Part 15 (2/2)

”'Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes.'

”In view of this painful possibility, I will not (as I might) appeal indignantly to my other writings as a proof that I am incapable of such a deed; I will not (as I might) point to the strong moral purpose of the poem itself, to the arithmetical principles so cautiously inculcated in it, or to its n.o.ble teachings in Natural History. I will take the more prosaic course of simply explaining how it happened.

”The Bellman, who was almost morbidly sensitive about appearances, used to have the bowsprit uns.h.i.+pped once or twice a week to be revarnished; and more than once it happened, when the time came for replacing it, that no one on board could remember which end of the s.h.i.+p it belonged to. They knew it was not of the slightest use to appeal to the Bellman about it--he would only refer to his Naval Code and read out in pathetic tones Admiralty Instructions which none of them had ever been able to understand, so it generally ended in its being fastened on anyhow across the rudder. The Helmsman used to stand by with tears in his eyes; _he_ knew it was all wrong, but, alas! Rule 4, of the Code, '_No one shall speak to the man at the helm_,' had been completed by the Bellman himself with the words, '_and the man at the helm shall speak to no one_,' so remonstrance was impossible and no steering could be done till the next varnis.h.i.+ng day. During these bewildering intervals the s.h.i.+p usually sailed backward.”

Is it any wonder that a poem, based upon such an explanation, should be a perfect bundle of nonsense? But we know from experience that Lewis Carroll's nonsense was not stupidity, and that not one verse in all that delightful bundle missed its own special meaning and purpose.

We do not propose to find the key to this remarkable work--for two reasons: first, because there are different keys for different minds; and second, because the unexplainable things in many cases come nearer the ”mind's eye,” as Shakespeare calls it, without words. We cannot tell _why_ we understand such and such a thing, but we _do_ understand it, and that is enough--quite according to Lewis Carroll's ideas, for he always appeals to our imagination and that is never guided by rules. The higher it soars, the more fantastic the region over which it hovers, the nearer it gets to the land of ”make believe,” ”let's pretend” and ”supposing,” the better pleased is Lewis Carroll. In a delightful letter to some American children, published in _The Critic_ shortly after his death, he gives his own ideas as to the meaning of the _Snark_.

”I'm very much afraid I didn't mean anything but nonsense,” he wrote; ”still you know words mean more than we mean to express when we use them, so a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than the writer means. So whatever good meanings are in the book, I shall be glad to accept as the meaning of the book. The best that I've seen is by a lady (she published it in a letter to a newspaper) that the whole book is an allegory on the search after happiness. I think this fits beautifully in many ways, particularly about the bathing machines; when people get weary of life, and can't find happiness in towns or in books, then they rush off to the seaside to see what bathing machines will do for them.”

Taking this idea for the foundation of the poem, it is easy to explain _Fit the First_, better named _The Landing_, though where they landed it is almost impossible to say.

”Just the place for a Snark,” the Bellman cried, and, as he stated this fact three distinct times, it was undoubtedly true. That was the _Bellman's_ rule--once was uncertain, twice was possible, three times was ”dead sure.” And the _Bellman_ being a person of some authority, ought to have known. The crew consisted of a _Boots_, a _Maker of Bonnets and Hoods_, a _Barrister_, a _Broker_, a _Billiard-marker_, a _Banker_, a _Beaver_, a _Butcher_, and a nameless being who pa.s.sed for the _Baker_, and who, in the end, turned out to be the luckless victim of the Snark. He is thus beautifully described:

”There was one who was famed for a number of things He forgot when he entered the s.h.i.+p: His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and rings, And the clothes he had brought for the trip.

”He had forty-two boxes, all carefully packed, With his name painted clearly on each: But, since he omitted to mention the fact, They were all left behind on the beach.

”The loss of his clothes hardly mattered, because He had seven coats on when he came, With three pair of boots--but the worst of it was, He had wholly forgotten his name.

”He would answer to 'Hi!' or to any loud cry, Such as 'Fry me!' or 'Fritter my wig!'

To 'What-you-may-call-um!' or 'What-was-his-name!'

But especially 'Thing-um-a-jig!'

”While, for those who preferred a more forcible word, He had different names from these: His intimate friends called him 'Candle-ends,'

And his enemies 'Toasted-cheese.'

”'His form is ungainly, his intellect small'

(So the Bellman would often remark); 'But his courage is perfect! and that, after all, Is the thing that one needs with a Snark.'

”He would joke with hyenas, returning their stare With an impudent wag of the head: And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw with a bear, 'Just to keep up its spirits,' he said.

”He came as a Baker: but owned when too late-- And it drove the poor Bellman half-mad-- He could only bake Bride-cake, for which I may state, No materials were to be had.”

Notice how ingeniously the actors in this drama are introduced; all the ”B's,” as it were, buzzing after the phantom of happiness, which eludes them, no matter how hard they struggle to find it. Notice, too, that all these beings are unmarried, a fact shown by the _Baker_ not being able to make a bride-cake as there are no materials on hand. All these creatures, while hunting for happiness, came to prey upon each other. The _Butcher_ only killed _Beavers_, the _Barrister_ was hunting among his fellow sailors for a good legal case. The _Banker_ took charge of all their cash, for it certainly takes money to hunt properly for a _Snark_, and it is a well-known fact that bankers need all the money they can get.

_Fit the Second_ describes the _Bellman_ and why he had such influence with his crew:

The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies: Such a carriage, such ease, and such grace!

Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise, The moment one looked in his face!

He had bought a large map representing the sea, Without the least vestige of land: And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be A map they could all understand.

”What's the good of Mercator's North Poles and Equators, Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?”

So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply, ”They are merely conventional signs!”

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