Fit VII: The Banker’s Fate
They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;They pursued it with forks and hope;They threatened its life with a railway-share;They charmed it with smiles and soap.
And the Banker, inspired with a courage so newIt was matter for general remark,Rushed madly ahead and was lost to their viewIn his zeal to discover the Snark
But while he was seeking with thimbles and care,A Bandersnatch swiftly drew nighAnd grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in despair,For he knew it was useless to fly.
He offered large discount--he offered a cheque(Drawn “to bearer”) for seven-pounds-ten:But the Bandersnatch merely extended its neckAnd grabbed at the Banker again.
Without rest or pause--while those frumious jawsWent savagely snapping around--He skipped and he hopped, and he floundered and flopped,Till fainting he fell to the ground.
The Bandersnatch fled as the others appearedLed on by that fear-stricken yell:And the Bellman remarked “It is just as I feared!”And solemnly tolled on his bell.
He was black in the face, and they scarcely could traceThe least likeness to what he had been:While so great was his fright that his waistcoat turned white--A wonderful thing to be seen!
To the horror of all who were present that day.He uprose in full evening dress,And with senseless grimaces endeavoured to sayWhat his tongue could no longer express.
Down he sank in a chair--ran his hands through his hair--And chanted in mimsiest tonesWords whose utter inanity proved his insanity,While he rattled a couple of bones.
“Leave him here to his fate--it is getting so late!”The Bellman exclaimed in a fright.“We have lost half the day. Any further delay,And we sha’n’t catch a Snark before night!”
Words in this poem
- rushed a.
- Abounding or covered with rushes.
- madly adv.
- In a mad manner; without reason or understanding; wildly. [From Mad, a.]
- ahead adv.
- In or to the front; in advance; onward. [Pref. a- + head.]
- discover v. i.
- To discover or show one's self.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- savagely adv.
- In a savage manner.
- snapping
- a. & n. from Snap, v. Snapping beetle. (Zoöl.) See Snap beetle, under Snap.
- hopped p. a.
- Impregnated with hops.
- bellman n.
- A man who rings a bell, especially to give notice of anything in the streets. Formerly, also, a night watchman who called the hours.
- inanity n.
- Inanition; void space; vacuity; emptiness. [L. inanitas, fr. inanis empty: cf. F. inanité. See Inane.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Fit VII: The Banker’s Fate is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits, Project Gutenberg ebook #13; 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, Fit VII: The Banker’s Fate, in The Hunting of the Snark (1876), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carroll-snark/fit-vii-the-banker-s-fate.html, id L07244.
Form and metre
Fit VII: The Banker’s Fate is 40 lines in 10 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 6 of its 10 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 81% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 28% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in anapaestic common measure.
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.
- 1 ABAB careA · hopeB · shareA · soapB
- 2 ABAB newA · remarkB · viewA · snarkB
- 3 ABAB careA · nighB · despairA · flyB
- 4 ABAB chequeA · tenB · neckA · againB
- 5 -A-A jaws · aroundA · flopped · groundA
- 6 ABAB appearedA · yellB · fearedA · bellB
- 8 ABAB dayA · dressB · sayA · expressB
- 9 -A-A hair · tonesA · insanity · bonesA
- 10 -A-A late · frightA · delay · nightA
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 anapaestic common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care; | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| They pursued it with forks and hope; | 8 | ·˘/····· |
| They threatened its life with a railway-share; | 10 | ·/˘····/·· |
| They charmed it with smiles and soap. | 7 | ······· |
| And the Banker, inspired with a courage so new | 13 | ··/˘˘/˘··/˘·· |
| It was matter for general remark, | 10 | ··/˘·/˘˘˘/ |
| Rushed madly ahead and was lost to their view | 11 | ·/˘˘/······ |
| In his zeal to discover the Snark | 9 | ····˘/˘·· |
| But while he was seeking with thimbles and care, | 11 | ····/˘·/˘·· |
| A Bandersnatch swiftly drew nigh | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| And grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in despair, | 11 | ····/˘···˘/ |
| For he knew it was useless to fly. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| He offered large discount--he offered a cheque | 11 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘·· |
| (Drawn “to bearer”) for seven-pounds-ten: | 9 | ··/˘·/˘·· |
| But the Bandersnatch merely extended its neck | 12 | ·····/˘˘/˘·· |
| And grabbed at the Banker again. | 8 | ····/˘˘/ |
| Without rest or pause--while those frumious jaws | 10 | ·········· |
| Went savagely snapping around-- | 8 | ·/˘˘/˘·· |
| He skipped and he hopped, and he floundered and flopped, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Till fainting he fell to the ground. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The Bandersnatch fled as the others appeared | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| Led on by that fear-stricken yell: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And the Bellman remarked “It is just as I feared!” | 12 | ··/˘˘/······ |
| And solemnly tolled on his bell. | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| He was black in the face, and they scarcely could trace | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| The least likeness to what he had been: | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| While so great was his fright that his waistcoat turned white-- | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| A wonderful thing to be seen! | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| To the horror of all who were present that day. | 12 | ··/˘····/˘·· |
| He uprose in full evening dress, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And with senseless grimaces endeavoured to say | 12 | ··/˘/˘˘˘/˘·· |
| What his tongue could no longer express. | 9 | ·····/˘˘/ |
| Down he sank in a chair--ran his hands through his hair-- | 12 | ············ |
| And chanted in mimsiest tones | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Words whose utter inanity proved his insanity, | 14 | ··/˘˘/˘˘··˘/˘˘ |
| While he rattled a couple of bones. | 9 | ··/˘·/˘·· |
| “Leave him here to his fate--it is getting so late!” | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| The Bellman exclaimed in a fright. | 8 | ·/˘˘/··· |
| “We have lost half the day. Any further delay, | 12 | ······/˘/˘˘/ |
| And we sha’n’t catch a Snark before night!” | 9 | ········· |
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