Customer Reviews

Poetry for Cats: The Definitive Anthology of Distinguished Feline Verse

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Henry Beard has both a good knowledge of the original poems and of cats. His spoofs are tremendously clever, and he chooses the most common poems in English literature, so most people will recognize them. I laughed myself nearly sick. It's as good as jogging! ;-)

This book is funny in and of itself; however, if you are familiar with the poems on which these are based, you're in for a special treat. Beard doesn't just substitute words: his premise is that the poets' cats wrote these poems, which makes "She Walks In Booties" or "Abyssinias" even more feline, er, sublime...

In undergraduate school one of my English professors used to photocopy good poetry parodies for us. When she photocopied Henry Beard's "The End of the Raven," I was smitten for life. This is a wonderful little book. Beard keeps the original meter and rhyming scheme of the poems parodied and it is priceless to compare the two side by side. A gem of a book for anyone who appreciates keen wit and a masterful command of the English language. After all, who could possibly not fall in love with someone who declares, "Do not go gentle to that damn vet/ Hide, hide when your appointment date is set" ?

Readers of Poetry for Cats: The Definitive Anthology of Distinguished Feline Verse by Henry Beard will notice how much influence humans have on cats. Cats will not enjoy having this pointed out. They work hard to protect their free will and try to dictate the terms of their relationships with humans. You can not just pick up a cat and expect it to be happy being held; you have to wait until the cat is ready. Cats will not play with toys just because you want to play. Cats appear to think independently, but their poetry betrays them.

Here is a bit of verse written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's cat:

I chased a mouse beneath the stair,
It went to ground, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it ran, my sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

Sound familiar?

There is more. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's cat wrote the following:

In Xanadu did Kubla Kat
A splendid sofa-bed decree
With silken cushions soft and fat
A perfect feline habitat
Set on a gilt settee.

Here is another sample, this time by William Shakespeare's cat:

To go outside, and there perchance to stay
Or to remain within: that is the question:
Whether `tis better for a cat to suffer
The cuffs and buffets of inclement weather
That nature rains on those who roam abroad
Or take a nap upon a scrap of carpet ...

Have you noticed a trend? It appears that cats listen more than they let on, and they even identify with the humans with whom they relate. They certainly borrow verse as freely as they claim their favorite chairs.

Cats do deserve some credit for knowing what poetry to borrow and adapt as their own. They are able to turn bits of Chaucer, Keats, Frost, or Ginsberg into works that serve their purposes, such as catching goldfish, breaking vases, or berating Whitman for sleeping too late. In near unison they raise their voices to complain about their vets.

One thing that surprises me about Poetry for Cats is that Henry Beard never reveals the cats' names. I can not imagine that Emily Dickinson had a nameless cat!

Poetry for Cats is an attractive book with colorful illustrations and is still in print after eleven years. I found our copy when inventorying the poetry collection. I am afraid few people have borrowed it lately, so I am going to put it on display. The cats need to be heard.

This is one of the funniest things I've read in years. Beard, as usual, is masterful in his parody. In this case he takes on great poetry ranging from "Beowulf" to "Xanadu" to "Song of Myself" and and "Howl", not to mention every age and genre in between.

Not only is the parody marvellous, but Beard captures the very soul and essence of the cat. (If you read nothing else, read "The End of the Raven")

As if that weren't enough, the book has also made me go back and reread many of the original works, most of which I haven't looked at in years, some of which I'd never read. Who knew that "The Emperor of Tuna Fish" would lead me to a deeper appreciation for the original work, "The Emperor of Ice Cream"?

If you like poetry, or you like cats, or you like poetry written by cats, read this book.

The only thing wrong with this book is that one has to both love cats and be educated in poetry. (In other words, there's no one else I know who can appreciate this book!) I like some of Henry Beard's poems even better than I do the originals. I'm especially glad that he chose to interpret some of my favorite poems (e.g., "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "Xanadu.") Henry Beard is extremely talented; this sort of thing is very hard to do. (I know; I've tried.) This is a MUST for anyone and everyone who loves cats and poetry.

This is an amazingly clever book! Beard takes famous poems and changes them to fit the cat perspective, making a poem that is often and well done as the original famous piece. Not only is this a gem for poetry lovers and fans of satire, but it is also great for cat-lovers: this book speaks well and truly about these wonderful animals.

This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Henry Beard takes famous poems, familar to almost anyone, and changes the words so that they seem to be written from the perspective of a cat. For example, take Poe's raven, which the cat wants to eat. Or, TS Elliot, where the cat measures out his life in cat food tins. Beard manages to keep the cadance of the poems true to the original poetry while changing the words only enough to make for truely hilarious reading. This book is for anyone who has ever enjoyed classic poetry-and loves cats.

Henry Beard presents a collection of well known verse, written ostensibly as they would have been penned by the cats of famous authors. From Dylan Thomas' cat writing "Do Not Go Gentle to That Damn Vet", to Robert Louis Stevenson's Cat who writes: Squealing mousie in a trap, woke me from my morning nap, wasn't he so very sweet, to tell me it was time to eat? A must read for the well read poetry fan. Alan McClendon

I ordered this book from a used seller, and by the time it was finally shipped, I'd forgotten I ordered it. I opened up this mystery package on the way home from work and was thrilled. I opened it up, read one poem, and nearly peed myself from laughter.
The author writes as one who must have observed many a cat over the years. Showing both a love of poetry and a love of the feline, this book appeals on several levels.
English teachers could use verses from this book to quiz their students -- whose cat wrote this poem? What is the poem on which this verse is based, etc.
I wish there were another volume. What would Beard do with The Highwayman, or The Cremation of Sam Magee? Do I dare wonder how he would remake Maya Angelou's I'll Rise?
I am buying another copy, this one for my mother, whom I called as soon as I got in the house after unwrapping the book -- still holding on to my purse and keys. I may buy her French For Cats as well, since she can pronounce the French.
Hilarious and will actually make you go back to the computer (or your high school English teacher) to find out some of the original poetry.