Slithy Toves

On this day in 1938, J. R. R. Tolkien spoke on BBC Radio about Anglo-Saxon Verse.

An excerpt from Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll’s 1855 parody of Anglo-Saxon verse. (It is far better known than any real Anglo-Saxon verse.)

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsey were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

The popularity of Carroll’s parody speaks volumes concerning the difference between poetry and prose. Prose can be melodious, but it must carry meaning to be valid. Poetry, by contrast, can simply feel good on the tongue.
The Bible is full of magnificent poetry inspired by the Holy Spirit, but in the book of Acts the apostle Paul quotes from an unnamed Greek poet: ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28