And every one said who saw them go, "Oh! won't they be soon upset, you know: For the sky is dark, and the voyage is long; And, happen what may, it 's extremely wrong

In a sieve to sail so fast."

The water it soon came in, it did;

The water it soon came in:

So, to keep them dry, they wrapp'd their feet

In a pinky paper all folded neat:

And they fasten'd it down with a pin. And they pass'd the night in a crockeryjar;

And each of them said, "How wise we are! Though the sky be dark, and the voyage be long,

Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong,

While round in our sieve we spin."

And all night long they sail'd away;
And, when the sun went down,
They whistled and warbled a moony song
To the echoing sound of a coppery gong,
In the shade of the mountains brown,
"O Timballoo! how happy we are
When we live in a sieve and a crockery-jar!
And all night long, in the moonlight pale,
We sail away with a pea-green sail

In the shade of the mountains brown."
They sail'd to the Western Sea, they did,-
To a land all cover'd with trees:
And they bought an owl, and a useful cart,
And a pound of rice, and a cranberry-tart,
And a hive of silvery bees;

And they bought a pig, and some green jackdaws,

And a lovely monkey with lollipop paws, And forty bottles of ring-bo-ree,

And no end of Stilton cheese:

And in twenty years they all came back,In twenty years or more;

And every one said, "How tall they've grown!

For they've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone,

And the hills of the Chankly Bore." And they drank their health, and gave them a feast

Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast;
And every one said, "If we only live,
We, too, will go to sea in a sieve,

To the hills of the Chankly Bore."
Far and few, far and few,

1871.

Are the lands where the Jumblies live: Their heads are green, and their hands are blue;

And they went to sea in a sieve. - EDWARD LEAR.

THE MOCK TURTLE'S SONG [From Alice in Wonderland.]

"WILL you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,

"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he 's treading on my tail.

See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!

They are waiting on the shingle- will you come and join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be

When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"

But the snail replied "Too far, too far!", and gave a look askance

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

"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.
1872.

--

LEWIS CARROLL.

JABBERWOCKY

[From Through the Looking Glass.] '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.
1872.
- LEWIS CARROLL.

"A dear uncle of mine (after whom I was nam'd)

Remark'd, when I bade him farewell—” "Oh, skip your dear uncle!" the Bellman exclaim'd,

As he angrily tingled his bell.

"He remark'd to me then," said the mildest of men,

"If your Snark be a Snark, that is right: Fetch it home by all means you may serve it with greens,

And it's handy for striking a light.

"You may seek it with thimbles - and seek it with care;

You may hunt it with forks and hope: You may threaten its life with a railwayshare;

You may charm it with smiles and soap-"

CAPTAIN REECE

OF ALL the ships upon the blue,
No ship contained a better crew
Than that of worthy CAPTAIN REECE,
Commanding of The Mantelpiece.
He was adored by all his men,
For worthy CAPTAIN REECE, R. N.,
Did all that lay within him to
Promote the comfort of his crew.

If ever they were dull or sad,
Their captain danced to them like mad,
Or told, to make the time pass by,
Droll legends of his infancy.

A feather bed had every man,
Warm slippers and hot-water can,

Brown windsor from the captain's store,
A valet, too, to every four.

Did they with thirst in summer burn?
Lo, seltzogenes at every turn,
And on all very sultry days
Cream ices handed round on trays.

Then currant wine and ginger pops
Stood handily on all the "tops:"
And, also, with amusement rife,
A "Zoetrope, or Wheel of Life."

New volumes came across the sea
From MISTER MUDIE'S libraree;
The Times and Saturday Review
Beguiled the leisure of the crew.
Kind-hearted CAPTAIN REECE, R. N.,
Was quite devoted to his men ;
In point of fact, good CAPTAIN REECE
Beatified The Mantelpiece.

One summer eve, at half-past ten,
He said (addressing all his men):
"Come, tell me, please, what I can do
To please and gratify my crew.

"By any reasonable plan
I'll make you happy if I can;
My own convenience count as nil;
It is my duty, and I will."

Then up and answered WILLIAM LEE,
(The kindly captain's coxswain he,
A nervous, shy, low-spoken man)
He cleared his throat and thus began:

"You have a daughter, CAPTAIN REECE,
Ten female cousins and a niece,
A ma, if what I'm told is true,
Six sisters, and an aunt or two.

"Now, somehow, sir, it seems to me,
More friendly-like we all should be,
If you united of 'em to
Unmarried members of the crew.

"If you'd ameliorate our life,
Let each select from them a wife;
And as for nervous me, old pal,
Give me your own enchanting gal!"
Good CAPTAIN REECE, that worthy man,
Debated on his coxswain's plan:
"I quite agree,' 'he said, "O BILL,
It is my duty, and I will.

"My daughter, that enchanting gurl,
Has just been promised to an earl,
And all my other familee

To peers of various degree.

"But what are dukes and viscounts to

The happiness of all my crew?
The word I gave you I'll fulfil;

It is my duty, and I will.

"As you desire it shall be fall,
I'll settle thousands on you all,
And I shall be, despite my hoard,
The only bachelor on board."

The boatswain of The Mantelpiece,
He blushed and spoke to CAPTAIN REECE:
"I beg your honor's leave," he said,
"If you would wish to go and wed,

"I have a widowed mother who
Would be the very thing for you-
She long has loved you from afar,
She washes for you, CAPTAIN R."

The captain saw the dame that day-
Addressed her in his playful way
"And did it want a wedding ring?
It was a tempting ickle sing!
"Well, well, the chaplain I will seek,
We'll all be married this day week-
At yonder church upon the hill;
It is my duty, and I will!"

The sisters, cousins, aunts, and niece,
And widowed ma of CAPTAIN REECE,
Attended there as they were bid;
It was their duty, and they did.
1869.

-W. S. GILBERT.

THE BISHOP OF RUM-TI-FOO FROM east and south the holy clan

Of bishops gathered, to a man;
To Synod, called Pan-Anglican;

In flocking crowds they came.
Among them was a Bishop, who
Had lately been appointed to
The balmy isle of Rum-ti-Foo,

And Peter was his name.

His people-twenty-three in sum
They played the eloquent tum-tum
And lived on scalps served up in rum-
The only sauce they knew.

When first good BISHOP PETER came
(For PETER was that Bishop's name),
To humor them, he did the same
As they of Rum-ti-Foo.

His flock, I've often heard him tell,
(His name was PETER) loved him well,
And summoned by the sound of bell,
In crowds together came.
"Oh, massa, why you go away?
Oh, MASSA PETER, please to stay."
(They called him PETER, people say,
Because it was his name.)

He told them all good boys to be,
And sailed away across the sea,
At London Bridge that Bishop he
Arrived one Tuesday night -
And as that night he homeward strode
To his Pan-Anglican abode
He passed along the Borough Road
And saw a gruesome sight.

He saw a crowd assembled round
A person dancing on the ground,
Who straight began to leap and bound
With all his might and main.

To see that dancing man he stopped, Who twirled and wriggled, skipped and hopped,

Then down incontinently dropped,

And then sprang up again.

The Bishop chuckled at the sight, "This style of dancing would delight A simple Rum-ti-Foozle-ite.

I'll learn it, if I can,

To please the tribe when I get back." He begged the man to teach his knack. "Right Reverend Sir, in half a crack,"

Replied that dancing man.

The dancing man he worked away
And taught the Bishop every day
The dancer skipped like any fay

Good PETER did the same.
The Bishop buckled to his task
With battements, cuts, and pas de basque,
(I'll tell you, if you care to ask,

That PETER was his name).

"Come, walk like this," the dancer said, "Stick out your toes stick in your head, Stalk on with quick, galvanic tread

Your fingers thus extend;
The attitude's considered quaint.”
The weary Bishop, feeling faint,
Replied, "I do not say it ain't,

But 'Time!' my Christian friend!"

"We now proceed to something new-
Dance as the PAYNES and LAURIS do,
Like this one, two-one, two-one, two."
The Bishop, never proud,

"No," said the worthy Bishop, “No; That is a length to which, I trow, Colonial Bishops cannot go.

You may express surprise

At finding Bishops deal in pride-
But, if that trick I ever tried,
I should appear undignified
In Rum-ti-Foozle's eyes.

"The islanders of Rum-ti-Foo
Are well-conducted persons, who
Approve a joke as much as you,

And laugh at it as such;
But if they saw their Bishop land,
His leg supported in his hand,
The joke they wouldn't understand
'Twould pain them very much!"
1869.
-W. S. GILBERT.
TO THE TERRESTRIAL GLOBE
BY A MISERABLE WRETCH

ROLL on, thou ball, roll on!
Through pathless realms of Space
Roll on!

What, though I'm in a sorry case?
What, though I cannot meet my bills?
What, though I suffer toothache's ills?
What, though I swallow countless pills?
Never you mind!
Roll on!

Roll on, thou ball, roll on!
Through seas of inky air