by Ann Johnstone

Created on: July 04, 2008   Last Updated: August 14, 2008

Edward Lear's whimsical nonsense-poem "The Owl and the Pussycat", which he wrote when 76 years of age, was primarily dedicated to children who have a wonderful appreciation of the ridiculous. What child, upon reading "They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five pound note", is going to ask, "Who eats the honey, the owl or the cat?" or "Why would an owl want to marry a cat?" That is because children do not stop to analyse the meaning behind the words. They just appreciate the sound of the words, and the pictures they create in their minds.

Sometimes I think we could benefit from being more like children, more imaginative and less cynical. Perhaps we need to wait until old age before we can become childlike again!

The Owl and the Pussycat" is one of the poems I learned in primary school, and I can still recite it verbatim. It certainly creates vivid mind-pictures, hence a number of artists have drawn delightful illustrations of this poem in various editions of Lear's poetry. These pictures have, of course, only added to a young child's delight in reading the words.

It would appear that Edward Lear liked to have his animals sail off into the sunset in small boats, and pea-green seems to have been his colour of choice. For example, in another poem by Lear, "The Jumblies", these imaginary creatures with green heads and blue hands also went off to sea, this time in a sieve, with a pea-green veil for a sail.

Like many nonsense poem writers, Edward Lear liked to make up words. How like a child! What parent cannot remember their toddler giggling with delight at making new sounds! In the third and final verse of "The Owl and the Pussycat", he describes the wedding banquet as follows:

"They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon"

This is the first time the adjective "runcible" appears in the English language. Lear uses it several times in his nonsense poems. It has since found its way into most English dictionaries, where it is defined as "a kind of fork used for pickles etc., curved like a spoon and having three broad prongs of which one has a sharp edge".

What is it, then, about "The Owl and the Pussycat" that has so captured the imagination of children over the years? From a child's perspective, the words are simple, colourful and stir the imagination, the poem has a strong, distinctive meter, and is easy to memorize. Children love to visualize ridiculous situations, and Lear appeals to their sense of the absurd. This is a wonderful bedtime poem. Take the time to read it aloud to your child so you can share a moment of pure joy as you laugh together.

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