“The Leader and the Led” is a poem of twenty-four lines arranged into twelve stanzas each with two lines; an overall of twelve couplets.

A stanza of two lines is called a couplet, remember? I guess you wouldn’t forget that so easily.

Beyond its form, the poem theorises the necessary embodiments of a leader. The poem begins with the picture of an animal gathering in their quest for one who would be their leader. Some animals “stake their claim to the leadership” position; lion, hyena, giraffe, zebra, elephant, warthog, and rhino all said “it’s their right to lead”. But the colleagues (that they want to rule) only picked out their faults and flaws instead. When they could not see a flawless and perfect leader to pick, the Forest Sage calls their attention to what they need in a leader.

In Lines 1-2, the lion “stakes his claim” to the leadership position but the antelopes (lines 3-4) remember his “ferocious pounce” on them. A leader does not feed on his subjects; thus, the lion is ruled out.

In Lines 5-6, the hyena claims “the crown” is his to take but “the impalas shudder” at his brutality and “lethal appetite” only satiated by their kinds. A leader does not oppress his subjects; hence the hyena too is disqualified.

In Lines 7-8, the giraffe tries his luck. He “craves a place in the fault”. However, in his case, “his eyes” are said to be “too far from the ground”. A leader ought to be close to his subjects, see what they go through and share in their experience. An animal that would be distant to their everyday experiences would not do for a leader.