words spake/writ....i LOVE lewis carrol. mmmm....
BF's brother has "gyring, gimbling, being mimsy" on his to-do list most days.

[Bara]

Ha ha! 'Manxome'. Of course. 'manxome', Ann.

Oh, Sarafina, 'tis always brillig around here, and uffish thought is a normal state of mind..

Let's calooh, callay for the frabjous days which are coming - any minute now. And doesn't it bring new, deeper meaning to that old German carol 'Oh Tam-Tam Baum'...?

Ah, for childhood ...

This one is for Big Tee :

"The more it snows
(tiddly-pom)
The more it snows
(tiddly-pom)
The more it goes
(tiddly-pom)
- on snowing"

And no-one knows
(tiddly-pom)............

Over to Ann - to finish the next verse (involving toes - tiddly-pom) and who sang it, where?

[adcooper]

That sounds house at pooh cornerish.

[Lynne]

You guys are FREAKS!!!! This poem has come up in the most unusual places in the last month! Seriously......I was chatting a friend at school about cool words and I said "Jabberwocky". H ereplied "great poem too". I mentioned that my (good) brother Alan had a dog named Bandersnatch. Then a week or so later we did the mom thing and on the first horrid day several of us went out to lunch where my Uncle and (good) brother, after hearing me do the prologue to the Canterbury tales in old english burst suddenly forth into a recitation of the poem. And now this. Isn't it odd how some things suddenly repeat themselves for no apparent reason and it strikes you? Maybe it's all nonsense.......

Thanks for the German version. I'm forwarding it on to my uncle and brother!!

[Bara]

Ha! Ha! Very Pooh-Corner, Adcooper .. very. Along with :

"It's not too fair
On a poor old bear..."

You may remember a certain journal I sent you a few years ago..

Quite right, Lynne - 'Freaks-R-Us' - I've been reading your mind..

Now, Chaucer ... Well, I once played 'Alison' in the theatre, now THAT was embarrassing! Never mind, I'm the 'Wife of Bath', now.

Now, where's Big Tee? I find a snow poem for her - and there she is - GONE!

Now - here's a Niaru challenge - but going to start a new thread.
;D