Carroll wrote this as a personal gift for a young friend, Adelaide Paine, whose name you can find hidden in the first letters of each line. The poem gently kids an old man—clearly a version of the Father William character from his Alice books—by imagining a younger visitor shouting at him to stop wobbling his head “like a blundering, sleepy old cow.” The visitor wants to know if a girl in Wallington Town would enjoy receiving a copy of Carroll’s own nonsense poem *The Hunt of the Snark*. Instead of taking offense, Father William bursts into joyful, bossy action: he demands that the book be wrapped in brown paper, sealed with an olive-and-dove design, and accompanied by Easter greetings and a warm “give her my love.” The mood is light and full of affectionate mischief, as if Carroll is both teasing the crotchety elder and celebrating a friend’s kindness all at once.
Another Acrostic ( In the style of Father William ) — Summary
"Are you deaf, Father William!" the young man said, "Did you hear what I told you just now? "Excuse me for shouting! Don't waggle your head "Like a blundering, sleepy old cow! "A little maid dwelling in Wallington Town, "Is my friend, so I beg to remark: "Do you think she'd be pleased if a book were sent down "Entitled 'The Hunt of the Snark?'"
"Pack it up in brown paper!" the old man cried, "And seal it with olive-and-dove. "I command you to do it!" he added with pride, "Nor forget, my good fellow to send her beside "Easter Greetings, and give her my love."