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The Owl and the Pussycat
Tekst/illustrasjoner:
Edward Lear/Edward Lear, Clipart.com
Filosofiske spørsmål:
Anne og Ariane Schjelderup, Øyvind Olsholt
Sist oppdatert: 20. januar 2004
Edward
Lear (1812-1888) is an English landscape painter who is more widely
known as the writer of an original kind of nonsense verse and as
the popularizer of the limerick. "The Owl and the Pussycat"
is Lear's most famous poem. It tells the story about an owl and
a cat who want to get married! (From E. Lear: "Nonsense songs",
R. J. Bush, London 1895—paintings by Lear himself.)
I
![](/abb/eng/lear/pix/boat.jpg)
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
![](/abb/eng/lear/pix/pig.jpg)
III
![](/abb/eng/lear/pix/turkey.jpg)
'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.
Suggested topics for philosophical discussion
- Is it strange for an owl to fall in love with a cat? Do animals
fall in love just like humans do? If so, how can we tell if
an animal is in love? Have you been in love yourself? How can
you be sure about that?
- The owl and the pussycat brought with them honey and money.
What would you have brought with you on a long journey like
this: books and crooks? boys and toys? girls and curls? clothes
and woes? teachers and preachers? Other things?
- Why is the wedding ring so important when people marry? What
does the ring symbolize? Can you think of other ways to symbolize
a marriage? Could a piece of music or a beautiful thought serve
as a symbol of a lifelong marriage? Or must the symbol always
be a physical object?
- They were married by a turkey! Who would you like to marry
you when/if the time comes? A priest? A good friend? Your favourite
pet? Your mother? Your teacher? Or would you rather like to
do it all on your own, in secret?
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