Tuesday, July 15, 2008

'Mama Frog' by Ambrosia, from the album with the same name

There is Jabberwocky poem inside this song (lyrics below):







The clock gets to be such a bore
What'cha livin' for
Though I can't explain, being sane's
Just a dreary chore
I'd like to go fly past mountains
See Mama Frog at her fountain
She'll be there in her golden frog
Sequined uniform
Golden chair, three trained human clowns
Who will soon perform
Balancing books with their heads
Trying to recall what they've said
Past the gate you will soon be in
A garden paradise
Don't be late there, the shining jewels
Sparkle in your eyes
All waiting there for your pleasure
What's keeping you from this treasure?
      (Narration of "Jabberwock" from "Alice In Wonderland")

     '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.

The clock gets to be such a bore
What'cha livin' for
Though I can't explain, being sane's
Just a dreary chore
I'd like to go fly past mountains
See Mama Frog at her fountain

CHAPTER VI Pig and Pepper / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... The door led right into a large kitchen, which was full of smoke from one end to the other: the Duchess was sitting on a three-legged stool in the middle, nursing a baby; the cook was leaning over the fire, stirring a large cauldron which seemed to be full of soup.

'There's certainly too much pepper in that soup!' Alice said to herself, as well as she could for sneezing.

There was certainly too much of it in the air. Even the Duchess sneezed occasionally; and as for the baby, it was sneezing and howling alternately without a moment's pause. The only things in the kitchen that did not sneeze, were the cook, and a large cat which was sitting on the hearth and grinning from ear to ear.

Friday, July 11, 2008

CHAPTER V Advice from a Caterpillar / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



'You are old,' said the youth, 'one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?'

'I have answered three questions, and that is enough,'
Said his father; 'don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!'


CHAPTER V Advice from a Caterpillar / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



'You are old,' said the youth, 'and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray how did you manage to do it?'

'In my youth,' said his father, 'I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.'


CHAPTER V Advice from a Caterpillar / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



'You are old,' said the youth, 'as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray, what is the reason of that?'

'In my youth,' said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
'I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment--one shilling the box--
Allow me to sell you a couple?'


Thursday, July 10, 2008

CHAPTER V Advice from a Caterpillar / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



'You are old, Father William,' the young man said,
'And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?'

'In my youth,' Father William replied to his son,
'I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.'


CHAPTER IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... An enormous puppy was looking down at her with large round eyes, and feebly stretching out one paw, trying to touch her. 'Poor little thing!' said Alice, in a coaxing tone, and she tried hard to whistle to it; but she was terribly frightened all the time at the thought that it might be hungry, in which case it would be very likely to eat her up in spite of all her coaxing...

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

CHAPTER IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside. The poor little Lizard, Bill, was in the middle, being held up by two guinea-pigs, who were giving it something out of a bottle. They all made a rush at Alice the moment she appeared; but she ran off as hard as she could, and soon found herself safe in a thick wood...

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

CHAPTER IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... 'A barrowful of WHAT?' thought Alice; but she had not long to doubt, for the next moment a shower of little pebbles came rattling in at the window, and some of them hit her in the face...

CHAPTER IV The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



... Bill's got the other--Bill! fetch it here, lad!

Monday, July 7, 2008

CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... There was no 'One, two, three, and away,' but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out 'The race is over!' and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, 'But who has won?'...

Sunday, July 6, 2008

CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, ('the exact shape doesn't matter,' it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there...

CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


'In that case,' said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, 'I move that the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies--'

'Speak English!' said the Eaglet. 'I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and, what's more, I don't believe you do either!' And the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly...

CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


'Ahem!' said the Mouse with an important air, 'are you all ready? This is the driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please! "William the Conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, was soon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria--"'...

CHAPTER III A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank--the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable...

Saturday, July 5, 2008

CHAPTER II The Pool of Tears / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... Alice led the way, and the whole party swam to the shore...

CHAPTER II The Pool of Tears / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... For the Mouse was swimming away from her as hard as it could go, and making quite a commotion in the pool as it went...

Friday, July 4, 2008

CHAPTER II The Pool of Tears / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... Just then her head struck against the roof of the hall: in fact she was
now more than nine feet high...

CHAPTER I Down the Rabbit-Hole / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but she could not even get her head through the doorway; 'and even if my head would go through,' thought poor Alice, 'it would be of very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only know how to begin.' For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

CHAPTER I Down the Rabbit-Hole / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment:she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it...

CHAPTER I Down the Rabbit-Hole / Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


... There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

My first Alice



I'm going to publish illustrations from my first series (black/white ink drawings) here. Those illustrations were made in 1986, after a while of sketching of characters and scenes related to Alice's Adventures... I hope they (drawings) will fit to the blog format pretty well since blog for me is a kind of a diary, so I can share my my thoughts and doubts here. I also hope it could be entertaining for you, maybe a little. Alice in these illustrations is blond, because of my daughter Olga, who was ten years old at the time and was a source of inspiration for me. She was a lot like Alice then :)

Please share your thoughts - your comments will be appreciated.