Did you know that the author of the well-loved Alice in Wonderland is also famous for his poems? His gift with words has awakened the imaginations of both children and adults for many generations.
Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dogson, born in 1832. He had a protected and secluded early childhood, which was in stark contrast to the popularity he gained with children’s literature later in life.
Perhaps this quiet childhood served as the most potent power for his vivid imagination: a nephew described him as inventing “the strangest diversions for himself,” including making pets of unlikely animals and counting them among his dearest friends.
What Is Lewis Carroll’s Most Famous Poem?
Carroll’s most famous poem is “Jabberwocky,” a nonsensical rhyme involving some monster-slashing. Indeed, he’s best remembered for poems that may not make a lot of sense to adults, but are thoroughly enjoyed by children.
8 Best Lewis Carroll Poems
If you are not familiar with Lewis Carroll as a poet, check out the excerpts from some of his best works below:
1. “Jabberwocky”
In this poem, you can get a sampling of how Carroll was able to insert almost an entire language of nonsense words and still get children laughing and enjoying the storyline:
’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.
Read the full poem here.
2. “How Doth the Little Crocodile”
This short rhyme is great for young children, despite the gory detail of a crocodile luring innocent little fishes into his waiting jaws!
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
3. “The Walrus and the Carpenter“
In this poem, Carroll plays with our imagination by making the walrus and carpenter companions walking along the seashore:
“The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright —
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done —
“It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun.”
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead —
There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
If this were only cleared away,’
They said, it would be grand!’
Read the full poem here.
4. “A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky”
Bask in the whimsical feel of this poem as Carroll invites us into a glimpse of wonderland:
A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July,
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear,
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream,
Lingering in the golden dream,
Life, what is it but a dream?
5. “The Hunting of the Snark”
In this poem, Carroll again shows his prowess in inventing words, while simultaneously creating a fantastical world around his “snark.”
Fit the First
The Landing
“Just the place for a Snark!” the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.
“Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true.”
The crew was complete: it included a Boots—
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods—
A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes—
And a Broker, to value their goods.
A Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense,
Might perhaps have won more than his share—
But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense,
Had the whole of their cash in his care.
There was also a Beaver, that paced on the deck,
Or would sit making lace in the bow:
And had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck,
Though none of the sailors knew how.
Read the full poem here.
6. A Nursery Darling
This poem shows us Carroll’s perspective of a mother’s relationship with her child:
A Mother’s breast:
Safe refuge from her childish fears,
From childish troubles, childish tears,
Mists that enshroud her dawning years!
see how in sleep she seems to sing
A voiceless psalm, an offering
Raised, to the glory of her King
In Love: for Love is Rest.
A Darling’s kiss:
Dearest of all the signs that fleet
From lips that lovingly repeat
Again, again, the message sweet!
Full to the brim with girlish glee,
A child, a very child is she,
Whose dream of heaven is still to be
At Home: for Home is Bliss.
7. Alice and the White Knight
In this poem, we get a glimpse of Alice in Looking Glass Land. Readers usually connect the White Knight, who appears in the book Through the Looking Glass, as representing Carroll’s own compassionate feelings toward children:
Alice was walking beside the White Knight in Looking Glass Land.
“You are sad.” the Knight said in an anxious tone: “let me sing you a song to comfort you.”
“Is it very long?” Alice asked, for she had heard a good deal of poetry that day.
“It’s long.” said the Knight, “but it’s very, very beautiful. Everybody that hears me sing it,
either it brings tears to their eyes, or else,”
“Or else what?” said Alice, for the Knight had made a sudden pause.
“Or else it doesn’t, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks’ Eyes.'”
“Oh, that’s the name of the song, is it?” Alice said, trying to feel interested.
“No, you don’t understand,” the Knight said, looking a little vexed. “That’s what the name
is called. The name really is ‘The Aged, Aged Man.’”
Read the full poem here.
8. Dreamland
Don’t be fooled by the length of this rhyme. Short though it may be, it still powerfully transports us to Carroll’s fantasy land of dreams.
When midnight mists are creeping,
And all the land is sleeping,
Around me tread the mighty dead,
And slowly pass away.
Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
From out the vanished ages,
With solemn pace and reverend face
Appear and pass away.
The blaze of noonday splendour,
The twilight soft and tender,
May charm the eye: yet they shall die,
Shall die and pass away.
But here, in Dreamland’s centre,
No spoiler’s hand may enter,
These visions fair, this radiance rare,
Shall never pass away.
I see the shadows falling,
The forms of old recalling;
Around me tread the mighty dead,
And slowly pass away.
Reading Lewis Carroll Poems
Reading Lewis Carroll poems is a great way of reimagining yourself back in childhood, with all the fantasy characters traipsing across the pages.
If you enjoy reading these poems, you may also want to check out Carroll’s books, or poems by other writers, too.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
