Famous Quotes / Ambrose Bierce

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Ambrose Bierce: "WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.

Should you ask me whence this laughter,
Whence this audible big-smiling,
With its labial extension,
With its maxillar distortion
And its diaphragmic rhythmus
Like the billowing of an ocean,
Like the shaking of a carpet,
I should answer, I should tell you:
From the great deeps of the spirit,
From the unplummeted abysmus
Of the soul this laughter welleth
As the fountain, the gug-guggle,
Like the river from the canon [sic],
To entoken and give warning
That my present mood is sunny.
Should you ask me further question --
Why the great deeps of the spirit,
Why the unplummeted abysmus
Of the soule extrudes this laughter,
This all audible big-smiling,
I should answer, I should tell you
With a white heart, tumpitumpy,
With a true tongue, honest Injun:
William Bryan, he has Caught It,
Caught the Whangdepootenawah!

Is't the sandhill crane, the shankank,
Standing in the marsh, the kneedeep,
Standing silent in the kneedeep
With his wing-tips crossed behind him
And his neck close-reefed before him,
With his bill, his william, buried
In the down upon his bosom,
With his head retracted inly,
While his shoulders overlook it?
Does the sandhill crane, the shankank,
Shiver grayly in the north wind,
Wishing he had died when little,
As the sparrow, the chipchip, does?
No 'tis not the Shankank standing,
Standing in the gray and dismal
Marsh, the gray and dismal kneedeep.
No, 'tis peerless William Bryan
Realizing that he's Caught It,
Caught the Whangdepootenawah!"


Ambrose Bierce's Quotations


Quotations about
AbysmusAfflictionAnswerAudible
BehindBigsmilingBillBillowing
BosomBryanBuriedCanon
CarpetCaughtChipchipClosereefed
CraneCrossedDeepsDiaphragmic
DiedDisasterDismalDistortion
DownEntokenExtensionExtrudes
FountainFurtherGiveGray
GraylyGreatGugguggleHard
HeadHeartHonestInjun
InlyKneedeepLabialLaughter
LittleMarshMaxillarMood
NeckNorthOceanOjibwa
OverlookPeerlessPresentQuestion
RealizingRetractedRhythmusRiver
SandhillShakingShankankShiver
ShouldersSilentSoulSoule
SparrowSpiritStandingStrikes
SunnyTellTongueTrue
TumpitumpyUnexpectedUnplummetedUpon
WarningWellethWhangdepootenawahWhence
WhileWhiteWilliamWind
WingtipsWishing
Quotes by Power Quotations