To feed those outlaws prowling about the Domain,
Those furtive she-cats and those villainous toms.
Proudly they step to meet her, they march together
With an arching of backs and a waving of plumy tails
And smiles that swear they never would harm a feather.
They rub at her legs for the bounty that never fails,
They think she is a princess out of a tower,
And so she is, she is trembling with love and power.
2
Meat, it is true, is meat, and demands attention
But this is the sweetest moment that they know
Whose courtship even is a hiss, a howl and a blow.
At so much kindness passing their comprehension
– Beggars and rogues who never deserved this pension –
Some recollection of old punctilio
Dawns in their eyes, and as she moves to go
characterisation: the lady is portrayed as a figure of pure kindness and generosity, but the cats are so stupid they would never understand how kind she is.
Lady Feeding The Cats