Ode On The Death Of A Favourite Cat Drowned In A Tub Of Goldfishes Analysis

'Twas on a lofty vase's side,
Where China's gayest art had dy'd
The azure flow'rs that blow;
Demurest of the tabby kind,
The pensive Selima, reclin'd,
Gazed on the lake below.

Her conscious tail her joy declar'd;
The fair round face, the snowy beard,
The velvet of her paws,
Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,
Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,
She saw: and purr'd applause.

Still had she gaz'd; but 'midst the tide
Two angel forms were seen to glide,
The Genii of the stream;
Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue
Thro' richest purple to the view
Betray'd a golden gleam.

The hapless Nymph with wonder saw:
A whisker first and then a claw,
With many an ardent wish,
She stretch'd in vain to reach the prize.
What female heart can gold despise?
What cat's averse to fish?

Presumptuous Maid! with looks intent
Again she stretch'd, again she bent,
Nor knew the gulf between.
(Malignant Fate sat by, and smil'd)
The slipp'ry verge her feet beguil'd,
She tumbled headlong in.

Eight times emerging from the flood
She mew'd to ev'ry wat'ry god,
Some speedy aid to send.
No Dolphin came, no Nereid stirr'd;
Nor cruel Tom, nor Susan heard.
A Fav'rite has no friend!

From hence, ye Beauties, undeceiv'd,
Know, one false step is ne'er retriev'd,
And be with caution bold.
Not all that tempts your wand'ring eyes
And heedless hearts is lawful prize,
Nor all, that glisters, gold.

.: Ode :.

Wriiten for friend Horace Wallace's cat, Ode is a humourous poem written in light verse with a simple rhyme scheme, A A B C C B. The moral of this poem is that all that glisters is not gold, a theme borrowed from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, written some three hundred years earlier.
The first stanza contains adjectives such as "lofty", "gay", and "demure", which convey a sense of superiority, that is ironically about to be reversed. Also, in the first stanza, the fish aquarium is reffered to as a "lake", which allows the reader to apperceive the vastness of the territory that Selema, the cat, feels superiority over.
The second stanza describes Selema's feline qualities, her "velvet paws", "ears of jet" and "snowy beard". These aid in painting a picture of the cat, and her joy in the event to come, portrayed by her "consious tail" that anyone who has ever seen a cat can relate to.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth stanzas complete the story of the misfortunate cat. Her lust for fish is compared with a woman's lust for gold. This is key for the last line, "nor all, that glisters, gold", because the cat thought it would be rewarding to catch the fish, but it lead to her demise.
Thomas Gray's "Ode" humourously reminds the reader not to jump to conclusions based on appearances, but to research deeper into the subject then making an informed decision.

| Posted on 2005-04-04 | by Approved Guest