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by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962)

little fourpaws
 (Sung text for setting by C. Dougherty)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
why did you go
little fourpaws?
you forgot to shut
your big eyes.

where did you go?
like little kittens
are all the leaves
which open in the rain.

little kittens who
are called spring,
is what we stroke
maybe asleep?

do you know?or maybe did
something go away
ever so quietly
when we weren't looking.

First published as "V" in Seven Poems, in The Dial, Vol. 68, No. 1, January 1920. Not included in the first edition of Tulips and Chimneys, but included in XLI Poems in 1925.

Composition:

    Set to music by Celius Dougherty (1902 - 1986), "little fourpaws", published 1946 [ medium voice and piano ], from Songs by E. E. Cummings, G. Schirmer/Hal Leonard

Text Authorship:

  • by E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings (1894 - 1962), no title, appears in XLI Poems, in 2. Chansons innocentes, no. 1, first published 1920

See other settings of this text.


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 56

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