<P> "The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking - Glass, published in December 1871 . The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice . The poem is composed of 18 stanzas and contains 108 lines, in an alternation of iambic trimeters and iambic tetrameters . The rhyme scheme is ABCBDB, with masculine rhymes throughout . The rhyming and rhythmical scheme used, as well as some archaisms and syntactical turns, are those of the traditional English ballad . </P> <P> The Walrus and the Carpenter are the eponymous characters in the poem, which is recited by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice . Walking upon a beach one night when both sun and moon are visible, the Walrus and Carpenter come upon an offshore bed of oysters . Groups of four are called up; the exact number is unknown . To the disapproval of the eldest oyster, many more follow them . After walking along the beach (a point is made of the fact that the oysters are all neatly shod despite having no feet), the two main characters are revealed to be predatory and eat all of the oysters . After hearing the poem, the good - natured Alice attempts to determine which of the two leading characters might be the more sympathetic, but is thwarted by the twins' further interpretation: </P>

The time has come the walrus said alice in wonderland