Lewis Carroll: The Hunting of the Snark

3. Fit the Third: THE BAKER'S TALE (continued)

"It is this, it is this that oppresses my soul,
     When I think of my uncle's last words:
And my heart is like nothing so much as a bowl
     Brimming over with quivering curds!

"It is this, it is this--" "We have had that before!"
     The Bellman indignantly said.
And the Baker replied "Let me say it once more.
     It is this, it is this that I dread!

"I engage with the Snark--every night after dark--
     In a dreamy delirious fight:
I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
     And I use it for striking a light:

"But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,
     In a moment (of this I am sure),
I shall softly and suddenly vanish away--
     And the notion I cannot endure!"