Jellicle Cats come out tonight,
Jellicle Cats come one come all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright–
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.
Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces,
Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes;
They like to practise their airs and graces
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.

Jellicle Cats develop slowly,
Jellicle Cats are not too big;
Jellicle Cats are roly-poly,
They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig.
Until the Jellicle Moon appears
They make their toilette and take their repose:
Jellicles wash behind their ears,
Jellicles dry between their toes.

Jellicle Cats are white and black,
Jellicle Cats are of moderate size;
Jellicles jump like a jumping-jack,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes.
They’re quiet enough in the morning hours,
They’re quiet enough in the afternoon,
Reserving their terpsichorean powers
To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small;
If it happens to be a stormy night
They will practise a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the sun is shining bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all:
They are resting and saving themselves to be right
For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball.

Analysis, meaning and summary of T.S. Eliot's poem The Song Of The Jellicles

3 Comments

  1. queen trixie the piratical says:

    i love the nifty little jellicle cats! who dance gavottes and jigs! what could be more delightful??? i want to watch them…and Kathryn…what an odd tale! i don’t have any cats (sob of woe) but that certainly seems interesting…i love dancing and balls…and cats…i wish i was invited!

  2. queen trixie the piratical says:

    i love the nifty little jellicle cats! who dance gavottes and jigs! what could be more delightful??? i want to watch them…and Kathryn…what an odd tale! i don’t have any cats (sob of woe) but that certainly seems interesting…i love dancing and balls…and cats…i wish i was invited!

  3. Kahtryn says:

    I personally believe that the Jellicle Ball is when cats take on their next life. I’ve seen it happen twice now in my life with my pet cats, both cats of whom have been small and grey (not black, but fitting the description of a Jellicle) . But on the night of the full moon, they disappeared. the first time it happened, my cat who did not normally go outside, got out and disappeared for several hours. when she returned, she acted quite differently, with a dramatic change of temperment (all good) and a few new habits. The second little fur ball disappeared without a trace only a few days ago, on the night of a full moon. she has not come back. I’m sick with worry and doing everything to find her. But a similar looking cat fitting much of her description turned up on my daughter’s doorstep 800 miles away, the night after. Strange. Jellicle? perhaps.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by T.S. Eliot better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.