Wedding reading
The Owl and the Pussy-cat
Edward Lear
“The Owl and the Pussy-cat” by Edward Lear is a poem read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about two minutes read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!" Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?" They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. "Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will." So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dinèd on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
The Owl and the Pussy-cat is the first of the Nonsense Songs in Edward Lear’s 1871 Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets.
What it says
An owl and a cat go to sea in a pea-green boat, with honey and plenty of money. The owl sings to the cat under the stars; the cat praises his singing and proposes, but they have no ring. They sail for a year and a day to the land where the Bong-tree grows, and find a pig with a ring in his nose, which he sells them for a shilling. They are married the next day by the turkey who lives on the hill, dine on mince and quince with a runcible spoon, and dance hand in hand on the sand by the light of the moon. It is nonsense, but it is also a complete love story: courtship, a proposal, a search for a ring, a wedding and a celebration.
Nonsense verse the whole room half-remembers, and the one piece here nobody has ever objected to. Made for a child reader. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: the owl and the pussy-cat · a runcible spoon · a beautiful pea-green boat · nonsense verse · a child reader · married by the turkey who lives on the hill · danced by the light of the moon · silly and universally loved · children present.
Who it suits
Families with children, relaxed and whimsical weddings, and couples who are an unlikely pair. It suits a child reader especially well, and it is a safe choice when the couple want something funny that will not embarrass anyone. It works at a beach or seaside ceremony. At nearly two minutes it is long for a light piece, so it should be the only funny reading.
Where it goes in the ceremony
Usually the first reading, read by a child or a family member who enjoys performing. It can also be read at the reception or as the couple sign the register. Pair it with a more serious second reading so the ceremony is not all play.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 226 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about a minute and a half of reading.
- Lean into the rhythm. It is a song, and the repeated “You are, you are!” lines want a little bounce.
- The refrains (“His nose, his nose”) get softer each time. Let them taper off.
- “Dinèd” has two syllables, as Lear marked it. Practice “runcible spoon” so it trips off the tongue.
- The last verse slows down into the dance by moonlight. Bring the pace down for the final refrain.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” take to read aloud?
“The Owl and the Pussy-cat” takes about two minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “The Owl and the Pussy-cat”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” runs about two minutes, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- from The House at Pooh Corner — "I just wanted to be sure of you"15 secondsAnother children’s classic for a young reader
- Sonnet 75a minute and a halfA seaside poem with a more serious promise
- from The Importance of Being Earnest, Act Itwo minutesA funnier, sharper reading for adult readers
- The stars about the fair moon15 secondsSappho, tr. Henry Thornton Wharton
- Sonnet 116a minute and a halfWilliam Shakespeare
- Sonnet 1855 secondsWilliam Shakespeare