The Art of Gibberish…

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Gibberish – definition: meaningless or unintelligible talk or writing

I bow to a master, Lewis Carroll, who wrote the marvelous poem Jabbawocky. It is part of Alice Through the Looking Glass and is considered one of the greatest nonsense poems written in English. It is a playful, whimsical poem including such nonsense words as “galumphing” and “frabjous”. I always wanted to know what a Tumtum tree would look like.

Have you written a nonsense poem?

Jabberwocky

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.

4 Comments

  1. caitlinstern

    I’ve studied this poem in a college class awhile ago. There is a special art to it–even with the nonsense, you know what it means, somehow. Magic!

    Reply
    • mandyevebarnett

      Yes it is a kind of magic, ‘knowing’ what the words actually mean even though they are nonsense.

      Reply
  2. chrismcmullen

    Lewis Carroll’s work is amazing. I like your concept of there being an art to gibberish. That’s a cool idea. 🙂

    Reply
    • mandyevebarnett

      Thanks, Chris, it is most certainly not an easy skill to master.

      Reply

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