Program NoteThis text, from Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is a parody of a moralistic poem “Against idleness and mischief,” by Isaac Watts in which Watts uses a bee to demonstrate the rewards of hard work. Carroll’s poem borrows the same meter and rhyme scheme to tell a distinctly different tale of a crocodile luring fish into its mouth with beautiful shining scales and a deceptively welcoming smile! The colorful poetry and upbeat irony struck me as the perfect inspiration for a playful, mischievous song.
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PoemHow doth the little crocodile
By Lewis Carroll How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws! |