The Cat and the Moon
The Cat and the Moon by W.B. Yeats
The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn,
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The moon overhead
Has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.
3 Comments:
Thank you for bringing the Yeats poem The Cat and the Moon to my attention; I had not come across it before. Yeats spent a good deal of the latter part of his life preoccupied with the phases of the moon. I take it from your profile that you are interested in astrology so I wonder if you are familiar with his book A Vision. Check out your moon phase.
Hello, I'm glad The Cat and The Moon was brought to your attention. I love Yeats, and will definitely look at A Vision, though all the reviews I've read so far has been daunting! How wonderful that you are dedicating yourself to your passion. Living in Ireland eh? Must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've only been as far as Aberdeen in Scotland, and the countryside is breathtaking. I wish you luck in your endeavours, and hope that one day I will be able to hear you play Irish music while drinking uisqebagh. Till then regards to your wife, she has given me a new interest (anthroposophy)which will keep me occupied for some time now! Cheers!
Noushkin!
I was encouraged to publish my cat poem Finbarr's Folly on my Blog.
Slán
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