Analysis of The Law of the Jungle

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



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. AAs 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!


Scheme AA BBCCDDEEXXXXXXFFGGHHIIJJKKKKCCLLFF
Poetic Form
Metre 111011010110111010011111110101111111101110110111001 101101101001101101 11011111111011011 0010011110001101111 01011001011111011 01001101011011111 1111101001001001 0101101001101011 11111001001011101 11101011011111101 111101101111101001 110110010001101011 01101111001111111 11001111011001011 01101111011111111 01011101001111101 11101111001101111 111001101011011001 111101011011111011 11111011001011011 111011101001011011 11101101011101001 01101101101111111 01111001111111111 01101101101111111 11111001001111111 11101101011111111 11101011001101101 11101101011101111 11111101001101001 11101101011101111 111111101111101001 01111011001111011 0110111001111111 11101101001001011 101001101001001101
Characters 2,753
Words 572
Sentences 25
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 2, 34
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 59
Words per line (avg) 16
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,057
Words per stanza (avg) 285
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 04, 2023

2:51 min read
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Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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