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!
O 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.
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Categories: Humor, Literature, Marilyn Armstrong, poem, Poetry
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
I always wondered about that runcible spoon?
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According to the dictionary: “A runcible or spork is the love child of a spoon + fork, but that’s not what the word meant in the beginning. Edward Lear coined the word in the poem “The Owl and the Pussycat”: They dined on mince, and slices of quince. Which they ate with a runcible spoon.”
So Edward Lear invented the word 🙂
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Have you ever seen one?
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I haven’t heard this in years, what a great share
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It is one of the poems I learned as a child and has stuck with me. I love the pea-green boat in the light of the moon.
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so much beautiful imagery in this poem
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And if you are of a mindset, there’s a lot of subtle meaning in it. It’s not just doggerel.
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Such a wonderful fanciful poem, one I have always delighted in reading. Thanks for reminding us….I can never remember all the verses. 🙂
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I used to know it by heart, but over the years, I have forgotten pieces of it, so it’s fun to read it again. If I were a better artist, I’d make pictures to go with it.
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