Old Deuteronomy Old Deuteronomy Old Deuteronomy is a character in T. S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" and its musical adaptation, "Cats". In Eliot's original poem, Old Deuteronomy is described as an ancient, wise cat who has "lived many lives in succession" and is respected by the other cats and humans (and perhaps even dogs) in his environment. His name derives from Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Old Testament of the Bible, which shares the central element of law with the character (who is a magistrate). "Cats" expands on the theme of wisdom by depicting Deuteronomy as the leader
T. S. Eliot one of the most moving poems Eliot wrote, and perhaps the "most perfect", though it was not well received by everyone. The poem's groundwork of orthodox Christianity discomfited many of the more secular "literati". In 1939, Eliot published a book of light verse, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" ("Old Possum" was Ezra Pound's nickname for him). This first edition had an illustration of the author on the cover. In 1954, the composer Alan Rawsthorne set six of the poems for speaker and orchestra in a work titled "Practical Cats". After Eliot's death, the book was adapted as the basis