And a far less literary reference, Gossamer also happened to be the name of the big orange monster in Warner Brothers cartoons.

http://home.wi.rr.com/tatay/cartoons/gossy1.html

There were three cats from Poestenkill [Post]
who climbed up to the moon
on a ladder made from gossamer thread,
hung by a spider who stood on her head,
while listening hard (as best she could)
to the cry of a lonely loon.

The cats they took a pot of tea
and a bag of cinnamon scones,
along with a jar of marmelade,
a tablecloth made of fine brocade,
three forks, one knife, two sugar cubes,
and a pair of dried up bones.

When they arrived, they all set out
to see what they could see.
Leaping, pouncing, twisting, twirling,
suddenly still, then suddenly whirling,
having a party is oodles of fun
if there isn't much gravity.

Proceeding this way, it didn't take long
to enter a cratery gloom.
Where a great many objects of varying size
appeared before their dazzled eyes.
They couldn't believe it and started to laugh
on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON.

They could see


A thousan' toy boats torn loose from their docks,
a million stray sheep too far from their flocks,
a billion sad keys all missing their locks,
a trillion or so mismatched dirty socks.

Tattered teddy bears that once were so loved
'till into a corner they were carelessly shoved.
Buttons and ribbons and earrings galore
that had fallen through the cracks in many a floor.

Pencils and paper clips in countless array,
tons of rusty fishing hooks from the Bay of Biscay.
Plenty of homework that never went to school
'cause it fell off the table, skittered under a stool.

They had all disappeared without any trace,
or so it was thought, Your Honor, Your Grace,
but now the cats had found the place
where the many lost things of the human race
must make their way through outer space
to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON.
Those daring three cats from Poestenkill
danced on through the long lunar night.
They drank their tea and nibbled their scones
while rhythmic'ly banging the dried up bones.
One played with the bears, one chased the sheep
and the third lept away from a meteorite.

Till by and by, they felt themselves
begin to stretch and yawn.
It was time to go home, as good cats do,
before the crack of dawn.

They scampered back down to dear old Earth
on the ladder made of gossamer thread,
that was hung by a spider who stood on her head...

They were more than ready to go to bed.

So they softly crept, with nary a sound,
to the darkness of their room,
lapped their milk from a golden spoon,
far from the cry of the lonely loon,
purring with plans for returning quite soon ...

to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON!



© 1999 Hallmark Music Co.

by dennis livingstone

three cats from Poestenkill

This is great, dody

Who's Dennis Livingstone?

he is a jazz and cabaret musician, the lesser known son of jerry livingston, here, check out his homepage http://www.dennislivingston.com/he's not terribly cool but the lyrics are fabulous

I thought "gossamer wings" went back to Shakespeare, but couldn't find it. Shakespeare uses the word gossamer twice, both times as a noun.

Anyone remember the Gossamer Albatross?

I can think of a couple immediately – Edgar’s description of his father’s ‘fall’ from ‘Dover Cliffs’ in King Lear, and there is something in a speech by the Friar in Romeo and Juliet though I cannot bring it properly to mind (something like “gossamer that idles in the summer air”?)…

Are these the ones you are referring to, or are there others?

Well, this database certainly returns only two hits, and (as you say) no pairing with wings…

http://www.gh.cs.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Shakespeare/test.html

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 6

FRIAR LAURENCE These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite:
Therefore love moderately; long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

[Enter JULIET]

Here comes the lady: O, so light a foot
Will ne'er wear out the everlasting flint:
A lover may bestride the gossamer
That idles in the wanton summer air,
And yet not fall; so light is vanity.


King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6

EDGAR Hadst thou been aught but gossamer, feathers, air,
So many fathom down precipitating,
Thou'dst shiver'd like an egg: but thou dost breathe;
Hast heavy substance; bleed'st not; speak'st; art sound.
Ten masts at each make not the altitude
Which thou hast perpendicularly fell:
Thy life's a miracle. Speak yet again.

You're 100% right and pretty darn good to recognize them off the top of your head. Better than me. I only found them with a search engine.

Well, I'd say I know Lear extremely well, but the R&J was more by good luck than judgement! It so happened I was leafing through it recently becuase my poor kids are being tortured with it by Holofernes... ;)

I must say, I thought you might well be right about gossamer wings - I believed there was some reference in a poem (other than the dramas) but!

but then, John, maths would be your strong point, wouldn't it?

i have a childrens Math book that has instructions for making set of Napier's Bones, using card stock, not ivory.

using card stock

Ivory'll one at home :p :)


and who's John, hmmmmm?