I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope so see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.1895
About two years later, Burgess offered the following in the same journal in which the Purple Cow had first appeared, his “The Lark”:
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!1897
~ Gelett Burgess (1866 – 1951)