The Voice of the Lobster

Portrait of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll 1832–1898

''Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare 'You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.' As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes. When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark, And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark: But, when the tide rises and sharks are around, His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.'

'I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye, How the Owl and the Panter were sharing a pie: The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat, While the Old had the dish as its share of the treat. When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon, Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon: While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl, And concluded the banquet by [eating the owl.]

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