Poetry for Cats

[Dr. J.]

Greetings Romantics Scholars!

Here, for your enjoyment are a couple more parodies written my Henry
Beard, in a book titled Poetry for Cats: The Definitive Anthology of
Distinguished Feline Verse.

Kubla Kat
By Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Cat

In Xanadu did Kubla Kat
A splendid sofa-bed decree
With silken cushions soft and fat
A perfect feline habitat
Set on a gilt settee.
And twice ten yards of fine brocade
The golden ottoman arrayed:
And there were pillows packed with airy down
Hand-plucked from sacred swans in Thessaly;
And lace draped from a massive silver crown
Adorned the ornate rosewood canopy.

And ah! That seat effused a potent lotion
Pressed from leaves of rare hypnotic herbs,
Sweet source of wondrous dreams that naught disturbs.
Oh magic mint! Sublime and blissful potion!
The fragrance of that place of slumber
Floated on the balmy breeze
Drawing kittens without number:
Persians, Manx, and Siamese.
It was a miracle of opulence,
A shining sofa-bed with catnip scents!

A songbird with a small guitar
In a vision I once did note:
It was a wise and winsome owl,
A sweet and elegant fowl,
Sitting in a pea-green boat,
Singing a song to me,
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
We danced by the light of the moon.

And when I arose from my languorous swoon
I built that divine divan,
That cushy couch! that smell of spice!
And all who saw should stop and yawn,
And none would cry, Get down! Begone!
The lights are dimmed, the curtains drawn,
Tiptoe round him, still as mice,
And let him catnap on his bed,
For he on catnip leaves has fed,
And lapped the milk of Paradise.


She Walks in Booties
By George Gordon, Lord Byron’s cat

She walks in booties, like a sprite
With pixie feet and fairy toes;
Her paws on ice will ne’er alight
Nor feel the chill of frigid snows;
And all the rays of winter’s light
Shine on her collar’s satin bows.

And from her soft enchanted fur
Exudes the scent of sweet shampoo
And precious oils distilled from myrrh
That give her hair its magic hue:
I long to hear her charming purr,
And share the music of her mew.

But as I watch her take the air,
My spellbound vision starts to fade;
I feel at once a dark despair;
My feline heart is sore dismay’d;
For not content to make her fair,
Her doting owners had her spay’d.

[Mark and Jeanne Mulvanerty]

Dr. J,

These are really fun! Thanks for sending them along. They remind me of
something new I learned this weekend at the Barnes Museum:
I learned that Dr. Barnes often received letters of request from people who
would like to see his vast collection of art. Apparently, Dr. Barnes would
only share his art with those he deemed genuine. For those he suspected
might have ulterior motives, he returned the correspondence with a note from
his dog. He had stationery printed for the dog and would sign the letter
with the dog's paw print. Apparently, copies of these doggie
correspondences can still be found hanging in the administrative offices of
the museum! I wonder if Barnes's dog and Coleridge's Cat may have been
friends....

Best,
Jeanne Mulvanerty

[Michelle Goff]

Dr. J,
These were so much fun to read. They made me laugh till my sides hurt. I passed them along to my mom and sister who are both cat lovers who then proceeded to read them out loud to my cat. It was a sight to see. I really enjoyed them.
Thanks,
Michelle Goff

[Samantha Ysais]

Dr. J,

Thank you for sending these out! They are very funny and incredibly
creative! It's amazing to see what new twist a writer can put on
classic literature.

Thank you!
Sami Ysais

[Carly Sewell]

Dr. Johnson,

These parodies are hysterical! I like how we they imitate the poems,
but in a creative way that almost make the poetry a bit less serious.
I feel as if sometimes, when I read these poems, I take them very
seriously as if they are strict and must be understood one way.
Anyway, I really enjoyed these two parodies, they made me smile, and
chuckle.

- Carly Sewell

On Feb 8, 11:28 am, "Dr. J." <rajahhat...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Michelle Goff]

Dr. J,
I can't seem to log on to Cabrini One and I haven't been able to for the past two days. Should I send you my discussion topic so you know it was done?
Thanks,
Michelle Goff

[Marilyn Johnson]

No.  I'll remember.  Contact ITR if you continue having trouble.  By the way, I find that one of my browsers won't work for Cabrini One.  It kicks me out every time.

MLJ

P.S.  I'm eager to tell all about the Lion Brand yarn store.

Marilyn L. Johnson, Ph.D

Professor of English

Cabrini College

Radnor, PA 19087

URL:pages.cabrini.edu/mjohnson