Burning a Bit Dim, Really
Go on then, who knows a poem about a tiger?
Yes, yes, anyone who knows a poem about a tiger - - or even a tyger - - knows this one:
Tyger Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Poem about a tiger? Of course! This one by William Blake. Poem about daffodils? Of course! That one by William Wordsworth.
But I digress. Back to this tiger, which I saw in Leeds City Centre today. It's a Bengal Tiger, very big and fierce:
Luckily, he's in a glass case, so not too dangerous.
I've known this tiger all my life. He was always my favourite exhibit in the old Leeds Museum when I was a child. I visited him often.
I haven't seen him for a few years, because the old museum closed. Now a sparkling new museum has opened, and, quite rightly, old Tyger has pryde of place.
I was always very thrilled by him. He's so BIG! He's so FIERCE! But now, looking at him anew, having seen a few documentaries about tygers, sorry, tigers, I found myself thinking - - and he's really rather a funny shape, frankly.
A slightly wry notice below him explains why. He was shot in 1860, but his slightly odd body shape is due to the fact that before being made into Stuffed-and-Scary he - - er - - spent some years as a rug.
If you're in Leeds, do pop along to the museum - - it's free, it's interesting, more about it in another post - and have a look at Tyger. But don't let on to him that you know about the rug part of the story. I'm sure he's really embarrassed about it.
Yes, yes, anyone who knows a poem about a tiger - - or even a tyger - - knows this one:
Tyger Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Poem about a tiger? Of course! This one by William Blake. Poem about daffodils? Of course! That one by William Wordsworth.
But I digress. Back to this tiger, which I saw in Leeds City Centre today. It's a Bengal Tiger, very big and fierce:
Luckily, he's in a glass case, so not too dangerous.I've known this tiger all my life. He was always my favourite exhibit in the old Leeds Museum when I was a child. I visited him often.
I haven't seen him for a few years, because the old museum closed. Now a sparkling new museum has opened, and, quite rightly, old Tyger has pryde of place.
I was always very thrilled by him. He's so BIG! He's so FIERCE! But now, looking at him anew, having seen a few documentaries about tygers, sorry, tigers, I found myself thinking - - and he's really rather a funny shape, frankly.
A slightly wry notice below him explains why. He was shot in 1860, but his slightly odd body shape is due to the fact that before being made into Stuffed-and-Scary he - - er - - spent some years as a rug.
If you're in Leeds, do pop along to the museum - - it's free, it's interesting, more about it in another post - and have a look at Tyger. But don't let on to him that you know about the rug part of the story. I'm sure he's really embarrassed about it.
posted by Daphne at 6:25 pm
3 Comments:
Wow, that's reminded me that my grandparents used to have a tiger rug in their front room - a room very rarely used - but it wasn't a Bengal tiger and the rug was never (as far as I know) turned into a stuffed tiger. I might just go and visit the Bengal Tiger in the Leeds Museum - I promise I won't let on to him about his ignominious past (hopefully he can't read the notice so is in blissful ignorance - okay he's dead, I know!).
Talking about Tigers, we won tonight against London's Fulham. Yes, we stuffed em even though we are not taxidermists!
He's a man...they're all embarassed about their rugs.
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