The Naming of Cats

[Darleneffxi]

I'll admit it...I've loved cats long before I played FFXI. AND I love poetry too... here's what one of my favorites (T.S. Elliot) said about naming of cats....or Mithra...

THE NAMING OF CATS
The naming of cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm mad as a hatter
When I tell you a cat must have three
different names.

First of all, there's the name
that the family use daily,
Such as Victor, or Jonathan,
George or Bill Bailey--
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names
if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen,
some for the dames;
Such as Plato, Admetus,
Electra, Demeter--
But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you,
a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that is peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he
keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers,
or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind,
I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quazo or Coripat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellyrum--
Names that never belong
to more than one cat.

But above and beyond
there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you will never guess;
The name
that no human research can discover--
But The Cat Himself Knows,
and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought,
of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

[Takara2011]

^_^ I love that poem.
I also remember choosing to read it aloud for a project in middle school.. I can still recite it word for word. ^_^ THen again, that project only happened two years ago, but the poem's still in my memory.. So I guess it made some sort of impact.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

Ooooooo....

More Elliot fans.

Interesting facts behind "Old Possum's Book of Pratcial Cats".

Elliot wrote free verse for publication, never in rhyme.. The pomes in this book were all written for friends, about their cats, and given indivually to these friends as presents.

One year, for his birthday several friends had an idea. They gathered all these gift poems with kitties into one volume, gave it its title, and printed up a limited* run distributed at the birthday party to all the guests and, of course, the guest of honor himself.

Elliot's publisher was among the guests and was charmed by the book, the gesture, and the poems. After getting permission from Elliot and all the cat owners involved, a general release edition was printed.


*At this time, the printing options were not electronic, but were either cold lead or hot lead. Printing up a limited run of 100 pieces would often cost more than a small run of 2 - 5 thousand volumes.