"Jabberwocky" is a ballad by the English writer Lewis Carroll. The poem originally appeared in Carroll's 1871 novel Through the Looking Glass (the sequel to the famous Alice's Adventures in Wonderland). An example of Victorian nonsense verse, "Jabberwocky" tells a tale of good vs. evil in which a young man sets out to slay a fearsome monster called the "Jabberwock." The poem, which is filled with made-up words, is often praised for its linguistic creativity, appealing just as much to readers' ears as it does to their imaginations.
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The Full Text of “Jabberwocky”
1’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
2 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
3All mimsy were the borogoves,
4 And the mome raths outgrabe.
5“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
6 The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
7Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
8 The frumious Bandersnatch!”
9He took his vorpal sword in hand;
10 Long time the manxome foe he sought—
11So rested he by the Tumtum tree
12 And stood awhile in thought.
13And, as in uffish thought he stood,
14 The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
15Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
16 And burbled as it came!
17One, two! One, two! And through and through
18 The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
19He left it dead, and with its head
20 He went galumphing back.
21“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
22 Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
23O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
24 He chortled in his joy.
25’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
26 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
27All mimsy were the borogoves,
28 And the mome raths outgrabe.
The Full Text of “Jabberwocky”
1’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
2 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
3All mimsy were the borogoves,
4 And the mome raths outgrabe.
5“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
6 The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
7Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
8 The frumious Bandersnatch!”
9He took his vorpal sword in hand;
10 Long time the manxome foe he sought—
11So rested he by the Tumtum tree
12 And stood awhile in thought.
13And, as in uffish thought he stood,
14 The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
15Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
16 And burbled as it came!
17One, two! One, two! And through and through
18 The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
19He left it dead, and with its head
20 He went galumphing back.
21“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
22 Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
23O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
24 He chortled in his joy.
25’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
26 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
27All mimsy were the borogoves,
28 And the mome raths outgrabe.
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“Jabberwocky” Summary
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“Jabberwocky” Themes
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Good vs. Evil
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Nonsense and Storytelling
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Jabberwocky”
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Lines 1-4
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe. -
Lines 5-8
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!” -
Lines 9-12
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought. -
Lines 13-16
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came! -
Lines 17-20
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. -
Lines 21-24
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy. -
Lines 25-28
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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“Jabberwocky” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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End-Stopped Line
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Cacophony
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Imagery
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Climax (Figure of Speech)
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Repetition
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Caesura
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Enjambment
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“Jabberwocky” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Brillig
- Slithy
- Toves
- Gyre
- Gimble
- Wabe
- Mimsy
- Borogoves
- Mome
- Raths
- Outgrabe
- Jabberwock
- Jubjub Bird
- Frumious
- Bandersnatch
- Vorpal
- Manxome
- Whiffling and Burbled
- Tulgey
- Snicker-Snack
- Galumphing
- Beamish
- Frabjous
- Callooh and Callay
- Chortled
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Jabberwocky”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Jabberwocky” Speaker
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“Jabberwocky” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Jabberwocky”
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More “Jabberwocky” Resources
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External Resources
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Lewis Carroll Biography and Works — The Academy of American Poets website, apart from being a premier resource for all things poetry, has information about Carroll's biography and notable works.
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Nonsense Literature — This website, created by Carleton College, contains a solid overview of nonsense literature in the context of Carroll's "Alice" books.
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Benedict Cumberbatch Reading "Jabberwocky" — A youtube video of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch's elegant reading of Carroll's poem.
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Link to "The Hunting of the Snark" — This much longer poem by Lewis Carroll explains many of the odd words found in "Jabberwocky."
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Illustration of the Jabberwock by John Tenniel — Although there are many depictions of Carroll's mysterious monster, John Tenniel's is perhaps the most iconic.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Lewis Carroll
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