And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept: I am the self-consumer of my woes, [20], For many of the pairs there is a logical or symbolic consistency. [19] This pairs continue to go on until the poem turns to creatures from Pliny at B245. [8], Editing the work in 1950, W.H. "Christopher Smart's 'Uncommunicated Letters': Translation and the Ethics of Literary History. "[9], Although the original manuscript divided the "Let" and "For" verses onto opposing sides of the manuscript, Karina Williams claims that "Dr W. H. Bond then discovered that some of the LET and FOR folios were numbered and dated concurrently, and that these chronologically parallel texts were further connected by verbal links. From whom I take occasion The cantata was commissioned by the Rev'd Canon Walter Hussey for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of St Matthew's Church, Northampton. [29] However, the poem's "new science" seems also to come to an abrupt stop at the end, "as though [Christopher Smart] loses interest in it for a while. For Secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. I love the art-work by Paul Bommer. For by stroaking of him I have found out electricity. For he killed the Ichneumon-rat very pernicious by land. The image of "horns" in Jubilate Agno is commonly viewed as a sexual image. For he is good to think on, if a man would express himself neatly. I love this artwork and the story that goes with it. Check out For I Will Consider My Cat, Jeoffry by Eileen Mager on Amazon Music. For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness. 3 For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems; One of the most delightful and best-known poems in praise of a house cat, Christopher Smart’s “My Cat, Jeoffry” is … [7], Jubilate Agno is divided into four fragments labeled "A", "B", "C", and "D". Traditionally a cat, and especially a black cat, was considered an ill omen, almost a symbol of the devil. The artwork is so charming. The irony is that the “madness” of Christopher Smart, which was his unravelling as a writer in his own time, signified the creation of him as a poet who spoke beyond his age. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. For he will not do destruction, if he is well-fed, neither will he spit without provocation. This is just wonderful! Where there is neither sense of life nor joys, For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him. "[28] It is possible that Christopher Smart was influenced by John Hutchinson, Moses Principia being his major work on the subject, and it is Hutchinson that inspired Smart to adjust or alter Newtonian science in this way, as it was (in his view) lacking a proper relationship with the divine. As prodigious a creature as you are. leaps on his meat Ali, the part known as For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry is just an excerpt from Smart’s Jubilate Agno – Rejoice in the Lamb. Untroubling and untroubled where I lie; Fat cat on the mat In fact, Smart was often known as Kit or Kitty and I wonder if he saw an image of himself in Jeoffry and it liberated him from the tyranny of his circumstance. I sing in a choir that has just performed Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb” which contains part of this poem, in a number of concerts celebrating 100 years since Britten’s birth. far now they be, Would be interesting to find out! [6] No specifics are known about Christopher Smart's day-to-day activities, and he was released from the asylum on January 30, 1763, but his poem was not to be published until 1939. [17] Smart, in Jubilate Agno, plays on words and the meaning behind words in order to participate with the divine that exists within language. his kin, lean and slim, [38], However, many critics have focused on the possible sexual images present in Jubilate Agno. in gory jaw; Male mouse will not depart, An hospitable disposition”. Elinor Benjamin, Storyteller, Nova Scotia, Canada. 30: For I will consider my Cat, Jeoffry by East Carolina University Chamber Singers on Amazon Music. For when his day’s work is done his business more properly begins. For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him. [20] The beginning lines of the poem state the function of this action when they read, "Let Noah and his company approach the throne of Grace, and do homage to the Ark of their Salvation" (A4). For he had such powers to wrap himself around me. For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him. poor Jeoffry! For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. The giant lion with iron For he camels his back to bear the first notion of business. where woods loom in gloom – [39] Easton puts particular emphasis on the image of horns as a phallic image and contends that there are masculine and feminine horns throughout Smart's poem. For he was full of joys and jokes and loved to dance. For his grave is marked by heavy stones of white. Into the nothingness of scorn and noise, For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. [21] The next section, "Fragment B" returns to the various animal pairs and, in a mixture of Old and New Testament figures, begins to rely on local animals or animals that pun off of aspects of the figure's life. http://publicdomainreview.org/2011/01/31/christopher-smarts-jubilate-agno/. thank you for resurrecting him. For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him. “For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry” was never printed in Smart’s day, it was first published in 1939 after being discovered in manuscript amongst Smart’s papers, and subsequently W.H. Once he married Anna Maria Canaan, Smart was unable to remain at Cambridge and came to London, seeking to make ends meet in the precarious realm of Grub St. His prolific literary career turned to pamphleteering and satire, publishing hundreds of works in a desperate attempt to keep his wife and two little daughters, Marianne and Elizabeth Ann. For having done duty and received blessing he begins to consider himself. [19] One such example is a pun on Salmon and Salome as a pair for John the Baptist. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. For one mouse in seven escapes by his dallying. “For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry” was never printed in Smart’s day, it was first published in 1939 after being discovered in manuscript amongst Smart’s papers, and subsequently W.H. For the Mouse is of One of my favorite pre-19th century poems, Christopher Smart's "For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry," is a tesseract like that. For the divine spirit comes about his body to sustain it in compleat cat. For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness. Find recording details and track inforamtion for Rejoice in the Lamb, festival… - Benjamin Britten on AllMusic Watch the video for For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry from David Teie's Music for Cats Album Two for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. For he is servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him. [18] This is most exemplified when the poet says, "For I pray the Lord Jesus to translate my MAGNIFICAT into verse and represent it" (B43), where the image of the Magnificat connects Smart to Mary and her praise of God before giving birth to Jesus, the future savior. "Christopher Smart's Cross-Dressing: Mimicry, Depropriation, and Jubilate Agno. In Smart’s day, Old St was the edge of the built up city with market gardens and smallholdings beyond. The St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics in Old St where Christopher Smart lived with his cat Jeoffry on a site now occupied by Argos and The Co-operative. For the Electrical fire is the spiritual substance, which God sends from heaven to sustain the bodies both of man and beast. I have 5 cats and I love all of them dearly each day they bring peace and happiness into my life. from, The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jubilate_Agno&oldid=995952106#Jeoffry, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Costa, Dennis. For every family had one cat at least in the bag. He also studied, less happily, at the Royal College of Music under John Ireland and with some input from Ralph Vaughan Williams. and tamed is he; [2] Regardless, there is evidence that an incident took place in St. James's Park in which he "routed all the company" (Jubilate Agno B89) and this incident may have provoked his being locked away. —Kathleen Kuiper. For having consider’d God and himself he will consider his neighbour. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. A past mind comes rising off the page with all the force of a vivid neighborhood character's. [37] This poetic language connects Smart to Orpheus and David, but also relates him to Adam's "onomathetic" tradition, or the idea that names hold significant weight in the universe and that Adam was able to join in with creation by naming objects. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. Yet there are divergent opinions as to whether he was mad at all, or whether his consignment was in some way political on the part of John Newbery, the man who was both Smart’s publisher and father-in-law. For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life. For he purrs in thankfulness, when God tells him he’s a good Cat. For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him. [36] As such, Smart is attempting to develop a poetic language that will connect him to the "one true, eternal poem" of God. A friend directed me to this post and I am so glad. And, to my amazement and delight, Paul has illustrated all eighty-nine lines, each one with an apposite feline image. "[32] Furthermore, Jeoffry himself is the "most famous cat in the whole history of English literature."[33]. [21] Along with this transformation of pairing comes insects, legendary creatures, and finally seven birds at the end of the fragment. For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. To bless Almighty God. For his ears are so acute that they sting again. For this is a true case– Bond stated that, "The poem was intended as a responsive reading; and that is why the Let and For sections [of the manuscript] are physically distinct while corresponding verse for verse. "(B220), and establishes Smart's own original natural philosophy, in which he emphasizes God's presence in the universe. The poem—a litany about the poet's cat—is really a … For at the first glance on the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. ", Liu, Alan. For he was brave and thought he was a man. that oft soft from aloft From Jubilate Agno, Fragment B, Lines 695-768 Poem by Christopher Smart. I long for scenes where man has never trod; 30: Rejoice in God, O ye Tongues", "Rejoice in the Lamb, Op. For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him. For he can jump from an eminence into his master’s bosom. "My Cat Jeoffry" by Christopher Smart. Jubilate Agno (Latin: "Rejoice in the Lamb") is a religious poem by Christopher Smart, and was written between 1759 and 1763, during Smart's confinement for insanity in St. Luke's Hospital, Bethnal Green, London. For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness. Please make this into a book so we mere common folk can afford it! in the East feasted on beasts roared and fought I have long loved this poem – there seem to be fragments in so many anthologies for children – but I had never heard the story behind it or given it a “place”. walks in thought For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it chance. They rise and vanish in oblivious host, [20] Biblical priests follow the Patriarchs, and their animal companions are the unclean animals from Deuteronomy. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. I think it would make a great book too. the pard dark-starred Like shades in love and death’s oblivion lost; Jeoffry’s life, writes Soden, “is imaginary. For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry Posted on January 7, 2019 by Stephen Liddell The internet is always full of cat videos and cat memes and I thought I would try to raise the bar a little by bringing up the marvellous poem by Christopher Smart, a poet and mystic who led an eventful life at a time when religion and science were competing for the greatest minds in Britain. An article on Christopher Smart’s “Jubilate Agno” in the Public Domain Review may be of interest. The poem begins ‘For I will consider my cat Jeoffry’ which means that he is going to think about his cat. For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon.co.uk. I will engage you, For he can tread to all the measures upon the musick. Buy download online. I saw this the first time around and loved it. Jubilato Agno. Isnt that lovely & like cats through the ages.His life is as sad as John Clares & was almost the same,yet they both loved nature & animals.I think most animals are preferable to humans! For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness. For Eighthly he rubs himself against a post. ", Easton, Fraser. [20] Figures, such as Abraham, Balaam, and Daniel are paired with animals mentioned directly in relationship with each other in their Biblical accounts, while others, like Isaac, are slightly more obscure are paired with animals that were involved in an important aspect of their life.