Divine Muse

THE TYGER

This short film combines in a lovely way animation, puppets and photograph in order to recreate a big tiger's trail while he crosses the city. This film directed in 2006 by Guilherme  Marcondes, a brazilian architect who has worked as an illustrator, won more than 30 international awards. The idea was inspired by William Blake's poem "The Tiger". I know that the tiger is not exactly a cat, but as Aníbal Niño said, "A cat is a drop of tiger. If you want to enjoy more from Guilherme's work you can visit his web site http://guilherme.tv  and of course I'll share with you both the poem and the short film.

THE TIGER

By William Blake, published in 1794 as

part of his collection "Songs of experience"

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

in the forest of the nigth,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? What dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,

And water'd heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forest of the nigth,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

William Blake's Poem illustrated by himself 

The Old Possum's Book for Practical Cats

written by T.S Elitot in 1939

The Naming of Cats

The Naiming of Cats is a difficult matter,

It isn't just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter

When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

First of all there's the name that the family use daily,

Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,

Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--

All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,

Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:

Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter---

But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,

A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? 

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,

Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,

Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum---

Names that never belong to more than one cat.

But above and beyond there's still one name left over,

And that is the name that you never will guess;

The name that no human research can discover--

But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.

When you notices a cat in profound meditation,

The reason, I tell you, is always the same:

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation

Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:

His ineffable effable

Effanineffable

Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

T.S Elliot

Cats

Directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber

inspired by Elliot's poems

One of the famous scenes sung by Elaine Page

(even when this wasn't part of the Elliot's book)