THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK

Inscribed to a dear Child:
in memory of golden summer hours
and whispers of a summer sea.

Girt with a boyish garb for boyish task,
    Eager she wields her spade: yet loves as well
Rest on a friendly knee, intent to ask
    The tale he loves to tell.

Rude spirits of the seething outer strife,
    Unmeet to read her pure and simple spright,
Deem, if you list, such hours a waste of life,
    Empty of all delight!

Chat on, sweet Maid, and rescue from annoy
    Hearts that by wiser talk are unbeguiled.
Ah, happy he who owns that tenderest joy,
    The heart-love of a child!

Away, fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more!
    Work claims my wakeful nights, my busy days—
Albeit bright memories of that sunlit shore
    Yet haunt my dreaming gaze!

Contents

PREFACE

If—and the thing is wildly possible—the charge of writing nonsensewere ever brought against the author of this brief but instructive poem, itwould be based, I feel convinced, on the line (in p.4)

“Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes.”

In view of this painful possibility, I will not (as I might) appeal indignantlyto my other writings as a proof that I am incapable of such a deed: I will not(as I might) point to the strong moral purpose of this poem itself, to thearithmetical principles so cautiously inculcated in it, or to its nobleteachings in Natural History—I will take the more prosaic course ofsimply explaining how it happened.

The Bellman, who was almost morbidly sensitive about appearances, used to havethe bowsprit unshipped once or twice a week to be revarnished, and it more thanonce happened, when the time came for replacing it, that no one on board couldremember which end of the ship it belonged to. They knew it was not of theslightest use to appeal to the Bellman about it—he would only refer tohis Naval Code, and read out in pathetic tones Admiralty Instructions whichnone of them had ever been able to understand—so it generally ended inits being fastened on, anyhow, across the rudder. The helmsman used to stand bywith tears in his eyes; he knew it was all wrong, but alas! Rule 42 of theCode, “No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm,” had beencompleted by the Bellman himself with the

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