Lewis Carroll Quote
The Mad Gardener's SongHe thought he saw an Elephant, That practised on a fife:He looked again, and found it was A letter from his wife.'At length I realise,' he said, 'The bitterness of Life!'He thought he saw a Buffalo Upon the chimney-piece:He looked again, and found it was His Sister's Husband's Niece.'Unless you leave this house,' he said, 'I'll send for the Police!'He thought he saw a Rattlesnake That questioned him in Greek:He looked again, and found it was The Middle of Next Week.'The one thing I regret,' he said, 'Is that it cannot speak!'He thought he saw a Banker's Clerk Descending from the bus:He looked again, and found it was A Hippopotamus.'If this should stay to dine,' he said, 'There won't be much for us!'He thought he saw a Kangaroo That worked a coffee-mill:He looked again, and found it was A Vegetable-Pill.'Were I to swallow this,' he said, 'I should be very ill!'He thought he saw a Coach-and-Four That stood beside his bed:He looked again, and found it was A Bear without a Head.'Poor thing,' he said, 'poor silly thing! It's waiting to be fed!'He thought he saw an Albatross That fluttered round the lamp:He looked again, and found it was A Penny-Postage Stamp.'You'd best be getting home,' he said: 'The nights are very damp!'He thought he saw a Garden-Door That opened with a key:He looked again, and found it was A Double Rule of Three:'And all its mystery,' he said, 'Is clear as day to me!'He thought he saw a Argument That proved he was the Pope:He looked again, and found it was A Bar of Mottled Soap.'A fact so dread,' he faintly said, 'Extinguishes all hope!
The Mad Gardener's SongHe thought he saw an Elephant, That practised on a fife:He looked again, and found it was A letter from his wife.'At length I realise,' he said, 'The bitterness of Life!'He thought he saw a Buffalo Upon the chimney-piece:He looked again, and found it was His Sister's Husband's Niece.'Unless you leave this house,' he said, 'I'll send for the Police!'He thought he saw a Rattlesnake That questioned him in Greek:He looked again, and found it was The Middle of Next Week.'The one thing I regret,' he said, 'Is that it cannot speak!'He thought he saw a Banker's Clerk Descending from the bus:He looked again, and found it was A Hippopotamus.'If this should stay to dine,' he said, 'There won't be much for us!'He thought he saw a Kangaroo That worked a coffee-mill:He looked again, and found it was A Vegetable-Pill.'Were I to swallow this,' he said, 'I should be very ill!'He thought he saw a Coach-and-Four That stood beside his bed:He looked again, and found it was A Bear without a Head.'Poor thing,' he said, 'poor silly thing! It's waiting to be fed!'He thought he saw an Albatross That fluttered round the lamp:He looked again, and found it was A Penny-Postage Stamp.'You'd best be getting home,' he said: 'The nights are very damp!'He thought he saw a Garden-Door That opened with a key:He looked again, and found it was A Double Rule of Three:'And all its mystery,' he said, 'Is clear as day to me!'He thought he saw a Argument That proved he was the Pope:He looked again, and found it was A Bar of Mottled Soap.'A fact so dread,' he faintly said, 'Extinguishes all hope!
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About Lewis Carroll
Carroll came from a family of high-church Anglicans, and developed a long relationship with Christ Church, Oxford, where he lived for most of his life as a scholar and teacher. Alice Liddell – a daughter of Henry Liddell, the Dean of Christ Church – is widely identified as the original inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, though Carroll always denied this.
An avid puzzler, Carroll created the word ladder puzzle (which he then called "Doublets"), which he published in his weekly column for Vanity Fair magazine between 1879 and 1881. In 1982 a memorial stone to Carroll was unveiled at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. There are societies in many parts of the world dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works.