Page 187 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University Unit 12: Poetry : Nissim Ezekiel’s Night of the Scorpion

Unit 12: Poetry : Nissim Ezekiel’s Night of the Scorpion Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
12.1 Life and Works of Nissim Ezekiel
12.2 Night of the Scorpion
12.3 Summary

12.4 Key-Words
12.5 Review Questions
12.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After reading this unit students will be able to:
• Introduce Nissim Ezekiel; one of the most important poets whose works occupy significant
place in post independence Indian Literature.
Introduction

This is a poignant poem by one of the India’s foremost modern day poets, Nissim Ezekiel. Using
imagery relating to the senses of sight, smell, touch and hearing, the poet depicts the selfless love of
a mother who is stung by a scorpion. She nearly dies and yet is thankful that the scorpion had spared
her children. The poem can also be seen as a comment on a culture where superstitions still play a
significant role.
The poet recalls very vividly (clearly) the night when his mother was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours
of incessant rain had forced the scorpion to seek refuge in the poet’s house (rain water must have
flooded its hiding place in the open) It sought refuge under a bag of rice and stung the poet’s mother
when she went into that room. The viciously wicked creature poured its poison into her in a flash of
its devilish tail and ventured out into the rain. On hearing of the unfortunate incident, the peasants
rushed to the poet’s house with lighted candles and lanterns. They uttered the name of God countless
times and prayed to God to immobilise the evil creature. Against the light of the lanterns, the shadows
of the crowd cast on the mud walls looked like huge scorpions. The peasants looked for the scorpion
everywhere where but it in vain. Being unsuccessful in their attempt to capture the scorpion they
clicked their tongues. They were superstitious people and made several observations. They said that
with every movement of the scorpion, its poison would also spread/course in the mother’s blood.
Hence, it was imperative (essential) that the creature should not move at all and remain still. Some
peasants said that her pain that night would burn away all her sins of her previous birth. They
wished that her present agony should reduce her suffering in the next birth. They hoped that in this
illusionary world where evil outweighs good deeds, her pain would diminish the quantum of evil.
Some tried to console the mother with the remark that the scorpions poison would purify/cleanse
her body of all desires and her soul of sinful ambition. They sat around the mother on the floor. Their
faces were calm and peaceful. They believed that the mother’s agony was for her good.
More and more neighbours arrived with lanterns and candles. The presence of the insects and the
rain added to the chaos. There seemed to be no end to the mother’s pain. The rain continued unabated.
All this while the poor suffering mother was groaning and writhing in pain as she lay on a mat.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 181