Audiobook · read by volunteers
Owl and the Pussycat
Edward Lear (1812–1888)
Read by Amy Boatman, Annie Coleman Rothenberg, bryfee (1949-2008), Betsie Bush, Catharine Eastman, Chip, Guntar, Gesine, Headphone, Kayvan Sylvan · 21 chapters · 37 min
About the book
They went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat, the Owl and the Pussycat, with honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five-pound note. Edward Lear's nonsense poem tells of their romantic voyage, a ring bought from a pig, a wedding ashore and a dance by the light of the moon, all in bouncy verse that begs to be read aloud. This recording is a collection of twenty-one different readings by ten LibriVox volunteers, including Amy Boatman and Annie Coleman Rothenberg, each offering its own mood, from tender to comic. Hearing the poem repeated in so many voices is surprisingly entertaining, and it shows how a few simple rhymes can bear very different interpretations. The whole set lasts about thirty-five minutes, a cheerful treat for children and grown-ups.
Introduction
Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an English artist, illustrator and writer, famous for his nonsense verse and his limericks. The Owl and the Pussycat was first published in 1871 and is one of the most loved poems in the English language. Its most notable feature is the introduction of the runcible spoon, a word Lear invented and never defined.
The poem is short, only three stanzas, but it is memorable because of its rhythm and imagery. A romantic couple of an unlikely kind set off over the sea, buy a ring from a pig, and are married by a turkey; the moon looks on. Lear's gift was to take absurdity seriously and to let sound lead sense. The reader hears real affection under the silliness.
This LibriVox item belongs to the weekly poetry project, and was released for the week of 22 January 2006. It contains 21 versions of the same poem, Version 01 and so on, from ten volunteers, and lasts about 0.6 hours in all.
Why listen today? It is a charming study in performance. Each reader decides how fast the boat sails and how romantic the dance should be, and the differences are fun to notice. Children enjoy the repetition, and adults can enjoy the craft of a poem that has lasted for generations. The poem is also a fine tool for teaching rhythm to young listeners. They quickly learn the pattern of the stanzas and begin to anticipate the rhymes, and the invented words invite playful repetition. Adults, meanwhile, can enjoy the quiet melancholy that sometimes lies beneath Lear's cheerful nonsense.
Public domain
Edward Lear died in 1888: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text