[120] The Purple Cow

The Purple Cow's Projected Feast:
Reflections on a Mythic Beast,
Who's Quite Remarkable, at Least.

  I never saw a purple cow,
  I never hope to see one;
  But I can tell you, anyhow,
  I'd rather see than be one.

	-- Gelett Burgess

What the poem doesn't say the subtitle does - do I really need to comment
on it? Burgess, incidentally, grew increasingly annoyed by the fact that he
was known mainly for 'The Purple Cow', and eventually wrote the following
followup:

CONFESSION: and a Portrait, Too,
Upon a Background that I Rue!

  Ah, Yes! I Wrote the "Purple Cow" --
  I'm Sorry, now, I Wrote it!
  But I can Tell you Anyhow,
  I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

	-- Gelett Burgess

Biography:

Burgess, Gelett

 b. Jan. 30, 1866, Boston, Mass., U.S.
 d. Sept. 17, 1951, Carmel, Calif.

in full FRANK GELETT BURGESS, American humorist and illustrator, best known
for a single, early, whimsical quatrain: [The Purple Cow]

Burgess was educated as an engineer and worked briefly for a railroad in
that capacity. Between 1891 and 1894 he taught topographical drawing at the
University of California. In 1895 Burgess became the founding editor of
Lark, a humour magazine, and in 1897 he began to publish books of his
self-illustrated whimsical writings.

Burgess' humour was based upon the sudden break of ideas: a substitution of
the unexpected for the commonplace. Among his best-known works are Goops and
How to Be Them (1900) and subsequent books on Goops (bad-mannered children).
He is credited with adding several words to the English language, including
blurb. Among his many other works are Are You a Bromide? (1906), Why Men
Hate Women (1927), and Look Eleven Years Younger (1937).

	-- EB

blurb blArb. slang (orig. U.S.). [See note below.] A brief descriptive
paragraph or note of the contents or character of a book, printed as a
commendatory advertisement, on the jacket or wrapper of a newly published
book. Hence in extended use: a descriptive or commendatory paragraph. Also
Comb. Said to have been originated in 1907 by Gelett Burgess in a comic book
jacket embellished with a drawing of a pulchritudinous young lady whom he
facetiously dubbed Miss Blinda Blurb. (D.A.) See Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl.
I. 329.

	-- OED

Parodies:

<http://www.purplecow.com/weird/poetry/>

The Wordsworth one, at least, is worth a read.

m.

From: "James De Gaugh" <jdegaugh5@>

Hello,   Saw your comments about the Poem  "The Purple Cow".  Thought you 
might like to check out the sequel to it that I wrote. It is located on the 
ilovepoetry.com website. Under "Poem Search", type in the name  " De Gaugh " 
, with a space between  "De" and "Gaugh". Then just scroll down my poems to 
the one entitled "The Purple Cows".Let me know what you think of it. Thanks  
James De Gaugh   jdegaugh5@



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From: PTess@  Fri May 30 09:37:01 2003

I am looking for a book that has this poem as well as some of Burgess'
other whimsical ones in it. Does anything like this exist. I grew up
with an Uncle that had a very whimsical personality and he taught me
this poem at a very young age and it was a very special thing between
us. I now want to teach it to my Granddaughter.
thank you

phyllis tess
director of group sales
radisson deauville  resort
direct line: 305-779-5334
www.radisson.com/miamibeachfl

From: "Phoenix" <nodaz@>

The book you are looking for is called "Goops and How Not To Be Them".

-Reader

From: "corbin17" <corbin17@>

My grandmother had a porcelain purple cow creamer and used to quote the
purple cow poem. I'm glad to know who wrote it.

From: Jack Taber <JTaber@>


	I have never heard it before this morning. President Bush' campaign
manager recited it on the news today.

From: "danviz" <danviz@>

I had to memorize this poem in 1968 when I was in the 2nd grade and I
have never forgotten it

From: "Paul Campbell" <pjcrjc@>

I taught this poem to my grandaughter when she was very young.  She is
now 28 and a school teacher.  We heve exchanged purple cow items for
birthdays for many years.  I now have a Purple Cow Shrine in my home and
so does she.