Cat's Dream Poem by Pablo Neruda

Cat's Dream

Rating: 3.2


How neatly a cat sleeps,
sleeps with its paws and its posture,
sleeps with its wicked claws,
and with its unfeeling blood,
sleeps with all the rings-
a series of burnt circles-
which have formed the odd geology
of its sand-colored tail.

I should like to sleep like a cat,
with all the fur of time,
with a tongue rough as flint,
with the dry sex of fire;
and after speaking to no one,
stretch myself over the world,
over roofs and landscapes,
with a passionate desire
to hunt the rats in my dreams.

I have seen how the cat asleep
would undulate, how the night
flowed through it like dark water;
and at times, it was going to fall
or possibly plunge into
the bare deserted snowdrifts.
Sometimes it grew so much in sleep
like a tiger's great-grandfather,
and would leap in the darkness over
rooftops, clouds and volcanoes.

Sleep, sleep cat of the night,
with episcopal ceremony
and your stone-carved moustache.
Take care of all our dreams;
control the obscurity
of our slumbering prowess
with your relentless heart
and the great ruff of your tail.


Translated by Alastair Reid

Cat's Dream
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
John Tiong Chunghoo 01 July 2006

my share pablo; from the alleyway two the cats in earsplitting ecstasy/orgaism

10 11 Reply
Dr.subhendu Kar 25 July 2010

control the obscurity of our slumbering prowess with your relentless heart and the great ruff of your tail.............yet so ecstatic write that flows through ingenuity, words become wordless as the cat measure`s its sport of entry by its majestic mustache, superb portrayal making wide and open by claws of contents, ,

9 10 Reply
Brian Jani 27 April 2014

Awesome I like this poem, check mine out 

4 8 Reply
michelle easson 20 September 2022

what does he mean by 'with all the fur of time'?

0 0 Reply
Bipasha Das 10 September 2022

When was this poem published?

0 0 Reply
rrichi 17 March 2022

Why on earth have you gotten a robot to read this poem? ? Terrible!

2 0 Reply
Tingtongting 01 June 2022

Point 😂😂

1 0
joseph 25 October 2019

this guy is great at poems

1 1 Reply
zachary 07 January 2021

yes bro

0 0
Ratnakar Mandlik 03 July 2019

The sleep patern and the life style traits of cat had fascinated the poet so much that he dreams of getting into slumber in the same way. A great poem deserving modern poem of the Day.

0 2 Reply
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