When I was growing up I remember a poem by Edward Lear written in 1870 called ‘The Owl And The Pussy-cat’. He was known for his ‘Nonsense songs’ and this one along with ‘The Jumblies’ are the two I remember most. I cannot recall where or when I learnt them, but I do remember them. Edward Lear was a very interesting character with an interesting life, if you are at all interested you can read about him here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edward-lear#tab-poems.
Here is the full version of the poem that inspired this artwork:
THE OWL AND THE PUSSY-CAT, by Edward Lear
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!”
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.
“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.
Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983)
The artwork of The Owl and the Pussycat is for sale in my gallery as:
Wall Art, Home Décor, Puzzle, Beach Items, Tote Bags, Greeting Card/Stationery, Phone Case, Coffee Mug, Face Mask and Apparel.
The image is adjustable, use all of it or just part of it. Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Click on the image above for more information.
I came across your post as I was searching the Owl and the Pussycat, as I recalled the poem from childhood and couldn’t remember how it went. I so appreciate you including the poem in your post thank you and your artwork is truly amazing!
Hi Emily, thank you for your comment I am glad you found the information you were looking for and for your kind comment about my art. Edward Lear was a great poet, I hope your enjoy more of his work.