Poem-A-Day: Ode on the death of a favorite cat by Thomas Gray

October 6, 2013 Ode on the death of a favorite cat by Thomas Gray     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 armor'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 stretched, 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 favorite has no friend!    From hence, ye beauties, undeceived,  Know, one false step is ne'er retrieved,  And be with caution bold.  Not all that tempts your wandering eyes  And heedless hearts, is lawful prize;  Nor all that glisters, gold.         Today's poem is in the public domain.  About This Poem Thomas Gray wrote this poem to commemorate a beloved cat, owned by friend and fellow writer Horace Walpole. This cat, Selima, drowned while trying to catch goldfish. Walpole was so pleased with this elegy that he had the first stanza engraved on a Chinese vase. Poetry by Gray Select Poems of Thomas Gray: Edited, With Notes (Forgotten Books, 2012)   Poem-A-Day Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-A-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on  weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Browse the Poem-A-Day Archive.   Thomas Gray was born on December 26, 1716. He was an English poet, letter-writer, classical scholar, and professor. Gray is widely known for his poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," published in 1751. He died in 1771. Related Poems Jubilate Agno, Fragment B, [For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry] by Christopher Smart  Seven Years by Daisy Fried Spleen by Charles Baudelaire                 Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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