Introduction:
Welcome to the first review post for my 100 Days of Poetry series, where I embarked on a journey in 2017 to record and share 100 poems over 100 days. In this post, you’ll find a collection of the first 10 poems, spanning a variety of themes and styles, from the reflective to the adventurous. Continue reading "100 Days of Poetry — Poems 1 to 10"
The Character of a Happy Life — Poem by Sir Henry Wotton
Poem 38 of 100 days of poetry
The Character of a Happy Life — Sir Henry Wotton. 1568–1639
How happy is he born and taught
That serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!
Whose passions not his masters are;
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Untied unto the world by care
Of public fame or private breath;
Who envies none that chance doth raise,
Nor vice; who never understood
How deepest wounds are given by praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules of good;
Who hath his life from rumours freed;
Whose conscience is his strong retreat;
Whose state can neither flatterers feed,
Nor ruin make oppressors great;
Who God doth late and early pray
More of His grace than gifts to lend;
And entertains the harmless day
With a religious book or friend;
—This man is freed from servile bands
Of hope to rise or fear to fall:
Lord of himself, though not of lands,
And having nothing, yet hath all.
Thanks for listening 🙂
Jabberwocky — Lewis Carroll
About the Poem:
Jabberwocky is one of the most famous nonsense poems in the English language. Written by Lewis Carroll, it appears in Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The poem’s playful use of invented words, combined with a fantastical narrative, has made it a lasting favorite.
Carroll’s mastery of language shines through, and readers are left to use their imaginations to interpret the meaning behind the whimsical creatures and the heroic battle.
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
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.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
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.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
My Reflections on the Poem:
In recording Jabberwocky, I was struck by the balance between whimsy and a sense of adventure. Carroll’s language draws you in, and despite the nonsense words, the narrative structure creates a tension that builds toward the climactic battle with the Jabberwock. It's always a joy to bring this playful work to life!
This post is part of my 100 Days of Poetry series, where I embarked on a journey to record and share 100 poems over 100 days in 2017. Although the series was interrupted, I’m delighted to continue sharing these timeless works with you.
The Vampire — Rudyard Kipling
Aware — D.H. Lawrence
Insomnia — Dante Gabriel Rossetti
A Dream Within a Dream — Edgar Allan Poe
Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms — Thomas Moore
Poem 15 — 100 Days of Poetry
Continue reading "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms — Thomas Moore"