Briefwisseling 1 juli 1885 tot 15 december 1888

[p. 284]

J.C.G. Grasé aan A. Verwey 15.2.87

Wellington House

Eton Road. N-W.

15 February '87

Dear Verwey,

I have not had anything to write to you, so I have not bothered you or myself with nonsense. I enclose a piece of critisism!! on Dowden Shelley,¹ fom which you may gather some information.

I did not succeed in my application for Leiden & am again disappointed with Middelburg, but I believe in Bruce with the spider.²

Nil desperandum!³

Latin, you see. I am getting on with my study of that tongue & the merely mastering rudimentary knowledge like it very much. I always have preferred phonology & language-study to the real study of literature. I can't help myself & don't believe any of the nonsense, written about cultivating taste. Such humbug. I'll stick to my particular liking, comparative grammar is my delight.

As I know your views on sound & its meaning I copy here a peculiar piece of american ‘bash’, which I trust may give you as much amusement as it did to me: The Jabberwocky.⁴

Beware the Jabberwock, my son, The jaws that bite, the claws that catch.
Beware the jub-jub-bird & shun, The fumious Bandersnatch!

He took his vorpal sword in hand And 'long the monsome road he sought.
He rested by the tum-tum tree And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thoughts he stood, The jabberwock with eyes of flame
Came whiffling up the tulgy wood And burbled as he came.

One two, one two, & through & through His vorpal blade went snickersnack.
He left him dead & with his head, He came galumphing back.

And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O, pranjious day! Caloo, Calaa! He chortled in his joy!

If you read this aloud & don't fancy that you understand some of it. If you can't see him galumphing back & appreciate the beamish, I am much mistaken. Believe me Ever Yrs sincerly

J C G Grasé.

1 E. Dowden, The life of Percy Bysshe Shelley. 2 vol. London 1886.

2 Niet geïdentificeerd.

3 Niet gewanhoopt.

4 Lewis Carroll, ‘Jabberwocky’. In: Trough the looking-glass. London 1898 (1872). (Er is geen exemplaar van voor 1898 in uba aanwezig.) De tekst van deze versie verschilt op verschillende punten van die in de uitgave van 1898.