The Mathematician's Manuscript

The blue face in the smoke just asked me who I am

I don’t know what my name is. What should I tell him?

The flower with the teeth just told me who I’m not,

So did the man in the hat, and the mouse in the teapot.

I floated down the staircase and spun out in the hall

I played a game of croquet with a hedgehog for a ball---

Until I stood accused of being a pastry thief.

I decked a couple aces, in my attempt to leave.

Before the royals flushed me out, I drowned them with my tears.

But I could not quite move on while looking through the mirror

The chess piece wouldn’t let me go, until I ran her race.

Despite the fact I ran-in-place, I finally made escape

I woke and breathed light with relief

Hurrah! T’was all a dream!

A dream about a girl in blue on pages black and white

A manuscript of written words that bring a dream to life

The mathematician with a stutter

Filling the gray world with color

Pulling from our fondest fears

Reminding us of childhood years

The man who took his manuscript,

To children shyly offered it,

To Phantastes children offered it.

The pastor’s children applauded it, and gave it pure, honest praise

Because of their sweet kindness, it was sent to printed page.

On printed page a hundred years, and on the silver screen

It lives and breathes of life itself---the mathematician’s dream.

Translation: This is a poem about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Lewis Carroll---Alice's Author.

Lewis Carroll was a mathematician. He told a charming story to a friend's daughter, whose name was Alice. She told him to write it down so she could remember it forever.  He was a shy man with a stutter, and after the manuscript was finished he thought it was quite good. But he wanted to be sure, so he sent it to his good friend George MacDonald.

Mr. MacDonald had once been a pastor, but after losing his job, he became an author, among his most famous books is one call Phantastes. It was George MacDonald's children who convinced Mr. Carroll to publish it.  Thank goodness for those wonderful children!!!

 

Now read it again, so that you can appreciate it!