I wonder if it ever crossed tenniel’s mind
when he was having fun with caterpillars
smoking hookahs a neck stretched up to the
tree tops a lizard flying out a chimney a cat
vanished except for its grin that he would
achieve immortality not for his great political
cartoons so popular in punch but through alice
and I wonder whether arthur sullivan in
whatever heaven he’s in feels resentful that
all that anyone remembers of the music he
composed the music he counted on to bring
lasting fame are the operettas written with
gilbert – gilbert’s name coming always first
those will last forever the two had a rocky
romance even enmity at the end sullivan
does have one non g & s song remembered
but he must feel as though he’s the lost chord
This article appears in May 22-28, 2014.
