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Road-Song of the Bandar-Log

The Jungle Book · Rudyard Kipling

A chain of grey langur monkeys swings from branch to branch across the treetops under a rising full moon at dusk.

Here we go in a flung festoon, Half-way up to the jealous moon! Don’t you envy our pranceful bands? Don’t you wish you had extra hands? Wouldn’t you like if your tails were--so-- Curved in the shape of a Cupid’s bow? Now you’re angry, but--never mind, Brother, thy tail hangs down behind!

Here we sit in a branchy row, Thinking of beautiful things we know; Dreaming of deeds that we mean to do, All complete, in a minute or two-- Something noble and wise and good, Done by merely wishing we could. We’ve forgotten, but--never mind, Brother, thy tail hangs down behind!

A row of grey langur monkeys sits side by side along a thick branch in golden evening light.

All the talk we ever have heard Uttered by bat or beast or bird-- Hide or fin or scale or feather-- Jabber it quickly and all together! Excellent! Wonderful! Once again!

Now we are talking just like men! Let’s pretend we are ... never mind, Brother, thy tail hangs down behind! This is the way of the Monkey-kind.

A noisy troop of grey langur monkeys chatters with open mouths in a tree, one long tail hanging down below the branch.

Then join our leaping lines that scumfish through the pines, That rocket by where, light and high, the wild grape swings. By the rubbish in our wake, and the noble noise we make, Be sure, be sure, we’re going to do some splendid things!

Grey langur monkeys leap in a line through sunlit trees, the leader grabbing a hanging vine as leaves fall behind them.