How Doth the Little Crocodile

"How Doth the Little Crocodile" is a poem by Lewis Carroll which appears in his novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's recited by Alice in Chapter 2. It describes a crafty crocodile which lures fish into its mouth with a welcoming smile.

This poem is performed by Fiona Fullerton in the film "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1972).

Text

 * How doth the little crocodile
 * Improve his shining tail,
 * And pour the waters of the Nile
 * On every golden scale!


 * How cheerfully he seems to grin,
 * How neatly spreads his claws,
 * And welcomes little fishes in
 * With gently smiling jaws!

"Against Idleness and Mischief"
"How Doth the Little Crocodile" is a parody of the moralistic poem "Against Idleness And Mischief" by Isaac Watts (Alice was originally trying to recite that). Watts' poem begins "How doth the little busy bee," and uses a bee as a model of hard work. In Carroll's parody, the crocodile's corresponding "virtues" are deception and predation, themes which recur throughout Alice's adventures in both books, and especially in the poems.