Who daily got shorter and shorter,
The reason he said
Was the hod on his head
Which was filled with the heaviest mortar." - Meaning and context.">
Melodies No. 3

There was once a young man of Oporta,
Who daily got shorter and shorter,
The reason he said
Was the hod on his head
Which was filled with the heaviest mortar.

— Lewis Carroll

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There was once a young man of Oporta,
Who daily got shorter and shorter,
The reason he said
Was the hod on his head
Which was filled with the heaviest mortar." in the context of "Melodies No. 3" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Lewis Carroll" (Quotes, Useful and Instructive Poetry (1845)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Lewis Carroll

About Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898) was an English author, mathematician, Anglican clergyman, logician, and amateur photographer. His father was Charles Dodgson (archdeacon), his great-grandfather was Charles Dodgson (bishop) and his nephew was Stuart Dodgson Collingwood.