Mowgli’s Song

      THAT HE SANG AT THE COUNCIL ROCK WHEN HE

     DANCED ON SHERE KHAN’S HIDE

 

     The Song of Mowgli—I, Mowgli, am singing.  Let the jungle

        listen to the things I have done.

 

     Shere Khan said he would kill—would kill!  At the gates in the

        twilight¹ he would kill Mowgli, the Frog!

 

     He ate and he drank.  Drink deep, Shere Khan, for when wilt² thou

        drink again?  Sleep and dream of the kill.

 

     I am alone on the grazing-grounds.  Gray Brother, come to me!

        Come to me, Lone³ Wolf, for there is big game afoot!

 

     Bring up the great bull buffaloes⁴, the blue-skinned herd⁵ bulls

        with the angry eyes.  Drive them to and fro as I order.

 

     Sleepest thou still, Shere Khan?  Wake, oh, wake!  Here come I,

        and the bulls are behind.

 

     Rama, the King of the Buffaloes, stamped with his foot.  Waters of

        the Waingunga, whither went Shere Khan?

 

     He is not Ikki to dig holes, nor Mao, the Peacock, that he should

        fly.  He is not Mang the Bat, to hang in the branches.  Little

        bamboos that creak together, tell me where he ran?

 

     Ow!  He is there.  Ahoo!  He is there.  Under the feet of Rama

        lies the Lame⁶ One!  Up, Shere Khan!

 

     Up and kill!  Here is meat; break the necks of the bulls!

 

     Hsh!  He is asleep.  We will not wake him, for his strength is

        very great.  The kites have come down to see it.  The black

        ants have come up to know it.  There is a great assembly in his

        honor.

 

     Alala!  I have no cloth to wrap me.  The kites will see that I am

        naked.  I am ashamed to meet all these people.

 

     Lend me thy coat, Shere Khan.  Lend me thy gay striped coat that I

        may go to the Council Rock.

 

     By the Bull that bought me I made a promise—a little promise.

        Only thy coat is lacking before I keep my word.

 

     With the knife, with the knife that men use, with the knife of the

        hunter, I will stoop down for my gift.

 

     Waters of the Waingunga, Shere Khan gives me his coat for the love

        that he bears me.  Pull, Gray Brother!  Pull, Akela!  Heavy is

        the hide of Shere Khan.

 

     The Man Pack are angry.  They throw stones and talk child’s talk.

        My mouth is bleeding.  Let me run away.

 

     Through the night, through the hot night, run swiftly with me, my

        brothers.  We will leave the lights of the village and go to

        the low moon.

 

     Waters of the Waingunga, the Man-Pack have cast me out.  I did

        them no harm, but they were afraid of me.  Why?

 

     Wolf Pack, ye have cast me out too.  The jungle is shut to me and

        the village gates are shut.  Why?

 

     As Mang flies between the beasts and birds, so fly I between the

        village and the jungle.  Why?

 

     I dance on the hide of Shere Khan, but my heart is very heavy.  My

        mouth is cut and wounded with the stones from the village, but

        my heart is very light, because I have come back to the jungle.

        Why?

 

     These two things fight together in me as the snakes fight in the

        spring.  The water comes out of my eyes; yet I laugh while it

        falls.  Why?

 

     I am two Mowglis, but the hide of Shere Khan is under my feet.

 

     All the jungle knows that I have killed Shere Khan.  Look—look

        well, O Wolves!

 

     Ahae!  My heart is heavy with the things that I do not understand.

 

1 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

2 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

3 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

4 buffaloes   

n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓

参考例句：

• Some medieval towns raced donkeys or buffaloes. 有些中世纪的城市用驴子或水牛竞赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Water buffaloes supply Egypt with more meat than any other domestic animal. 水牛提供给埃及的肉比任何其它动物都要多。 来自辞典例句

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

6 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。