Audiobook · read by volunteers
To My Cat
Rosamund Marriott Watson (1860–1911)
Read by Alan Clare, Clarica, Délibáb, David Starner, Eric Ray, Jason Mayoff, Jan MacGillivray, Justin S Barrett, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Kelvin · 15 chapters · 17 min
About the book
A cat can be a companion, a mystery and a teacher, and in this short poem Rosamund Marriott Watson addresses hers directly. Published in the 1890s, To My Cat is an example of how Victorian poets looked at everyday life and found meaning in it. In this unusual recording, fifteen different LibriVox volunteers each read the same poem, so you can hear fifteen interpretations, some playful, some tender, some thoughtful. It is a fascinating way to understand how a text can change with the voice that speaks it, as pauses, emphasis and tone alter the mood. Lasting only about eighteen minutes in total, the collection is perfect for a break in the day and for anyone who has ever shared a home with a cat. Fifteen voices, one cat, and a poem small enough to hold in your hand.
Introduction
Rosamund Marriott Watson (1860–1911) was an English poet who published under several names, and she contributed to the literary magazines of her time. Her poems are often concerned with nature, memory and feeling, and she was admired for her skill with form. To My Cat appeared in 1895 and belongs to a long tradition of English poems about pets, which includes Thomas Gray’s well-known ode on a favourite cat.
The recordings come from one of the weekly poetry projects organised by the LibriVox community in 2007, in which volunteers are invited to record the same short poem and compare their results. Each reading is labelled with the initials of the reader. Because the text is identical, you can listen to several in a row and notice how a change of pace or a different emphasis makes the cat seem more affectionate, more aloof or more amusing. It is a small experiment in the art of reading aloud, and an entertaining one.
It is also a gentle reminder of how the LibriVox community works, with volunteers from many places recording the same text for the pleasure of the exercise. Poetry lovers, cat owners and curious listeners will all find something to enjoy in this lively and affectionate miniature.
Fifteen recordings, about 18 minutes in all: one poem, fifteen readers. It is a listening game as much as a collection. Pick a favourite, then ask yourself what that reader did differently from the others, and whether the cat would have approved. If you hear all fifteen in a row, you begin to notice how much a short poem leaves to its reader: a pause before a line, a lighter touch on a rhyme, a slower final word. The poem is the same each time; the cat, in a way, is different.
Public domain
Rosamund Marriott Watson died in 1911: 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