It's National Poetry Day! Or Is It?

Today is National Poetry Day in Britain. But there is no National Poetry Day in the United States, only the watered down National Poetry Month (April). There used to be World Poetry Day in Trinidad and Tobago (October 15), but UNESCO's declaration of March 21 as World Poetry has relegated it to merely National Poetry Day. There is also a Bad Poetry Day, but it's copyrighted so I won't link to it. It's all very confusing.

In a recent (highly scientific online) poll, the BBC found that the most popular poet in Britain to be T.S. Eliot (or Elliot or something similar - it's all very confusing).

I briefly thought of including the entire text of The Wasteland, but then realized that, heretic that I am, I didn't really like The Wasteland, so I thought I'd share my favorite poem. Charles Dodgson, the author, is English, so that should be good enough. For those of you who find that the poem is also very confusing, the Wikipedia article has annotations.

Jabberwocky

'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.

Sources:
National Poetry Day (Britain)
Wikipedia (National Poetry Month, USA & Canada)
World Poetry Day (Trinidad & Tobago)
National Poetry Day (Trinidad & Tobago)
Wikipedia (UNESCO World Poetry Day)
BBC (Poets Poll)
Project Gutenberg
Wikipedia (Charles Dodgson) (photo)
Wikipedia (Jabberwocky)