Chapter XI: Waking
Which Dreamed it?
“Snowdrop, my pet!” she went on, looking over her shoulder at the WhiteKitten, which was still patiently undergoing its toilet, “when willDinah have finished with your White Majesty, I wonder? That must be thereason you were so untidy in my dream—Dinah! do you know that you’rescrubbing a White Queen? Really, it’s most disrespectful of you!
A boat beneath a sunny sky,Lingering onward dreamilyIn an evening of July—
Children three that nestle near,Eager eye and willing ear,Pleased a simple tale to hear—
Long has paled that sunny sky:Echoes fade and memories die.Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,Alice moving under skiesNever seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,Eager eye and willing ear,Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,Dreaming as the days go by,Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream—Lingering in the golden gleam—Life, what is it but a dream?
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- patiently adv.
- In a patient manner.
- untidy a.
- Unseasonable; untimely.
- disrespectful a.
- Wanting in respect; manifesting disesteem or lack of respect; uncivil; as, disrespectful behavior.
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- dreamily adv.
- As if in a dream; softly; slowly; languidly.
- nestle v. i.
- To make and occupy a nest; to nest. [AS. nestlian.]
- lovingly adv.
- With love; affectionately.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- wonderland n.
- A land full of wonders, or marvels. M. Arnold.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Chapter XI: Waking is in the public domain. This text is taken from Through the Looking-Glass, Project Gutenberg ebook #12; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Lewis Carroll, Chapter XI: Waking, in Through the Looking-Glass (1871), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carroll-looking-glass/chapter-xi-waking.html, id L16723.
Form and metre
Chapter XI: Waking is 27 lines in 9 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.8 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 22% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in trochaic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 3 A-A skyA · dreamily · julyA
- 4 AAA nearA · earA · hearA
- 5 AAA skyA · dieA · julyA
- 6 AAA phantomwiseA · skiesA · eyesA
- 7 AAA hearA · earA · nearA
- 8 AAA lieA · byA · dieA
- 9 AAA streamA · gleamA · dreamA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Which Dreamed it? | 3 | ··· |
| “Snowdrop, my pet!” she went on, looking over her shoulder at the White | 16 | /˘·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Kitten, which was still patiently undergoing its toilet, “when will | 16 | /˘···/˘·˘/˘·/˘·· |
| Dinah have finished with your White Majesty, I wonder? That must be the | 17 | /˘·/˘···/˘·/˘···· |
| reason you were so untidy in my dream—Dinah! do you know that you’re | 18 | /˘···˘/˘···/˘····· |
| scrubbing a White Queen? Really, it’s most disrespectful of you! | 15 | /˘···/˘···˘/˘·· |
| A boat beneath a sunny sky, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Lingering onward dreamily | 8 | /˘˘/˘/˘˘ |
| In an evening of July— | 7 | ··/˘··/ |
| Children three that nestle near, | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Eager eye and willing ear, | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Pleased a simple tale to hear— | 8 | ·˘·/˘··· |
| Long has paled that sunny sky: | 8 | ···˘·/˘· |
| Echoes fade and memories die. | 8 | /˘··/˘˘· |
| Autumn frosts have slain July. | 7 | /˘····/ |
| Still she haunts me, phantomwise, | 7 | ······· |
| Alice moving under skies | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Never seen by waking eyes. | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Children yet, the tale to hear, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Eager eye and willing ear, | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Lovingly shall nestle near. | 7 | /˘˘·/˘· |
| In a Wonderland they lie, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Dreaming as the days go by, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Dreaming as the summers die: | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Ever drifting down the stream— | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Lingering in the golden gleam— | 8 | /˘˘··/˘· |
| Life, what is it but a dream? | 7 | ······· |
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