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) | |
| by T. S. Eliot | |
| First published in | 1939 |
|---|---|
| "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Released | 1981 |
| Genre | Musical theatre |
| Songwriter(s) |
Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyricist: T. S. Eliot |
"(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 dog tribes, the Pekes and the Pollicles, who bark "until you could hear them all over the park". The cats stage the battles by dressing up as dogs and barking in each other's faces. This goes on until the Great Rumpus Cat arrives and scares the dogs away.
Trivia
- The word "Pollicle Dog" is derived from an unsuccessful attempt at saying "poor little dog". Similarly, "Jellicle Cat" is a corruption of "dear little cat".
- The song is spelled "awefull" intentionally, but it is often corrected to "awful".