LAW OF THE JUNGLE I have heard There is a law of the jungle I have heard when the lion has eaten his fill He never attacks He goes to lie under dense shady trees And when the rough gusts Shake branches of trees The mynah leaving her own young Covers the frail crow’s eggs With her protective wings. I have heard When any bird-young frills out of the nest The entire jungle wakes to rescue. I have heard When the weaver bird’s nest Reflects on the lake The silvery fishes adopt it as a neighbour. And if a rough storm breaks the foot-bridge. Then on a wooden plank Squirrel, snake, gout and cheetah walk in a file. I have heard There is a law of the jungle 0 God, All-Powerful. All Seeing. All-Wise. In this my city Proclaim a law, Even the law of the jungle, —Translated from Urdu by Syeda Hameed1. What does the poet mean to say by the law of the jungle? 2. What happens when the strong wind blows in the jungle?3. What do the animals do when the footbridge breaks due to rough weather? 4. What is the poet’s wish in the last lines? 5. What metre has been used in writing this poem?