Alice in Wonderland Introductory Poem

Carroll gives an account--in verse--of the day he first told the story that would become Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. On a beautiful day, he took a boat trip with three young girls (called Prima, Secunda, and Tertia) who begged him to tell a tale with lots of nonsense in it. He told a long tale, full of many adventures and wonders--the tale that follows.