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Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Sunday, November 06, 2011

in a kindly dog's memory

His friends he loved. His fellest earthly foes—
Cats—I believe he did but feign to hate.
My hand will miss the insinuated nose,
Mine eyes the tail that wagg'd contempt at Fate.
-"An Epitaph," William Watson

From Praise of the Dog: An Anthology, Ethel E. Bicknell, ed. (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1902) p. 207. This book has a few pages at the very end headed, "To the Memory of Faithful Dogs," where blank columns offer you the chance to list "Name," "Born," "Died," and - this last column so wide it takes up its own page - "Virtues."

3 comments:

Elaine Pritchard said...

"Cats - I believe SHE did but feign to hate".

I think that's me (but don't tell anyone).

Love and licks, Winnie

Ann Dziemianowicz said...

Aww, very sweet.

parlance said...

Such economical phrasing - "the insinuated nose". Love it.