Tongue Tapestries

Recently I went to a stimulating show entitled Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which seamlessly welded together music, performance and surreal projections. The group 1927 began when Paul Barritt heard Suzanne Andrade’s twisted tales on the radio and hence sent Andrade some sketches. During the show it became clear how Barritt’s drawings had evolved, as the language Andrade uses is rich in metaphor and ignites the imagination. With the growing phenomena of texting and the increase in the use of computers, I sometimes wonder about the direction of language. Here is a poem from my childhood that I still love to read outloud. Here are some frumious words to outgrabe SMS lingo!!

Jabberwocky, from Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll

‘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.