The Law of the Jungle by Rudyard Kipling - Read by Poet Arthur L Wood
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
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The Law of the Jungle by Rudyard Kipling
Now this is the Law of the Jungle - as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back -
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep.
The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the Wolf is a Hunter - go forth and get food of thine own.
Keep peace withe Lords of the Jungle - the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear.
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.
When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken - it may be fair words shall prevail.
When ye fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the Pack be diminished by war.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the Head Wolf may enter, not even the Council may come.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The Council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.
If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop, and your brothers go empty away.
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill Man!
If ye plunder his Kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride;
Pack-Right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.
The Kill of the Pack is the meat of the Pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.
The Kill of the Wolf is the meat of the Wolf. He may do what he will;
But, till he has given permission, the Pack may not eat of that Kill.
Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling. From all of his Pack he may claim
Full-gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.
Lair-Right is the right of the Mother. From all of her year she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.
Cave-Right is the right of the Father - to hunt by himself for his own:
He is freed of all calls to the Pack; he is judged by the Council alone.
Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open, the word of your Head Wolf is Law.
Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they;
But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is - Obey!
#Literature #Poetry #Kipling
Eyes up guardian
I have to say, as the top lyric poet of my country, that Arthur Wood is literally the only declaimer of verse I can actually tolerate. The accent is gorgeous, the pacing in poem after poem tremendously satisfying, and the restraint most admirable. If people only knew how very difficult the is the proper recitation of verse, and the intellective preparation involved, I believe they would share my appreciation of this fine young talent. This particular Kipling is not easy!
„Kill not for pleasure of killing“ because that’s the privilege of man and his pet cat!
Beautiful reading, a rhythm like drums from afar
Excellent.
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Powerful stuff sir. I have loved this poem from childhood. Thank you for recording it for us.
How very, very British. The same gist as Magna Carta More but eloquent and reasonable. Somehow, Kipling epitomizes all that was great about the Empire, even as it ignores much of what was bad.
Outstanding.
In all that the law leaveth open, the word of the head wolf is law!
Thank you so much for this reading. So evocative, it really brought it to life.
Wow that’s amazing im so impressed with these poem even though im not a english men and i dont now english very well but i love poems very much in my language arabic so i asked my brother of the most beautiful english poem you have heard he mentioned these.
Wow!