The Owl and The Pussy-Cat, poetry by Edward Lear

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Edward Lear (May 12, 1812 – January 29, 1888) was an English poet, artist, illustrator, author and musician, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose, especially limericks. Limericks is a style Lear popularized. He published A Book of Nonsense in 1846. This volume of limericks went through three editions and helped popularize the form, and the genre of literary nonsense.

In 1871, Lear published Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets, which included his most famous nonsense song, The Owl and the Pussycat. Many other works followed. Although he primarily played the piano, he also played the flute, accordion and guitar. Lear composed music for many Romantic and Victorian poems, but was known for his numerous musical settings of Alfred Tennyson's poetry. He had a lifelong ambition to illustrate Tennyson's poems. Throughout his life he continued to paint seriously. Near the end of his life a volume with a small number of illustrations was published.

The Owl And The Pussycat

By Edward Lear

I.

    The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea

    In a beautiful pea-green boat:

    They took some honey, and plenty of money

    Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

    The Owl looked up to the stars above,

    And sang to a small guitar,

    "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,

    What a beautiful Pussy you are,

    You are,

    You are!

    What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

        II.

    Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl,

    How charmingly sweet you sing!

    Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:

    But what shall we do for a ring?"

    They sailed away, for a year and a day,

    To the land where the bong-tree grows;

    And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,

    With a ring at the end of his nose,

    His nose,

    His nose,

    With a ring at the end of his nose.

        III.

    "Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

    Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

    So they took it away, and were married next day

    By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

    They dined on mince and slices of quince,

    Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

    And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

    They danced by the light of the moon,

    The moon,

    The moon,

    They danced by the light of the moon.