Vocabulary Lesson #1: Part Two

I just realized I never posted the context of the word "galumphing" from this post, so I shall do so now! I did not have a very happy day in school today, mostly because I was woken up at seven in the morning for a fire drill when my first class wasn't until noon (lucky to everyone who was good and went to slichot this morning!), and then my friend from Israel came but I had no time to see her properly since I only had two hours between classes and I needed those two hours desperately to write two stories for the class I had after the break - creative nonfiction. And that class turned out to be so awfully boring, it made me appreciate just how animated and smiley and not-gloomy the other English and writing professors are. I mean, if any teacher is Eeyore, it's this guy, only not in a good way. AND he was teaching WITH THE LIGHT OFF IN THE ROOM. I could just imagine Dr. Schwebel watching and shaking her head with disapproval - though even more, I can imagine her walking sprightly into the room, flipping on the light, and plopping herself down on top of the teacher's desk, leaning forward - all bright and eager - and asking us how our Rosh Hashana break was. But did this guy do ANY of that? No. No no no no no. He sat hunched over in a desk, the back of the room with the light on but the front of the room dark so that there was this gloomy dimness to the entire room, and his expression and demeanor was so...well...to overuse the word - gloomy. And not only did that not make him very cheerful, it made him boring.

The point of me venting about this is that this particular poem I'm about to post makes me very happy, indeed, so it's a bright ending to a disappointing day. Now, let's see if anyone's idea of "galumphing" has changed, now that it's in context!

JABBERWOCKY

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.