US Edition Can any writer match the genius of TS Eliot?
Surely this verse, from The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, is untouchable poetry—and just one of the many unforgettable scenes that Eliot created.
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
But while few would claim to surpass Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber has argued that an entire legion of popular culture has followed in his footsteps.
The musical Cats, which is based on TS Eliot’s "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats", is due to return to the West End, and Lloyd Webber has rewritten the music with a stronger hip-hop flavour.
“I came to the conclusion, having read Eliot again, that maybe he was the inventor of rap,” say Lloyd Webber. “His metre for the Rum Tum Tugger is so wonderful… it raps.”
From Biggie and 2Pac to contemporary stars like Jay Z, there’s no doubt that rap has its fair share of lyrical geniuses.
But can you tell the difference between a TS Eliot line and a rap lyric? Take our quiz to find out.