How the Leopard Got His Spots

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



I am the Most Wise Baviaan, saying in Most wise tones,
"Let us melt into the landscape -- just us two by our lones."
People have come -- in a carriage -- calling. But Mummy is
there. . . .
Yes, I can go if you take me--Nurse says she don't care.
Let's go up to the pig-styes and sit on the farmyard rails!
Let's say things to the bunnies, and watch 'em skitter their tails!
Let's'-oh, anything, daddy, so long as it's you and me,
And going truly exploring, and not being in till tea!
Here's your boots (I've brought 'em), and here's your cap and stick,
And here's your pipe and tobacco. Oh, come along out of it -- quick!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

39 sec read
142

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCDDEEFF
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 619
Words 122
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 11

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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    "How the Leopard Got His Spots" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33240/how-the-leopard-got-his-spots>.

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