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