The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles "(Of) The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" (Together with Some Account of the Participation of the Pugs and the Poms and the Intervention of the Great Rumpus Cat) is a poem by T. S. Eliot, which appears in the book, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" (published 1939). Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats" is adapted from the book, and "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" is included in the musical, in which it is sung mostly by Munkustrap. It describes a battle between two neighbouring
T. S. Eliot It wouldn't be what it is, and I imagine it wouldn't be so good; putting it as modestly as I can, it wouldn't be what it is if I'd been born in England, and it wouldn't be what it is if I'd stayed in America. It's a combination of things. But in its sources, in its emotional springs, it comes from America." Cleo McNelly Kearns notes in her biography that Eliot was deeply influenced by Indic traditions, notably the Upanishads. From the Sanskrit ending of "The Waste Land" to the "What Krishna meant" section of "Four Quartets" shows how much