Poetry and Art, Edward Lear and Charles Evans

I'm still feeling a little fragile and not fully recovered from the bugs, and simply couldn't face any thing too serious. Which is why I chose this........ one I remember with fondness from  from childhood. Sometimes a little frivolity is good for the soul....:-)
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
    In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
    Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
    And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
      What a beautiful Pussy you are,
          You are,
          You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
    How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
    But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
    To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
    With a ring at the end of his nose,
          His nose,
          His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
    Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
    By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
    Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
    They danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

http://www.biogs.com/famous/lear.html

EDWARD LEAR 1812 - 1888

•    Edward Lear was born in Holloway, London   on 12 May 1812.
•     birth certificate states that it was actually the 13th and Lear used the 13th May as his birthday in his diaries, however later in life he switched to the 12th.
•    One possible explanation is that because he was born at 11.30pm, it was decided to make the birth date the next day.
•    Edward Lear was the twentieth child of Jeremiah and Ann. Jeremiah Lear was a stockbroker.
•    In 1832 Edward Lear was engaged by Lord Stanley, heir to the Earl of Derby to draw birds and animals in the menagerie at Knowsley Hall just outside Liverpool.
•    Many of Edward Lear's drawings are still kept in the library there.
•    In 1837 Lear's health was deteriorating. Lord Stanley, now the 13th Earl of Derby suggested he go to Rome.
•    He followed this advice one year later
•    Lear travelled extensively in Italy and Greece and made sketches and oil paintings of landscapes, he also published various travel books.
•     it was his nonsense verse that Edward Lear was to become most famous.
•    He stumbled on this talent by accident. He had recited nonsense verse to the children at Knowsley but it was not until 1845 that he decided to publish A Book of Nonsense.
•    One of his fans was Queen Victoria whom Edward Lear gave drawing lessons to (also in 1845). Her diaries show that he was a very encouraging teacher.
•    The next year he left for Italy again, where he was to spend much of the rest of his life.
•    Later in life other limericks and children's rhymes followed: Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets (1870), More Nonsense Rhymes (1871) and Laughable Lyrics (1876).
•    Edward Lear wrote his own obituary. He called it Incidents in the Life of my Uncle Arly. This was the last piece that he wrote and it drew high praise from Ruskin, who said in Pall Mall Magazine: "I really don't know any author to whom I am half so grateful, for my idle self, as Edward Lear. I shall put him first of my hundred authors."
•    Edward Lear died in 1888.
Art work by Charles Evans

 http://www.charlesevansart.com/artist.htm

delete reply pestep55 wrote on Oct 23, '09 Marvelous!!

delete reply madisonpooface wrote on Oct 23, '09 So sweet. I have always loved that poem. The art work is perfect.

delete reply lauritasita wrote on Oct 23, '09 This is so lovely, Loretta, thanks so much.

delete reply djdx wrote on Oct 22, '09 Great blog.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Oct 22, '09 This brings back memories. Thanks for the treat.

delete reply caffeinatedjo wrote on Oct 21, '09 Oh, Loretta, I love Lear and this poem of his. So whimsical. I hope you get to feeling better!

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Oct 21, '09 i love it sorrow to hear you got the bug glad to hear you are felling better :)

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Oct 21, '09 Great choice of post Loretta. Lear has always been a favourite of mine.

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Oct 21, '09 What a fine choice. I seriously considered posting this myself last month, but J.R.R. Tolkien won the toss of the coin. I recently saw a repeat of the old film, of the same name, with Barbra Streisand and George Segal and of course the poem starting running through my mind. So pleased that you chose it today. Also, Evan's art work is most relaxing and nicely composed.

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on Oct 21, '09 I remember this from school also.

delete reply starfishred wrote on Oct 21, '09 oh how wonderful loretta we had to lesrn that poem of by heart for school and the pics are just so lovely thanks