April is National Poetry Month!

Kipling, "The Hunting-Song of the Seeonee Pack," from The Jungle Book.

As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled
Once, twice and again!
And a doe leaped up, and a doe leaped up
From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup.
This I, scouting alone, beheld,
Once, twice and again!

As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled
Once, twice and again!
And a wolf stole back, and a wolf stole back
To carry the word to the waiting pack,
And we sought and we found and we bayed on his track
Once, twice and again!

As the dawn was breaking the Wolf Pack yelled
Once, twice and again!
Feet in the jungle that leave no mark!
Eyes that can see in the dark–the dark!
Tongue–give tongue to it! Hark! O hark!
Once, twice and again!


The thing that really gets under my skin about Kipling is that he writes brotherly love so naturally and convincingly that even with all of the qualifications I have to bring to reading his works, I am undone by the story. Even while I tsk at the motif of lord of the jungle, wince at white man above the Indian landscape, the love between Kim and his lama or Mowgli and Bagheera is so genuine and integral to the text that it disarms me utterly. He's a really good writer.