Chapter & Verse

Joel Bresler seeks early uses of "Drinking Gourd" by African Americans as a name for the Big Dipper. He writes that the song...

Joel Bresler seeks early uses of "Drinking Gourd" by African Americans as a name for the Big Dipper. He writes that the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd," first published in 1928, is said to have been used by the Underground Railroad (runaway slaves were supposedly told to "follow the drinking gourd" constellation north to freedom), but he has been unable to find earlier examples in slave testimonies or elsewhere.

 

"'Twas brillig and the Swastikoves" (March-April 1997). J.M. Sykes has identified a long-sought "Jabberwocky" parody as "Grabberwochy," by Michael Barsley, printed in Poets at Play (Methuen, 1942), an anthology by Cyril Alington, then dean of Durham Cathedral. The correct opening of this anti-Nazi version runs: "'Twas Danzig, and the Swastikoves/Did heil and hittle in the reich...." A slightly different text appears at https://waxdog.com/jabberwocky/nazi.html.

 

Send inquiries and answers to "Chapter and Verse," Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138.

Most popular

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

Harvard’s Class of 2029 Reflects Shifts in Racial Makeup After Affirmative Action Ends

International students continue to enroll amid political uncertainty; mandatory SATs lead to a drop in applications.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two laboratory researchers, one seated and one standing, in a scientific lab with equipment.

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

A woman with long, wavy hair wearing a white suit, seated in a bright, modern room.

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex.