In May, 1895, Gelett Burgess – in his magazine The Lark, first published a poem called “The Purple Cow”*.
I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.
The poem became popular, was quoted quite often (without reference to Burgess), and he eventually came to tire of the whole mess, even resented its popularity.
In 1897, in the final issue of his magazine, he published his final comment on the situation:
Ah, yes, I wrote the “Purple Cow”—
I’m Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I’ll Kill you if you Quote it!
* Actually, its original title was “The Purple Cow’s projected feast/Reflections on a Mythic Beast/Who’s Quite Remarkable, at Least”
To read more background on this and on Burgess, visit PurpleCowBackground.
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