by John Keats (1795 - 1821)
Cat! who hast pass'd thy grand...
Language: English
Cat! who hast pass'd thy grand cliacteric, How many mice and rats hast in thy days Destroy'd? - How many tit bits stolen? Gaze With those bright languid segments green, and prick Those velvet ears - but pr'ythee do not stick Thy latent talons in me - and upraise Thy gentle mew - and tell me all thy frays Of fish and mice, and rats and tender chick. Nay, look not down, nor lick thy dainty wrists - For all the wheezy asthma, - and for all Thy tail's tip is nick'd off - and though the fists Of many a maid have given thee many a mail, Still is that fur as soft as when the lists In youth thou enter'dst on glass bottled wall.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by John Keats (1795 - 1821), "Sonnet to a cat" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "To a cat", 1976, first performed 1976 [baritone and orchestra], from Sonnets for Baritone and Orchestra, no. 3. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 126