A um gato desconhecido

-

"... With Cats, some say, one rule is true:

Don’t speak till you are spoken to.

Myself, I do not hold with that –

I say, you should ad-dress a Cat.

But always keep in mind that he

Resents familiarity.

I bow, and taking off my hat,

Ad-dress him in this form: O CAT!

But if he is the Cat next door,

Whom I have often met before

(He comes to see me in my flat)

I greet him with an OOPSA CAT!

I’ve heard them call him James Buz-James —

But we’ve not got so far as names.

Before a Cat will condescend

To treat you as a trusted friend,

Some little token of esteem

Is needed, like a dish of cream;

And you might now and then supply

Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,

Some potted grouse, or salmon paste —

He’s sure to have his personal taste.

(I know a Cat, who makes a habit

Of eating nothing else but rabbit,

And when he’s finished, licks his paws

So’s not to waste the onion sauce.)

A Cat’s entitled to expect

These evidences of respect.

And so in time you reach your aim,

And finally call him by his NAME. ..."

-

Excerto de T.S. Eliot, “The Ad-dressing of Cats,” (cf. Brainpickings e este blogue)

-