How doth the little crocodile alligator
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!
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“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.
“How Doth the Little Crocodile” is a parody of the moralistic poem “Against Idleness And Mischief” by Isaac Watts[1] (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.
(from Wikipedia)