¿Qué significa "Pea Green Boat"?

"Pea Green Boat" significa textualmente "barco verde guisante" lo cual en Castellano no tiene mucho sentido. Pero seguramente un inglés sonreiría si oye estas palabras ya que provienen de un poema absurdo muy conocido en Inglaterra y que forma parte del imaginario infantil. Se trata de "The Owl and the Pussycat" del magnífico autor e ilustrador londinense Edward Lear.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSY-CAT

I

The Owl and the Pussy Cat 1 by Edward Lear

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

The Owl and the Pussy Cat 2 by Edward Lear

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

The Owl and the Pussy Cat 3 by Edward Lear

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.