Can someone help me with this poem?

Question:What is being indirectly comoared to what? These lines are from the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock." by T.S. Eliot.

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 corner of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimineys,
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.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides a long the street
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What is being indirectly comoared to what? These lines are from the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock." by T.S. Eliot.

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 corner of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimineys,
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.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides a long the street
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;

Not certain, of course, but it sounds like Eliot is comparing the yellow fog and smoke to a cat. Read it again thinking about the verbs and adjectives and see if you can hear terms that are typically used to describe a cat - such as "rubs its back", "licked its tongue", "made a sudden leap", "curled ...and fell asleep". Hope this helps some!

Hello,

He seems to be equating the dreadful air pollution of the cities Industrial England to a beast or wraith. All house had coal burning fire places as well. In 1956 several thousand people in Greater London for example succumbed and died because of this pollution.

Cheers,

Michael Kelly