Songs from Books

Chapter Headings

In date order by books and stories

These are the chapter headings to be found in the 1913 U.K. edition of Songs from Books.  The verses are listed by book, in date order, and within books in the order of the stories and chapters which they head. Click here for a listing by first line.

The 14 headings from The Jungle Books were not included in the 1912 American Edition of Songs from Books, nor was  ‘We be the Gods” from Chapter XIX of of  The Naulahka, marked in red in the list below.

Title Book First line Notes
PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS (1888)
Look, you have cast out love Lispeth Look, you have cast out love, what gods are there
When the earth was sick The Other Man When the earth was sick, and the skiess were grey
Cry “Murder” His Wedded Wife Cry “Murder” in the market-place, and each
Go, stalk the red deer .. Pig Go, stalk the red deer o’er the heather
Stopped in the Straight In the Pride of his Youth Stopped in the straight, when the race was his own
And Some are Sulky Thrown Away And some are sulky, while some will plunge
The World hath set Tods’ Amendment The World hath set its heavy yoke
Not though you die tonight By Word of Mouth Not though you die tonight, O Sweet, and wail
They burnt a corpse In Error They burnt a corpse upon the sand
Ride with an idle whip The Conversion of Aurelian McGoggin Ride with an idle whip, ride with an unused heel
It was not in the open fight The Rout of the White Hussars It was not in the open fight
In the daytime The Bronckhoorst Divorce Case In the daytime, when she moved about me
A stone’s throw out In the House of Suddhoo A stone’s throw out on either hand
Tonight, God knows False Dawn Tonight, God knows what thing shall tide,
Pit where the buffalo cooled his hide Cupid’s Arrows Pit where the buffalo cooled his hide
He drank strong waters A Bank Fraud He drank strong waters, and his speech was coarse
Thus, for a season The Resue of Pluffles Thus, for a season, they fought it fair
Then a pile of heads, he laid His Chance in Life Then a pile of heads, he laid
Rosicrucian subtleties Consequences Rosicrucian subtleties
So we loosed a bloomin’ volley The Taking of Lungtungpen So we loosed a bloomin’ volley
Pleasant it is A Germ Destroyer Pleasant it is for the Little Tin Gods
There is a tide Kidnapped There is a tide in the affairs of men
While the snaffle holds The Broken-Link Handicap While the snaffle holds, or the long-neck stings
Little Blind Fish The Bisara of Pooree Little Blind Fish, thou art marvellous wise
BEAST AND MAN IN INDIA (1891)
The Goat Beast and Man in India They killed a Child to please the Gods
The Oxen Beast and Man in India Between the waving tufts of jungle-grass
The beasts are very wise Beast and Man in India The beasts are very wise
The Elephant Beast and Man in India The torn boughs trailing
Dark children of the mere Beast and Man in India Dark children of the mere
LIFE’S HANDICAP (1891)
The doors were wide The Return of Imray The doors were wide, the story saith
Before my Spring Without Benefit of Clergy Before my Spring I garnered Autumn’s gain.
There’s a convict more The Head of the District There’s a convict more in the Central Jail
The Earth gave up her dead The Man who Was The Earth gave up her dead that tide
The sky is lead At the End of the Passage The sky is lead and our faces are red
THE LIGHT THAT FAILED (1891)
So we settled it The Light that Failed (I) So we settled it all when the storm was done
Then we brought the lances The Light that Failed (II) Then we brought the lances down—then the trumpets blew
The wolf-cub at even The Light that Failed (IV) The wolf-cub at even lay hid in the corn
I have a thousand men The Light that Failed (V) I have a thousand men, said he,
If I have taken the common clay The Light that Failed (IX) If I have taken the common clay
The lark will make her hymn The Light that Failed (XI) The lark will make her hymn to God
There were three friends The Light that Failed (XII) There were three friends that buried the fourth
Yet at the last The Light that Failed (XIV) Yet at the last, ere our spearmen had found him
THE NAULAHKA (1092)
There was a strife The Naulahka (I) There was a strife ‘twixt man and maid
Beware the man The Naulahka (II) Beware the man who’s crossed in love
Your patience, Sirs. The Naulahka (IV) Your patience, Sirs, The Devil took me up.
Now it is not good… The Naulahka (V) Now it is nor good for the Christian’s health, to hustle the Aryan brown
There is pleasure in the wet, wet clay The Naulahka (VII) There is pleasure in the wet, wet clay
When a lover hies abroad The Naulahka (VIII) When a Lover hies abroad
We meet in an evil land The Naulahka (IX) We meet in an evil land
This I saw The Naulahka (XII) This I saw when the rites were done
Beat off ? The Naulahka (XIII) Beat off in our last fight were we ?
Because I sought it The Naulahka (XIV) Because I sought it far from men
We be the Gods The Naulahka (XIX) We be the Gods of the East
MANY INVENTIONS (1893)
Less you want your toes trod off My Lord the Elephant Less you want your toes trod off you’d better get back at oince
THE JUNGLE BOOK (1894)
Night Song in the Jungle Mowgli’s Brothers Now Chil the Kite brings home the night
Maxims of Baloo Kaa’s Hunting His spots are the joy of the Leopard: his horns are the Buffalo’s pride,
What of the hunting Tiger, Tiger ! What of the hunting, hunter bold?
Oh hush thee my baby The White Seal Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
You mustn’t swim till you’re six weeks old The White Seal You mustn’t swim till you’re six weeks old
At the hole where he went in Rikki -ikki-Tavi At the hole where he went in
I will remember what I was Toomai of the Elephants I will remember what I was. I am sick of rope and chain—
THE SECOND JUNGLE BOOK (1895)
The stream is shrunk, the pool is dry How Fear Came The stream is shrunk—the pool is dry,
The night we felt the earth would move The Miracle of Purun Bhagat The night we felt the earth would move
Veil them. cover them, wall them sound Letting in the Jungle Veil them, cover them, wall them round—
When ye say to Tabaqui ‘My Brother!’ The Undertakers When ye say to Tabaqui, “My Brother!” when ye call the Hyena to meat,
These are the Four that are never content The King’s Ankus These are the Four that are never content, that have never been filled since the Dews began—
The people of the Eastern Ice Quiquern The People of the Eastern Ice, they are melting like the snow—
For our white and our excellent nights Red Dog For our white and our excellent nights—for the nights of swift running
Man goes to Man! The Spring Running Man goes to Man! Cry the challenge through the Jungle!
THE DAY’S WORK (1898)
The Song of the Engines The Ship that Found Herself We now, held in captivity
KIM (1900)
Unto whose use Kim Chapter VI1 Unto whose use the pregnant suns are poised
THE SUSSEX EDITION (1937)
Pity poor fighting men With Number Three All the world over, nursing their scars
Put forth to watch The Way that he Took Put forth to watch, unschooled, alone