How Doth The Little Crocodile Poem from Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Car...

The Crocodile is a poem recited by Alice in the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It describes a crafty crocodile that lures fish into its mouth with a welcoming smile. The poem is a parody of the moralistic poem "Against Idleness and Mischief" by Isaac Watts, which is what Alice was originally trying to recite. Watts' poem begins "How doth the little busy bee ..." and uses the bee as a model of hard work. In Carroll's parody, the crocodile's corresponding "virtues" are deception and hunting The Crocodile 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!