The Owl and the Pussycat

I

The Owl and the Pussycat 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."

II

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.

III

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling yourring?"
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.

by Edward Lear (1812-1888) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1867, from Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets, published 1871

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Gary Bachlund , "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", 2002 [soprano and piano], from "Calico Pie" and Other Nonsense, no. 7.
by Johan Backer-Lunde (1874-1958) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", op. 42 no. 8. [voice and orchestra]
by Robert Fairfax Birch (1917-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat"
by Brian Boydell (1917-2000) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1952. [SATB chorus a cappella]
by Mervyn Dale , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1973 [voice and piano], from Eight Nonsense Songs, no. ?
by Alice Decevee (1904-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1940. [medium voice and piano]
by Clinton Elliott , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1967. [SSAA chorus and piano]
by Richard Bruce Faith (1926-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat"
by Dudley Glass , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1933 [voice and piano], from Nonsense Songs, no. ?
by Richard Hageman (1882-1966) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1955. [voice and piano]
by Clifford Harker , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1958. [SATB chorus a cappella]
by Sandor Harmati (1892-1936) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1928. [voice and piano]
by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901-1947) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published c1927 [medium voice and piano], from Three Nonsense Songs, no. ?
by George Ingraham , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published <<1906 [voice and piano], from Nonsense Songs, no. ?
by Richard Johnston (1917-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1966. [unison voices and piano]
by (Henry Louis) Reginald de Koven (1859-1920) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published <<1906. [TTBB chorus and piano]
by Donovan Leitch , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1971 [voice and piano or guitar], from HMS Donovan, no. ?
by Maria Lindsay , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1871-2. [voice and piano]
by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885-1969) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1957. [SS chorus a cappella]
by Fay Pinchin , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1956. [unison voices a cappella]
by Edwin Roxburgh (1937-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1972 [narrator and orchestra], from How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear, no. 2.
by John Rutter (1945-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1974 [SATB chorus a cappella], from Five Childhood Lyrics, no. ?
by Gerald Seaman , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1957, first performed 1957. [SATB quartet]
by Humphrey Searle (1915-1982) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", copyright © 1953. [speaker, flute or violin, violoncello, and guitar or piano]
by Mátyás György Seiber (1905-1960) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1957. [high voice and piano (or violin and guitar)]
by Alexander Semmler , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1966. [SATB chorus and piano]
by Alfred J. Silver , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1929. [SA chorus and piano]
by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1966, published 1967 [voice and piano], note: also singable in Russian
by Richard Pearson Thomas (1957-) , "The Owl and the Pussycat" [soprano and piano], from A Little Nonsense, songs to texts of Edward Lear for soprano, no. 3.
by Frederick William Wadely , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1958. [SSA chorus and piano]
by Edward Watson , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published 1922. [unison voices and piano]
by Haydn Wood (1882-1959) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", published <<1951 [SATB quartet and piano], from Playtime, no. ?

RUS Russian [singable] (Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov)

Date added to the website: 2004-05-19.

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Sovjonok i Koshechka

I

Sovjonok i Koshechka po volnam
V novoj lodochke vdal' plyvut,
Dvadcat' cukatov i sorok dukatov
S soboju oni vezut.
Vzgljanul Sovjonok na lunnyj svet
I spel pod gitary zvon:
«O milaja Pussi! Prekrasnaja K`et!
Kak bezumno v tebja ja vljubljon,
Vljubljon,
Vljubljon!
Kak bezumno v tebja ja vljubljon!»

II

Promurlykala K`et Sovjonku v otvet:
«Na svete net slashche pevca.
Khochu ja, ne skroju, byt' Vashej zhenoju,
No kak zhe mne byt' bez kol'ca?»
I den', i god ikh volnoju nesjot
K dal'nim stranam, gde na mysu
Rastjot `evkalipt, pod kotorym stoit
Porosjonok s kolechkom v nosu,
V nosu,
V nosu,
Porosjonok s kolechkom v nosu.

III

«Moj drug, Porosjonok, – voskliknul Sovjonok, –
Prodaj nam kol'co za dukat!»
Tot otvetil im: «Khrjuk!» A svjashchennik Indjuk
Obvenchal ikh i byl ochen' rad.
I na obed oni s"eli rulet,
Vinegret i svinoje ragu,
A pered snom tancevali vdvojom
Na tikhom morskom beregu,
Vdvojom,
Vdvojom,
Na tikhom morskom beregu.

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Note on Transliteration

Singable translation by Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (1948-) , "Sovjonok i Koshechka", copyright © 1982, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

a text in English by Edward Lear (1812-1888) , "The Owl and the Pussycat", 1867, from Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets, published 1871

Date added to the website: 2008-02-08.