Grabberwocky

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walterkaschner
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Location: Houston, Texas

Grabberwocky

#1

Post by walterkaschner » 03 Mar 2005, 06:35

I'm not at all sure that this belongs in this Section, but I think it belongs somewhere on this Forum and none other seems to be an exact fit either. As an excuse (albeit feeble) for placing it here I would point out that it does, in its own oblique way, refer to an aggressive war, the making of which has been deemed a war crime. And Lewis Carroll would probably consider this parody a crime in itself. Anyway, a little levity can't unduely harm this Section.
Grabberwocky

'Twas Danzig, and the Swastikoves
Did Heil and Hittle in the Reich
All Nazi were the Lindengroves
And the Neurat Jewstreich.

Beware the Grabberwock, my Son
The Plans that spawn, the Plots that hatch,
Beware the JewJew Bird, and shun
The führious Bundesnatch.

He took his Aryan Horde in Hand
Long Time the Gestapo He taught
Then rested He by the Baltic Sea
And stood awhile in Thought.

And as a Polish Oath they swore
The Grabberwock, with Lies aflame
Came Goering down the Corridor
and Goebbled as it came.

Ein, Zwei! Ein, Zwei! One in the Eye
For Polska Folk. Alas, alack!
He left them dread and as their Head
He came Meinkampfing back.

And hast thou ta'en thy Liebensraum?
Come to my Arms, my schemish Boy
Oh grabjous Day, Sieg Heil, be Gay
He strengthened through his Joy.

Twas Danzig, and the Swastikoves
Did Heil and Hittle in the Reich
All Nazi were the Lindengroves
And the Neurat Jewstreich.
Regards, Kaschner

David Thompson
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#2

Post by David Thompson » 03 Mar 2005, 06:42

Walter -- Not only is that funny, but your timing couldn't be better -- we need a little levity in the H&WC section. Thanks!


Dan
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Location: California

#3

Post by Dan » 03 Mar 2005, 06:43

The führious Bundesnatch.
That is so good it hurts. One of my favorite passages brilliantly transformed!
Last edited by Dan on 03 Mar 2005, 16:17, edited 1 time in total.

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Tom Houlihan
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#4

Post by Tom Houlihan » 03 Mar 2005, 12:50

I am only slightly familiar with the original, enough to know that you didn't knock that out in 20 minutes! I'm impressed! Very well done.

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WalterS
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#5

Post by WalterS » 03 Mar 2005, 15:29

Very funny. I love it! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

walterkaschner
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Posts: 1588
Joined: 13 Mar 2002, 02:17
Location: Houston, Texas

#6

Post by walterkaschner » 03 Mar 2005, 21:20

Well, I'm afraid I left the impression that this parody was my own creation, for which I apologize. It wasn't. I'm not that clever by far. It was identified in this month's Harvard Magazine as composed by one Michael Barsley, and included in an anthology entitled Poets at Play (Methuen, 1940) collected by Cyril Alington, then Dean of Durham Cathedral. I'm embarrassed at having not given credit where credit is due.

Regards, Kaschner

billginge
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Joined: 01 Oct 2016, 17:50
Location: Chester

Re: Grabberwocky

#7

Post by billginge » 01 Oct 2016, 18:07

Great to see the poem recorded online. I had wrongly thought it to have been my father's original - he was in Germany before the outbreak of WW2 and taught German at Rugby School, so I had imagined his handwritten version to be his own.

One or two minor corrections(?), if his version is correct:

line 4: 'And the Neurats julestreich';

no 'the' in the line 'And rested he by Baltic Sea' in the 3rd stanza;

In the 5th stanza:
'He left them dread, and attheir Head';

The penultimate stanza:
'And hast thou ta'en thy Lebensraum?
Come to my arms, my rhenish boy
O grabjous day! Sing heil, sing hay
He strengthened in his joy.'

One reason I had thought this to be the original is that he originally wrote 'came goering throughthe corridor' and altered it to down; that of course could well be due to an error in his first attempt to record the poem, as could all the other differences, although I believe the first two to scan better.

Purely for the sake of it.

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