| By James F. Thompson February 19, 1967 |
Majestic Africa,
The Dark Continent,
Is no more.
Mighty forests tremble,
Retreating
Before the shining blade of Progress.
Houses sprout
Where once the King of Beasts had lair.
The jungle
Has been conquered by the plow.
Gone are the steaming tropical forests.
Gone are the endless grassy plains.
Gone are the arid, barren deserts.
The towering mountains alone remain.
Gone forever
Is the wild, savage land
That Greystoke ruled,
and loved.
Gone are the foes:
The howl of the hyena is hushed.
Nevermore shall the Leopard haunt the treetops,
Nor shall the Black-maned Lion
Stalk the antelope
Slay the zebra.
Likewise gone are friends:
There shall be no quiet hours
Astride Tantor's broad back,
Wandering slowly down some verdant path,
At peace with all.
The mangani
The Waziri
All are gone.
Even little N'kima
Tiny companion
is lost to you.
Alas! Lord Greystoke
Long unconquered,
Have you met your match
In civilized society?
Will you be content
In jungles of
Asphalt and concrete?
Will you accept
The skyscraper
The automobile
When forests of dark green
And grassy veldts
Are but fading memories?
Will e'er Usha the Wind
Carry the scent of game
To your quivering nostrils,
Thrilling you
With visions of
The chase and kill?
Acute are your senses
Stifled now
By acrid city smog.
In the past
Your eyes beheld
A secret inner world,
Virgin lands
Where men and beasts
Contend for survival
In bloody contests
Fought with strength
And sometimes won
By cunning.
Mankind
Has yet to ravage
This unspoiled land
At the earth's core.
Mammoth and mastodon
Inhabit uncharted plains,
Sabre-tooth tigers
Stalk the shaggy Bos,
Giant reptiles
Fill the sky and seas
With terrible cries.
Dinosaurs reign supreme
And man
Is but a minuscule intruder
Beneath the eternal sun.
Having seen the world without
Grow tame,
Polluted and corrupted
By the hand of man;
While the world within
Remains so fierce,
Alive and fresh;
Could you remain
In the one abhorred,
While beneath your feet
A younger land lay
Taunting you
Waiting to test you
Your courage and strength?
Bid your last farewell,
Lord Greystoke,
And be gone.
Invincible Lord of the Jungle
Return now to Pellucidar.