According to Greek mythology, a man named Melampous was endowed with the ability to understand the language of birds and creeping things, after snakes licked his ears with their tongue one day while he was sleeping. He became a renowned soothsayer, even once escaping captivity by listening to wood worms and warning his captors of the impending roof collapse, saving their lives and his, and with their gratitude, earning his freedom.

Anthropomorphism is hardly a rare thing in literature (or on the internet for that matter: LOLcats, hello). We humans just can’t help but wonder what animals are thinking sometimes, and wondering what it would be like if suddenly, one day, we could understand them.

This week I’ve collected three animals. Three critters who look to me as if they have something to share, and three people nearby who are suddenly about to be given the gift of understanding them. Care to put words in their mouths?

Henri Matisse, Woman Before an Aquarium, 1921–3. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Edgar Degas, Place de la Concorde, 1875. Oil on canvas. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Paulus Potter, The Young Bull, 1647. Oil on canvas. The Hague, Netherlands.