“Take that... whatever you are!” A kitten metes out uncertain justice to a stuffed toy. The house in Olney, Buckinghamshire, that Cowper shared with widow Mary Unwin was home to cats, kittens and three pet hares. Some of Cowper’s verse was inspired by his cats but these lines were originally Latin verses by Vincent (Vinny) Bourne, who taught Cowper at Westminster School. “His humour is entirely original” Cowper said of him; “he can speak of a magpie or a cat in terms so exquisitely appropriated to the character he draws, that one would suppose him animated by the spirit of the creature he describes.”
Introduction
William Cowper was very much a cat person, so naturally these lines from the Latin of Vincent Bourne (1695-1747), who had been on the staff at Westminster School when Cowper was a pupil there, appealed to him. A kitten reminds us that if you want to be one of the gang it has got to be on their terms.
‘Familiarity Dangerous’
AS in her ancient mistress’ lap
The youthful tabby lay,
They gave each other many a tap,
Alike disposed to play.
But strife ensues. Puss waxes warm,
And with protruded claws
Ploughs all the length of Lydia’s arm,
Mere wantonness the cause.
At once, resentful of the deed,
She shakes her to the ground
With many a threat that she shall bleed
With still a deeper wound.
But, Lydia, bid thy fury rest:
It was a venial stroke:
For she that will with kittens jest
Should bear a kitten’s joke.
From The Works of William Cowper’ (1849) edited by T. S. Grimshawe.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
In this short poem from Vincent Bourne’s Latin, Cowper tells of a lady named Lydia who played with a kitten on her lap. The cat became over-excited and scratched her mistress, who responded by scolding her harshly. But the poet admonishes Lydia. The wound was slight, and if you join in cats’ games you must play by their rules. (59 / 60 words)
In this short poem from Vincent Bourne’s Latin, Cowper tells of a lady named Lydia who played with a kitten on her lap. The cat became over-excited and scratched her mistress, who responded by scolding her harshly. But the poet admonishes Lydia. The wound was slight, and if you join in cats’ games you must play by their rules.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, despite, may, not, or, until, whereas, whether.
About the Author
William Cowper (1731-1800) is remembered today as one of England’s most accomplished poets, admired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and Jane Austen. His verse ranges from translations of Classical epics such as Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ to homely and sometimes tongue-in-cheek reflections on English rural life, much of it coloured by his strong Christian beliefs and today recognised as truly groundbreaking. Cowper suffered for most of his life from depression; after three attempts on his own life he was briefly confined to an asylum, and thereafter lived in the home of a friend’s widow, Mary Unwin. Cowper spoke out loudly against slavery, and his verses were often quoted by Martin Luther King. Cowper is pronounced ‘cooper.’
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Deep. Give. Lay.
2 Fury. Joke. Still.
3 Claw. Length. Once.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
prds (7)
parades. paradise. parodies. periods. prides. prods. prudes.
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