First the Governor, the Father:
He suggested velvet curtains
looped about a massy pillar;
And the corner of a table,
Of a rosewood dining-table.
He would hold a scroll of something,
Hold it firmly in his left-hand;
He would keep his right-hand buried
(Like Napoleon) in his waistcoat;
He would contemplate the distance
With a look of pensive meaning,
As of ducks that die in tempests.
Grand, heroic was the notion:
Yet the picture failed entirely:
Failed, because he moved a little,
Moved, because he couldn’t help it.
Next, his better half took courage;
She would have her picture taken.
She came dressed beyond description,
Dressed in jewels and in satin
Far too gorgeous for an empress.
Gracefully she sat down sideways,
With a simper scarcely human,
Holding in her hand a bouquet
Rather larger than a cabbage.
All the while that she was sitting,
Still the lady chattered, chattered,
Like a monkey in the forest.
“Am I sitting still ?” she asked him.
“Is my face enough in profile?
Shall I hold the bouquet higher?
Will it come into the picture?”
And the picture failed completely.
(Lewis Carroll)
More Poetry from Lewis Carroll:
Lewis Carroll Poems based on Topics: Courage, Fathers- Fit The Fifth - The Beavers Lesson (Lewis Carroll Poems)
- The Pig's Tale (Lewis Carroll Poems)
- Alice And The White Knight (Lewis Carroll Poems)
- Hunting Of The Snark: Preface (Lewis Carroll Poems)
- Fit The First: The Landing (Lewis Carroll Poems)
- Fit The Second - The Bellman's Speech (Lewis Carroll Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Fathers Poems, Courage PoemsBased on Keywords: dressed, failed, meaning, pensive, jewels, velvet, larger, picture, couldn, grand, completely