Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Ballicai Share Their Favorite Poems

Brainball's Favorite Poem: "The Old Issue" by Rudyard Kipling

Long-forgotten bondage, dwarfing heart and brain -—
All our fathers died to loose he shall bind again.

Here is naught at venture, random nor untrue -—
Swings the wheel full-circle, brims the cup anew.

Here is naught unproven, here is nothing hid:
Step for step and word for word —- so the old Kings did!

Step by step, and word by word: who is ruled may read.
Suffer not the old Kings: for we know the breed -—

All the right they promise -— all the wrong they bring.
Stewards of the Judgment, suffer not this King!

=-=

Dorydoo's Favorite Poem: "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless falls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor eer eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

=-=

Chairman Mao's Favorite Poem: from "Tale of the Man of Lawe" by Geoffrey Chaucer

Let take a cat, and foster him well with milk,
And tender flesh and make his couch of silk,
And let him see a mouse go by the wall,
Anon he waveth milk and flesh and all,
And every dainty that is in that house,
Such appetite he hath to eat a mouse.

=-=

Marilyn MonREOW's favorite poem (which she's reciting to her special mancat, Mickey Mantle): "If thou must love me" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only. Do not say
"I love her for her smile her look her way
Of speaking gently, for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and Certes brought
A sense of ease on such a day"
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee, and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheek dry,
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity.

22 comments:

Daisy said...

Those are some very wonderful poems. My favorite is "High Flight." My Grandpa was an airline Captain and when he died, they read that one at his funeral. It still makes my Mommie get leaky eyes.

Unknown said...

Those are all very nice poems!!! Great choices!

Rosemary B❤️ said...

Oh wow... these were amazzzzing!
and the photos are super.
wow! completely impressed we are!

Just Ducky said...

Very nice. I know Dorydoo's poem was used as part of a speech for the astronauts that died. Those words give mum leaky eyes.

Catzee said...

Ya'll are furry literary kitties. I'm not.

MaoMao said...

hehehe, we like poems, but blame it on our momma -- she's a writer and we hear her talk about that kinda thing a whole lot.

She likes motorcycles, too, but we Ballicai draw the line at them noisy, weird-o things... *winkie*

Kittyhugs and purrs from Chairman Mao!

Parker said...

Mao - you had one of Mommy's favorite poems there "High Flight" - it reminds her of someone special she once knew and she got leaky eyes reading it again (in a good way) Thanks!

mister jeter harris, hizself said...

Dearest ...
My favorite is from "Ulysses" by James Joyce. It's not a poem ... but it starts this way:
"and then I asked (her) with my eyes to ask again ... yes ...
Love--your Mickey M

Bad Kitty Cats & Megan said...

Our Kitty Cats love Chaucer too! Sending many purrs and hugs to you wonderful Kitty Cats. Thank you for sharing with us. Who says Kitty Cats are not readers? Hmph... great taste in words you all have!

Christine and FAZ said...

Wow, you guys sure are educated. Where did you read all these poems? Did you all do English Literature at university? FAZ

MaoMao said...

Mickey, my dearest,

I love the line from Ulysses. Thank you, my darling! And for you, here is a quote from Thoreau which speaks to my heart: "There is no remedy for love but to love more."

Love and purrrrrrrrs,

Your Marilyn

MaoMao said...

Marilyn and Mickey are somethin' else aren't they? hehehehe

Thanks, everybodies! We didn't go to school or college or nothin' like that, but momma studied literature, and I guess her litty stuff has rubbed off on all of us Ballicai. Our favorite poet is T.S. Eliot. He wrote a whole, whole lot about kitties.

Kittyhugs and purrs from MaoMao!

Monica said...

Those poems are very interesting. I don't understand exactly what they mean though... You are all very smart and sophisticated!

Big Piney Woods Cats said...

Those poems are furry thought provoking, esp. for a young girlcat, like me. I am better at pounce and wiggle, than at reading hard stuff.

Precious

Lux said...

My my, what smart kitties you are!

mister jeter harris, hizself said...

deer mao,
i'm laffin an laffin at yer pikshur nex to wut marilyn rote to mi brudder mickey!
oh brudder ... doze two!
duhr!
luv--yer frend--jh

MaoMao said...

"Duhr" is right, my buddy Jeter! Whattarewegonnado with those silly loveydovey birds. And my momma's just a-laughin' and a-laughin'...

And thanksies to Monica, Precious, and Lux!

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

Thanks for sharing your favourite poems with us! They are all wonderful. You are all very intellectual cats!

mister jeter harris, hizself said...

deer mao,
i nominated u fer da thinking blogger award.
it iz well dezerved ... u make me think! (an laff!)
take a look at mi post today!
luv--yer grate frend--jh

MaoMao said...

Thanks, Dragonheart! Yeah, momma loves poetry, and it's kinda rubbed off on us kitties, well especially on Marilyn with all the loveydovey stuff.

Momma's got a book of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and in it she's gotta rose pressed that Daddy gave her on their first date... and Marilyn's always lookin' at that and thinkin' about Mickey -- whattareyagonna do with loveydovey GIRLZ.

Wowie, Jeter! Thank you so much, I'm all excited, and my sisters are, too. We really appreshiate such a great honor! You make me think and laugh, too. And you always make our Ballicus momma smile.

Sending kittyhugs and purrs to you, my buddy!

Forty Paws said...

Oh, we lufs T.S. Elliot. Yup. But udder dan dat, we taint furry litrery.

Luf, Us

MaoMao said...

T. S. Eliot is cool 'cause he wrote about kitties -- I think he wrote more about kitties than any other well-known poet.

Kittyhugs and purrs from MaoMao!