Seal Lullaby

Fiction | Poem | Middle Grade | Published in 1900

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Related Poems

“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod“ by Eugene Field (1889)

In Eugene Field’s children’s poem, three characters sail the sky in a wooden shoe. In the final verse, the characters become the tired child presumably listening to the poem, and the wooden shoe becomes the “trundle-bed” (Line 40) where he can rock to sleep. Like “Seal Lullaby,” a mother crafts the song, a vision of natural beauty that the poet describes alongside the promise of both adventure and safety.

“Lullaby“ by John Fuller (1996)

British poet John Fuller’s lullaby demonstrates the move from late Victorian to modern sensibility in a soothing song for children. The natural world continues to provide literal and metaphoric content, as the sheep’s bells lull the baby to sleep. The baby himself is “clean as a nut” (Lines 1 and 11), full of potential and promise. The sense of play reflects imagination, as the bat “like an umbrella turn[s] into a mouse” in line 6. No promise of safety comes from the parent; instead, the child provides its own consolation: “Oh be our rest, our hopeful start” (Line 9). As in previous lullabies, the baby goes on a sleep journey, but in Fuller’s lullaby, “We go too” (Line 4). The “we” may refer to the parents, or to all of us—the singer, the baby, and the reader present in this intimate moment.

“The Slumber Boat” by Jessie L. Gaynor and Alice C.D. Riley (1926)

The boat in this lullaby also sails the skies instead of the sea, embracing the fantasy and metaphor of the cradle as a small traveling vessel. In this lullaby, the mother reminds the baby to “sail/back again to me” (Lines 7-8). Lullabies can also perform this function of reassuring small children unnerved by the separation and absence caused by sleeping, its resemblance to going away to an unknown place. The moon, a common symbol in lullabies as both a metaphor and as indicative of a night setting, functions here as the baby’s boat, standing in for the cradle.

“Lullaby of an Infant Chief” by Sir Walter Scott (1831)

Sir Walter Scott’s lullaby begins similarly to “Seal Lullaby” and may have served as an initial model for Kipling’s poem. The Scottish context also parallels Kipling’s lullaby, in which Kipling’s imagined seal language bears resemblance to Scottish dialect. Both lullabies hint at a culture in which power and resilience characterize the members of the community. The seals live comfortably in the sea, curling with the high waves in “Seal Lullaby.” In “Lullaby of an Infant Chief,” the child sleeps in a domain that will one day be his to defend, as the seal may have to defend himself one day from sharks and storms. But for each sleeper, the singing mother promises protection and rest for the night at hand.

Further Literary Resources

“How to Adapt The Jungle Book (And Not Make It Racist)“ by Debra Cash (2013)

This article from The Atlantic plunges directly into the controversies surrounding Kipling’s and Disney’s work, identifying objections to Disney’s original Jungle Book adaptation as well as the problems of creating an updated one. Focused more on the movie version of Kipling’s work, the article addresses Kipling’s legacy and politics as an inescapable context for any adaptations of the material.

“Rudyard Kipling’s Literary and Historical Legacy“ by Kelley S. Kent (2013)

This review of critical approaches to Kipling in reference works surveys the wide scope of opinion on Kipling’s place in cultural and literary history. Kent provides a glimpse of many Kipling controversies, including its contradictory messages regarding imperialism and its classification as adult or children’s literature. The bibliography at the end contains several additional useful reference sources.

The White Seal by Rudyard Kipling

The Kipling Society offers readers the entire text of “The White Seal,” the story in which “Seal Lullaby” first appeared. The lullaby contributes to the overall cultural landscape Kipling creates for the seal community, illustrating its collective rituals, language, comforts, and fears.

“Rudyard Kipling in America“ by Charles McGrath (2019)

McGrath’s article considers Kipling’s mixed legacy in light of biographical information from Christopher Benfey’s book If: The Untold Story of Kipling’s American Years, which examines Kipling’s years in Vermont. McGrath discusses the role of Kipling’s novel Kim as a CIA touchstone, along with other cultural contexts, from Disney films to classroom recitations of “If,” a Kipling poem originally composed as an afterword to a story about George Washington.

“Rudyard Kipling“ by George Orwell (1936)

Orwell’s essay examines Kipling’s work and his politics with balance, portraying what might seem like contradictions as reflections of a social circumstance in which old-style conservatism no longer exists. He argues that Kipling possesses neither the traits of a fascist or liberal, who Orwell defines as a man with a sense of responsibility that fascists do not adopt and a man without any interest in class equity. Orwell’s essay goes on to examine the definition of quality in poetry, the place of sentimental verse, the use of dialect in literature, and other broader topics through his framing of Kipling’s work.

Kipling and Modernism by Craig Raine

British poet Craig Raine makes a case for Kipling as a Modernist poet, evaluating his use of dialect and rhythm as a means to create familiar and meaningful poetry. Raine’s early 1990s examination demonstrates the tone of Kipling criticism, as various generations struggle as they attempt to contextualize meaningful, accomplished, and culturally significant work within a political context now found abhorrent. Raine avoids politics for the most part, seeking to extricate Kipling from the realm of light verse or superficial, topical verse.