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
twilight he would kill Mowgli, the Frog!
He ate and he drank. Drink deep, Shere Khan, for when wilt
thou drink again? Sleep and dream of the kill.
I am alone on the grazing-grounds. Grey Brother, come to me!
Come to me, Lone Wolf, for there is big game afoot!
Bring up the great bull-buffoloes, the blue-skinned herd-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 Lame 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 honour.
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, the man, I will stoop down for my gift.
Waters of the Waingunga, bear withess that that 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.
本歌为毛葛利在会议岩希尔汗的皮上跳舞时所唱。
毛葛利的歌——我,毛葛利,在歌唱。让丛林听听我所干的事情。
希尔汗说他要杀——要杀!黄昏时在大门口他要杀青蛙毛葛利!
他吃,他喝。痛痛快快地喝吧,希尔汗,因为什么时候你会再喝一次呢?睡着梦那猎获物去吧。
牧场上就我一个。灰哥,到我这儿来!到我这儿来,独狼,因为有大猎物在活动!
把大公水牛拦住,那怒目瞪视的蓝皮公牛。按我的命令把他们赶来赶去。
你要睡个安静觉吗,希尔汗?醒来,啊,醒来!我来啦,公牛们就在后面。
水牛之王拉犸跺了一下脚,瓦因贡加河啊,希尔汗到哪儿去啦?
他不是挖洞的伊吉,也不是该飞的孔雀毛儿。他不是吊在树枝上的蝙蝠盲哥。在一起咯吱咯吱响的小竹子呀,告诉我他跑到哪儿去啦?
噢!他在那儿。啊呼!他在那儿。拉犸脚下躺着的就是瘸子!
起来,希尔汗!起来捕杀!肉就在这儿;把公牛的脖子咬断吧!
嘘!他睡着啦。我们没法儿把他叫醒,因为他的劲很大。老鹰飞下来看见他啦。黑蚁上来结识他啦。为他开个庆贺大会。
啊啦啦!我没有布来裹身。老鹰会看见我一丝不挂。我真没脸见这些居民。
把你的外套借给我,希尔汗。把你的花条纹外套借给我,好让我上会议岩去。
凭赎买我的那头公牛起誓,我已经做出了许诺——一个小小的许诺,只有拿到你的外套,我的话才能兑现。
用刀——用人使用的刀——用猎人的刀,我这个人要弯下腰取我的礼物。
瓦因贡加河的水哟,请你做证:希尔汗出于爱我把他的外套给了我。扯吧,灰哥!扯吧,阿凯拉!希尔汗的皮真沉。
人群生气了。他们扔石头,说傻话。我的嘴在流血。咱们跑吧。
穿过黑夜,穿过热烘烘的黑夜,跟我飞快地跑吧,我的兄弟。我们要离开村子的灯光到低垂的月儿那里去。
瓦因贡加河的水哟,人群把我撵了出来。我没有伤害过他们,可是他们害怕我。为什么?
狼群哟,你们也把我撵了出来。丛林对我关上了大门,村庄的大门也关上啦。为什么?
就像盲哥飞在飞鸟和走兽中间一样,我也飞在村庄和丛林之间。为什么?
我在希尔汗的皮上跳舞,可是我的心非常沉重。我的嘴被村子里扔出来的石头砸破,可是我的心非常轻松,因为我已经回到了丛林。为什么?
这两种东西在我心里打架,就像蛇在泉水里打架一样。水流出了我的眼睛;它掉下去时我放声大笑。为什么?
我是两个毛葛利,可是希尔汗的皮踩在了我的脚下。
整个丛林都知道我已经杀了希尔汗。看——注意看,狼们!
啊嘿!我的心沉甸甸的,因为装着我不明白的东西。