T. S. Eliot the Poems, Volume 2
Page 79
Valerie’s Own Book: fair copy on two pages (with no apostrophe in title above poem, although this is correct in the Contents at the end of the first exercise book).
Dedication II
Valerie’s Own Book: fair copy on one page.
6,8] ranged left ms
Love seeketh not Itself to please
ms1 (Valerie Eliot collection): ruled leaf. TSE’s late hand. The three stanzas appear in reverse order but are then numbered 3, 2, 1, and headed “Read from Bottom Up”.
1 seeketh] that 1st reading
2 But] And 1st reading
10 has] takes 1st reading
11 joys] joys only 1st reading taking] not 1st reading
[Poems I 317–19 · Commentary I 1219–20]
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats has appeared in many editions and, since 1940, with illustrations by Nicolas Bentley, Edward Gorey, Errol Le Cain and Axel Scheffler. During the 1940s and 1950s, unillustrated and illustrated editions were both kept in print. An extra poem, Cat Morgan Introduces Himself, was added to the unillustrated edition in 1953, though by 1959 it had not been added to the illustrated edition. The first paperback appeared in 1962, the first paperback with all of Bentley’s illustrations not until 1974. Four known copies contain emendations by TSE (emendations A–D) and he sent others in memos to David Bland, Faber’s production editor. Bland’s own memos to the printers, attempting to achieve a stable text, continued after TSE’s death.
But not all of the emendations from the copies marked up by TSE and the list referred to as emendations E can be incorporated, since some contradict others. For instance, in Old Deuteronomy, “My mind may be wandering but” is revised in emendations B to “My legs may be failing but yet”, but in emendations C, D to “My sight may be failing but yet”. If the second of these is adopted as probably the later, does this mean that only changes from emendations D should be incorporated? If so, it would mean not adopting from emendations B, C the (necessary) change later in the poem, from “My sight’s unreliable but” to “I’m deaf of an ear now but yet”. And if the principle were extended to the whole book, some twenty changes from emendations A, B, C would be ruled out. Alternatively, it would be possible to incorporate as many of the changes as possible, giving priority to those that appear to be the latest. Yet this would be to ignore the evidence that TSE had second and third thoughts about his emendations, as he had about pre-publication drafts. In Skimbleshanks, for instance, “You ought to reflect” is revised to “You’ll have to admit” (emendations B), “You’re bound to admit” (emendations C) and “You have to admit” (emendations D)—and a printed lifetime edition apparently later than any of these (the second impression 1964 pbk) reads differently again: “You are bound to admit”. So if a particular reading is called for on one occasion, but not repeated in later sets of emendations, it may be prudent to suppose that TSE had come to prefer the printed text. As elsewhere, the present edition has considered each case individually.
TYPESCRIPTS
No manuscripts of poems from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats are known to survive. Most of the surviving typescripts were sent to friends. They are of two kinds: those sent individually as the poems were written, and those sent as more-or-less complete sheaves. John Hayward’s archive of TSE includes both kinds. The principal collections and repositories are described first. The details of the typescripts of individual poems then refer to these sheaves, so that, for instance, the typescripts of The Naming of Cats designated ts2a and ts2b are cognate copies, found within Hodgson’s ts sheaf and Hayward’s ts sheaf (i).
The space between stanzas in the typescripts is sometimes two lines: this is noted only when single line spaces are also used in the same poem.
[Poems II 1–35 · Commentary II 37–77]
Tandy corresp. (BL): nine poems (plus The Practical Cat; see “Uncollected Poems”) enclosed at various times in letters to the Tandy family, who were usually— perhaps always—the first audience. The nine are The Old Gumbie Cat, Growltiger’s Last Stand (two versions), The Rum Tum Tugger, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, Old Deuteronomy, The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, The Ad-dressing of Cats. The poems are not bound consecutively, and their order does not reflect their order of composition or posting.
Faber corresp. (photocopies, Valerie Eliot collection): five poems enclosed at various times in letters to Enid Faber: Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, Old Deuteronomy, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Bustopher Jones: The Cat about Town, Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat.
BBC (BL): scripts for a reading by Geoffrey Tandy on “Regional” radio, 25 Dec 1937, 2.30–2.45 p.m. and perhaps other occasions. The poems were sent to Tandy by Ian Cox of the BBC in two batches. The first, preceded by introductory notes, included The Naming of Cats, The Practical Cat, The Rum Tum Tugger and Old Deuteronomy. The second, which Cox sent on 8 Dec “with apologies for leaving these out of the first batch”, included Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat and The Ad-dressing of Cats. Growltiger’s Last Stand must also have been sent, as it is mentioned in a note on the verso of the title page for the Christmas broadcast. However, TSE had authorised the broadcast of “not more than five” poems on that occasion, and the exact composition of the broadcasts is not known.
Hodgson’s ts sheaf (Beinecke): ribbon copy of a professional typing of all 14 poems in 1939, on 25 leaves, including title page, Note of Acknowledgement (i.e. Preface) and Contents. Sent in 1938 to Ralph Hodgson, who was commissioned to illustrate the poems (see Commentary headnote, 6. WITH AND WITHOUT ILLUSTRATIONS). Ribbon copy except Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town, carbon. Ink emendations by TSE. Contents list begins with “Epistle Dedicatory”.
Hayward’s ts sheaf (King’s):
(i) carbon of the book’s first 11 poems, cognate with Hodgson’s ts sheaf.
(ii) additional carbons of five poems sent individually (each of the first three being identified by Hayward as “a different typing”): The Rum Tum Tugger, The Song of the Jellicles, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Gus: The Theatre Cat. (Of these additional drafts, some are apparently earlier than Hodgson’s ts sheaf, such as Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer ts3, and others later, such as Gus: The Theatre Cat ts2).
(iii) carbons of three other poems sent individually: The Ad-dressing of Cats, Bustopher Jones: The Cat about Town (two versions, sent at the same time), Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat (two successive drafts).
(iv) The Marching Song of the Pollicle Dogs (see “Uncollected Poems”).
These category numbers—(i), (ii), (iii), (iv)—are used in the descriptions below to indicate the history of each typescript, although the poems from them are interspersed in a single volume bound for Hayward.
[Poems II 1–35 · Commentary II 37–77]
Hale’s ts sheaf (Scripps College): secondary carbon of a professional typing of the 14 poems in 1939 on 25 leaves, including title page, Note of Acknowledgement and Contents. Inscribed below title “for Miss Emily Hale this not quite final text, from Old Possum 18. vii. 38”. Some poems adopt TSE’s revisions from Hodgson’s ts sheaf.
PUBLISHED TEXTS AND POST-PUBLICATION EMENDATIONS
1939: first ed., without illustrations except line drawings by TSE on front and back of the jacket. Two impressions appeared before the illustrated edition of 1940, and this cheaper unillustrated alternative remained in print through ten impressions in all before the new edition of 1953. Later impressions adopted a few readings from 1940. In 1948 when production was switched to new printers (Mardon, Son & Hall), Bentley’s line drawings (though not the colour plates) were accidentally included in the ninth unillustrated impression.
US 1939: as 1939 except where noted.
1940: first illustrated ed., for which “Nicolas Bentley drew the pictures” (black-and-white and colour). As 1939 except where noted.
US 1952: TSE, The Complete Poems and
Plays, the first collected edition to include Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
1953: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats “New edition, 11th impression, 1953”. A further impression of 1939 (from the same type) with the addition of Cat Morgan. As 1939 except where noted.
1962 pbk: first paperback ed., pub. 19 Apr, with Bentley’s line drawings but not his colour plates. A new setting (with poem titles in upper and lower case), incorporating all the changes in emendations A, but not those that appear only in emendations B, C, D. An untraced marked copy of 1962 pbk with new corrections was sent by David Bland to Maclehose (printers of the paperback) and a list of these was sent to Mardon (printers of the hardback unillustrated and illustrated eds.), 20 Aug 1962. These corrections were evidently from TSE, who then added “two more changes” in a memo to Bland of 8 Jan 1963 which was also relayed to both Maclehose and Mardon (Faber archive). The final lifetime text, that of 1964 pbk, is therefore the first for which all authorial readings were available.
1964 pbk: second paperback imp., incorporating further changes, most of them probably from the marked copy of 1962 pbk and including the two in TSE’s memo of 8 Jan 1963 (to Skimbleshanks 59 and Cat Morgan 12). As 1962 pbk except where noted.
1969: the British first collected edition to include Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. As 1962 pbk except where noted.
1974 pbk: first paperback with all of Bentley’s illustrations.
Gorey: first ed. illustrated by Edward Gorey (1982). As 1964 pbk except where noted. The reprint of the same year with Bentley’s illustrations had a slightly different text (not noted below).
emendations A (Pierpont Morgan): author’s emendations in a copy of 1953 13th imp. (1960). All adopted in 1962 pbk.
emendations B (Valerie Eliot collection): author’s emendations in a copy of 1953, repeating or further revising all of emendations A.
[Poems II 1–35 · Commentary II 37–77]
emendations C (Valerie Eliot collection): author’s emendations, dating from 1950s, in Valerie Eliot’s copy of 1939, inscribed on the title page successively “Inscribed for Miss Valerie Fletcher by T. S. Eliot”, “and for Valerie Eliot by T. S. Eliot”, “and finally for my beloved Valerie, my darling, from her adoring Tom.” On the free endpaper TSE wrote: “This is the copy I used in recording all the Cats for the British Council. Finished 18. vi. 57”, and there are occasional pencilled ticks, chevrons and crosses throughout, presumably as aids to reading. The emendations to Of the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles 5–6 and to Skimbleshanks 51 appear to have been copied from emendations B where earlier attempts at revision are discernible, but some other emendations from there are ignored. This copy also contains in ms, on the front flyleaf, The Cows: a Pastoral (that is, The Country Walk) and, on the rear flyleaf and endpapers, Billy M’Caw: The Remarkable Parrot and Mr. Pugstyles: The Elegant Pig.
emendations D (photocopy): author’s emendations in a copy of 1962 pbk, “Inscribed for Miss Walton, Matron of Brompton Hospital and for George Brompton (whose portrait appears in the book) T. S. Eliot”. (The silhouette of a cat on 47, opposite the end of Gus: The Theatre Cat, is identified by TSE as “George”.) All the emendations are either repeated from or further revisions of emendations B, C, but other emendations from these are ignored.
emendations E (enclosed in the copy of 1939 bearing emendations C): undated memo to David Bland (production manager of Faber) calling for “Two more slight alterations to text of Practical Cats, if and when any edition is reprinted. Both in Bustopher Jones” (36 and 38). The alterations were listed in emendations B, C, D, but TSE may have thought better of them (the second strains the sense), for they were not printed in his lifetime. They appeared only in 1969. (Also noted in the memo is a correction for the text of Selected Essays.)
A WORD ABOUT THE MUSICAL SETTINGS
For the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber (1981), Valerie Eliot gave permission for certain alterations to the poems of Old Possum specifically for the musical settings. Although Cats: The Book of the Musical printed the poems as published, the altered versions appeared on the record sleeve of the cast album and in the musical score. In addition to the Old Possum poems, the musical included Grizabella: The Glamour Cat, lines from Billy M’Caw: The Remarkable Parrot, from The Marching Song of the Pollicle Dogs (as part of The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles), and what was called The Journey to the Heaviside Layer (from the fragment in the letter to Geoffrey Faber of 6 Mar 1936 quoted in the Commentary headnote to Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats). Other fragments of TSE’s poetry were incorporated elsewhere, and into the two songs by other writers, Memory by Trevor Nunn and Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats by Richard Stilgoe.
Title] Old Possum’s Book of | PRACTICAL CATS | with pixtures supplied by | The Man in White Spats Hodgson’s ts sheaf, Hayward’s ts sheaf, Hale’s ts sheaf ‖ BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS running head US 1952
[Poems II 1–35 · Commentary II 37–77]
Preface title] no heading US 1939 ‖ Note of Acknowledgement Hodgson’s ts sheaf, Hale’s ts sheaf ‖ Epistle Dedicatory Hayward’s ts sheaf, Hale’s ts sheaf Contents list
Preface] I wish to thank numerous friends who have given encouragement, criticism, and advice; and particularly Mr. T. E. Faber, Miss Alison Tandy, Miss Susan Wolcott, and the Man in White Spats. ¶ O.P. Hayward’s ts sheaf, Hodgson’s ts sheaf (with and after semi-colon del), Hale’s ts sheaf (omitting and)
The Naming of Cats
ts1: single leaf of BBC.
ts2a and ts2b: cognate copies, on single leaves in Hodgson’s ts sheaf and Hayward’s ts sheaf (i).
ts3: single leaf of Hale’s ts sheaf.
4] unindented in all eds (error)
8 as also 12 sensible] practical tss
28 name] Name ts2 (emended to name in ts2b)
For additional lines in letter to Tom Faber, 7 Jan 1936, see Commentary.
The Old Gumbie Cat
ts1: letter to Alison Tandy, 10 Nov 1936, in Tandy corresp.
ts2a and ts2b: cognate copies with different emendations, on single leaves in Hodgson’s ts sheaf and Hayward’s ts sheaf (i).
ts3: single leaf of Hale’s ts sheaf.
ts Perkins (Beinecke): single leaf, folded in six presumably for posting. The enclosing folder has a note by Gallup: “Typescript prepared for ( by?) Mrs John Carroll Perkins (has readings variant from printed text).” Bought by Gallup from Seven Gables Bookshop, 25 July 1961.
Title The] O (mistyping) ts2 1st reading
1–4] transposed with 13–16 ts Perkins
3 mat:] 1940+ ‖ mat; ts1, ts2, 1939 ‖ mat. ts Perkins (where as part of the second chorus this is 15)
4, as also 16, 28 sits—] sits tss
4 that’s] that’s ts Perkins (second chorus) Cat!] Cat!! ts Perkins (second chorus)
7 family’s] fambly’s ts1, ts Perkins
8 slips down the stairs] ts3, emendations B, C & D, 1964 pbk ‖ tucks up her skirts ts1, ts2, ts Perkins, printings prior to 1964 pbk, 1969, recording 1957 to the basement to] and downstairs will ts1 ‖ to the kitchen to ts Perkins
9] There she must every night attend to the mice— ts1
11 So] And ts2a 1st reading, ts2b
[Poems II 3–6 · Commentary II 53–58]
15 on the bed] ts1–ts3, ts Perkins (where as part of the first chorus this is 3), 1939 ‖ in the sun emendations A & B, 1962 pbk+. (The emendation, thirty years after composition, is reversed in the present edition because of the repetition of “sits in the sun” from Old Deuteronomy 10.) on my hat:] in my hat: ts1 ‖ in my hat. ts Perkins (first chorus)
20 diet;] ts2, ts3, 1939 ‖ diet. ts1, ts Perkins ‖ diet 1953+ (probably broken type)
22 sets straight] ts1–ts3, ts Perkins, emendations B & C, 1964 pbk ‖ sets right printings prior to 1964 pbk and some subsequently, 1957 recording ‖ sets 1969 (error)
23 of] with ts1, ts Perkins
24 beautiful] beautiful ts1, ts Perkins
26 curtain-cord]
window-cord ts1, ts2a 1st reading, ts2b, ts Perkins into] up in ts1 sailor-knots] sailor knots ts1 ‖ sailor- | knots (broken across line) 1939 (but not US 1939)
28 that’s] THAT’S ts Perkins Cat!] Cat!!! ts Perkins
32 prevent] preserve ts1
35 a good deed to do—] a great deal to do; ts1 ‖ their good deeds to do— ts Perkins
37–38] no indent 1962 pbk (error)
37 ^ 38] (CHEER, please) ts Perkins (as though a direction to an audience, not to be read aloud)
Growltiger’s Last Stand
ts1: two leaves in Tandy corresp. Sent to Tandy family before 10 Nov 1936. With “Griddletone” for “Griddlebone”. The epigraph suggests composition after June 1935 when Sir John Simon became Home Secretary. A secondary carbon of the same typing, with a compliments slip from the vestry of St. Stephen’s Church, is at the Berg, acquired with Frank Morley’s papers.
ts2: two leaves in Tandy corresp. A revised version also sent to Tandy family, with identical carbon. Still with “Griddletone” for “Griddlebone”.
ts3a and ts3b: cognate copies each on two leaves, in Hodgson’s ts sheaf and Hayward’s ts sheaf (i); with additional emendation in ts3a at 42.
ts4: two leaves of Hale’s ts sheaf.
Epigraph] “He was no better than a Pirate”:—Sir John Simon, replying to a Question in the House during the Debate on the Growltiger Incident. ts1 only
1 GROWLTIGER] 1939, 1969 ‖ GROWLTIGER ts1–ts3, US 1939 ‖ Growltiger 1962 pbk Bravo] ruffian ts1, ts2 travelled on] printings from 1946 (see Commentary), recording 1957 ‖ grew up on ts1, ts2 ‖ lived upon 1939 barge:] Barge; ts1, ts2 (over b in ts2)