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 gleam–
life, what is it but a dream?
adaptation from “through the looking-glass” by lewis carroll.
charles lutwidge dodgson has got to be a real successful pioneer in the genre of fantasy. did you realise that the acrostic spells out “alice liddell” (well, “alice pleasance liddell” if you will) who is actually one of his wife’s sisters? i like the third and fourth stanzas the best. his narrations of alice in both books seem really simple and the tales are filled with seeming absurdity and irrelevant babble. i love them anyhow.
alright. long day ahead of me tomorrow.