Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat by T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) Theres a whisper down the line at 11.39 When the Night Mails ready to depart, Saying Skimble where is Skimble has he gone to hunt the thimble? We must find him orthe train cant start. All the guards and all the porters and the stationmasters daughters They are searching high and low, Saying Skimble where is Skimble for unless hes very nimble Then the Night Mail just cant go. At 11.42 then the signals nearly due And the passengers are frantic to a man— Then Skimble will appear and hell saunter to the rear: Hes been busy in the luggage van! He gives one flash of his glass-green eyes And the signal goes All Clear! And were off at last for the northern part Of the Northern Hemisphere! You may say that by and large it is Skimble whos in charge Of the Sleeping Car Express. From the driver and the guards to the bagmen playing cards He will supervise them all, more or less. Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces Of the travellers in the First and in the Third; He establishes control by a regular patrol And hed know at once if anything occurred. He will watch you without winking and he sees what you are thinking And its certain that he doesnt approve Of hilarity and riot, so the folk are very quiet When Skimble is about and on them ove. You can play no pranks with Skimbleshanks! Hes a Cat that cannot be ignored; So nothing goes wrong on the Northern Mail When Skimbleshanks is aboard. Oh its very pleasant when you have found your little den With your name written up on the door. And the berth is very neat with a newly folded sheet And theres not a speck of dust on the floor. There is every sort of light—you can make it dark or bright; Theres a button that you turn to make a breeze. Theres a funny little basin youre supposed to wash your face in And a crank to shut the window if you sneeye. Then the guard looks in politely and will ask you very brightly do you like your morning tea weak or strong? But Skimbles just behind him andwas ready to remind him, For Skimble wont let anything go wrong. And when you creep into your cosy berth And pull up the counterpane, You are bound to admit that its very nice To know that your wont be bothered by mice— You can leave all that to the Railway Cat, The Cat of the Railway Train! In the middle of the night he is always fresh and bright; Every now and then he has a cup of tea With perhaps a drop of Scotch while hes keeping on the watch, Only stopping here and there to catch a flea. You were fast asleep at Crewe and so you never knew That he was walking up and down the station; You were sleeping all the while he was busy at Carlisle, Where he greets the stationmaster with elation. But you saw him at Dumfries, where he summons the police If theres anything they ought to know about: when you get to Gallowgate there you do not have to wait— For Skimbleshanks will help you to get out! He gives you a wave of his long brown tail Which says: Ill see you again! Youll meet without fail on the Midnight Mail The Cat of the Railway Train. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat by T.S. Eliot (poetry reading) https://youtube/watch?v=pLEEeHj6e_Y
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 13:46:37 +0000
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