Cat Ode

'Twas on a lofty vase's side,
Where China's gayest art had dyed
the azure flowers that blow;
Demurest of the tabby kind,
The pensive Selima, reclined,
Gazed on the lake below.

Her conscious tail her joy declared,
The fair round face, the snowy beard,
the velvet of her paws.
Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,
Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,
She saw; and purred applause.

Still had she gazed, but midst the tide,
Two angel forms were seen to glide,
the genii of the stream.
Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue,
Through Richest purple to the view
Betrayed a golden gleam.

The hapless nymph with wonder saw,
A whisker first, and then a claw.
With many an ardent wish.
She stretched in vain to reach the prize,
What female heart can gold despise?
What cat's averse to fish?

Presumptuous maid! with looks intent,
again she stretch'd, again she bent,
Nor knew the gulf between,
(Malignant fate sat by, and smiled)
The slippery verge her feet beguiled
She tumbled headlong in.

Eight times emerging from the flood,
She mewed to every watery God,
some speedy aid to send,
No dolphin came, no Nereid stirred
Nor cruel Tom, Nor Susan heard.
A Favourite has no friend!

From hence, ye beauties, undeceived,
know, one false step is ne'er retrieved.
And be with caution bold.
Not all the tempts your wandering eye,
and heedless heart is lawful prize,
Nor all that glisters gold.

-"Ode On the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes" by Thomas Gray.


I'm not sure this is in the right category...but it's confusing, so I don't care, it's close enough.

I doodled this a while ago when I was memorizing a poem for English class, and I was writing it all down in one of my classes, making sure I knew it all.
I just recently saw it and I felt like coloring it.
It's a real speedy thing, not too much effort was put into it, so no real critique or anything because I know everything is off and the inking was horrid because I didn't really care if the lines were straight or not. xD

So, yeah, sorry for the long thing here. >.>;
I like that poem for some reason. A lot actually.

Art (c) Me.
Poem (c) Thomas Gray