All in the golden afternoon
Full leisurely we glide;
For both our oars, with little skill,
By little arms are plied,
While little hands make vain pretense
Our wanderings to guide.
Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:
Thus slowly, one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out —
And now our tale is done
And home we steer, a merry crew,
Beneath the setting sun.
Alice! a childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood's dreams are twined
In Memory's mystic band,
Like pilgrim's withered wreath of flowers
Plucked in a far-off land.
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.'Who are you?' said the Caterpillar.This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.''What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!''I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself, you see.''I don't see,' said the Caterpillar.
'I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly,' Alice replied very politely, 'for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.'
'You are old Father William,' the young man said,'And your hair has become very white;And yet you incessantly stand on your head —Do you think at your age it is right?'
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?''That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,''I don't know where. . .''Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. 'In that direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, 'lives a Hatter: and in that direction,' waving the other paw, 'lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.''But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.''How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice'You must be' said the Cat 'or you wouldn't have come here'
'You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; 'it's very rude.'The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?''Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. 'I'm glad they've begun asking riddles. — I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.'Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.'Exactly so,' said Alice.'Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.'I do,' Alice hastily replied; 'at least — at least I mean what I say — that's the same thing, you know.''Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. 'You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!''You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, 'that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!''You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, 'that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!''It is the same thing with you,' said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much.
Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin."I've a right to think," said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried."Just about as much right," said the Duchess, "as pigs have to fly...." Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.
'I could tell you my adventures — beginning from this morning,' said Alice a little timidly: 'but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.''Explain all that,' said the Mock Turtle.'No, no! The adventures first,' said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: 'explanations take such a dreadful time.'
'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?''Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
Full leisurely we glide;
For both our oars, with little skill,
By little arms are plied,
While little hands make vain pretense
Our wanderings to guide.
Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:
Thus slowly, one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out —
And now our tale is done
And home we steer, a merry crew,
Beneath the setting sun.
Alice! a childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood's dreams are twined
In Memory's mystic band,
Like pilgrim's withered wreath of flowers
Plucked in a far-off land.
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.'Who are you?' said the Caterpillar.This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.''What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!''I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself, you see.''I don't see,' said the Caterpillar.
'I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly,' Alice replied very politely, 'for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.'
'You are old Father William,' the young man said,'And your hair has become very white;And yet you incessantly stand on your head —Do you think at your age it is right?'
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?''That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,''I don't know where. . .''Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. 'In that direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, 'lives a Hatter: and in that direction,' waving the other paw, 'lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.''But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.''How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice'You must be' said the Cat 'or you wouldn't have come here'
'You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; 'it's very rude.'The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?''Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. 'I'm glad they've begun asking riddles. — I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.'Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.'Exactly so,' said Alice.'Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.'I do,' Alice hastily replied; 'at least — at least I mean what I say — that's the same thing, you know.''Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. 'You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!''You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, 'that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!''You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, 'that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!''It is the same thing with you,' said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much.
Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin."I've a right to think," said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried."Just about as much right," said the Duchess, "as pigs have to fly...." Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.
'I could tell you my adventures — beginning from this morning,' said Alice a little timidly: 'but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.''Explain all that,' said the Mock Turtle.'No, no! The adventures first,' said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: 'explanations take such a dreadful time.'
'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?''Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
He sent them word I had not gone
(We know it to be true):
If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?
My notion was that you had been
(Before she had this fit)
An obstacle that came between
Him, and ourselves, and it.
Don't let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be
A secret, kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me.
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