CAT

By Lytton Strachey (1889-1932)

Dear creature by the fire a-purr
Strange idol, eminently bland,
'Miraculous puss!As o'er your fur
I trail a negligible hand.

And gave into your gazing eyes
And wonder in a demi-dream,
What mystery it is that lies,
Behind those slits that glare and glean,

As exquisite enchantment falls
About the portals of my sense;
Meandering though enormous halls,
I breathe luxurious frankincense,

As apples sir, a warmer June
Enfold me, and my wondering eye
Salutes a more imperial moon
Throned in a more resplendent sky

Than ever knew this northern shore.
Oh, strange! For you are with me too,
And I who am a cat once more
Follow the woman that was you.,

With tail erect and pompous march
The proudest puss that ever trod,
Through many a grove, 'neath many an arch,
Impenetrable as a god.

Down many an alabaster flight
Of broad and cedar-shaded stairs,
While ever us the elaborate night
Mysteriously gleams and glares.