“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.”
‘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.
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)
