Edward Lear (1812-1888)
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
I.
1The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
2 In a beautiful pea-green boat:
3They took some honey, and plenty of money
4 Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
5The Owl looked up to the stars above,
6 And sang to a small guitar,
7"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
8 What a beautiful Pussy you are,
9 You are,
10 You are!
11 What a beautiful Pussy you are!
II.
12Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl,
13 How charmingly sweet you sing!
14Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:
15 But what shall we do for a ring?"
16They sailed away, for a year and a day,
17 To the land where the bong-tree grows;
18And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
19 With a ring at the end of his nose,
20 His nose,
21 His nose,
22 With a ring at the end of his nose.
III.
23"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
24 Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
25So they took it away, and were married next day
26 By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
27They dined on mince and slices of quince,
28 Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
29And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
30 They danced by the light of the moon,
31 The moon,
32 The moon,
33 They danced by the light of the moon.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Edward Lear, Nonsense Books (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1948): 67-69.
PR 4879 L2 N45 1948 Robarts Library
First publication date:
1871
Publication date note: Edward Lear, Nonsense Songs, Stories,
Botany and Alphabets (London: Bush, 1871)
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 1998
Recent editing: 1:2002/9/30
Rhyme: ababcdcdddd
Other poems by Edward Lear
