The Jabberwock effect

The Lewis Carrol poem Jabberwocky made quite an impression on me when I first heard it. Years later it had a profound impact on my son too. The difference is that where I was twelve, he was two.

Pretending he is a Jabberwock has become one of his favorite things. He's now even learned to recite the entire poem quite well, for an almost three year old. Below, distracted (read: half-assed) delivery, but evidence (or part thereof) nonetheless.



When at play, Son will switch between being the Jabberwock (the scariest thing that can possibly exist) and the beamish boy (savior and hero), leaving everyone confused. Unbeknownst to him, most people don't actually know the poem.

Seemingly ages ago I read The Jabberwocky to Son and remembered knowing the poem once myself. I remembered how, when first hearing the nonsense verse in about standard 6, I went straight home after school to attempt my own.
This weekend I found that poem in a book in a box at the top of the cupboard in my old room:

unnamed

It was a dark and stroovy night.
When I was walking through the Branson forest.
It was very gleemil.
The grass seemed to be tickling my feet
At the time I was not wearing any shoes.
My feet were cold, preel and numb
from the freezing, frodayshing ground
I was feeling rather scarred and darrest as I was lost.
Then there was a tassit of light in the distance.
I spolted towarsds it.
I spolted and spolted.
Then sudenly I tripped over a disket rock.
I fell.
I was unconscious.
When I awoke I was kassed upon a sofer by a suppling fire.
I was safe.
I pashed, yawned and fell asleep.

Reminiscent of Seuss's 'Pale Green Pants' maybe? I thought so anyway. Seuss meets Carrol! Early... Pre-genius...
Anyway, my original text, complete with scribbled out bits, shall remain "preserved" in the box until the day it is worth millions at auction.

'Till then: beware the Jabberwock!



"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.

from Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1872).