Mad Gardener's Song, The Analysis

He 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!'

.: lewis carroll :.

The mad gardeners song by lewis carroll. This poem has me spell bound. It weaves a seamless meter around 6 line stanza's again and again. I think Lewis Carroll's sence of rythym is impeccable. I have a picture in my mind of this mad gardener walking around shouting at inanimate objects and people thinking them to be entirely different things.

Somedays I feel just like the mad gardener myself.

One part inparticular though that has me a little baffled:

"He looked again, and found it was
A Double Rule of Three:
'And all its mystery,' he said,
'Is clear as day to me!'"

I didn't really understand what a "double rule of three" was exactly. The thing is I'm so enamourerd with the piece that I have a desire to go find out. This is probably some old english type reference that if I were around in Lewis Carroll's day and lived in his neighborhood I probably would understand.

On another note, I think I have found a new poet to read. Excellent work.

| Posted on 2004-12-05 | by Mister Fizzle