Night of the Scorpion - Poetic Reflections on a Mother's Sting
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Presented by
Dr. Vishnu W. Patil
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Deogiri College, Aurangabad
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Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel
Night of the Scorpion by
Nissim Ezekiel
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Night of the Scorpion
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I remember the night
my mother was stung
by a scorpion. Ten
hours of steady rain had
driven him to crawl
beneath a sack of rice.
Parting with his poison
of diabolic tail in the
dark room he risked the
rain again.
Night of the Scorpion
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The peasants came like
swarms of flies and
buzzed the name of
God a hundred times to
paralyse the Evil One.
With candles and with
lanterns throwing giant
scorpion shadows on
the mud baked walls
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they searched for him:
he was not found. They
clicked their tongues.
With every movement
that the scorpion made
his poison moved in
Mother's blood, they
said. May he sit still,
they said.
Night of the Scorpion
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May the sins of your
previous birth be burned
away tonight, May your
suffering decrease the
misfortunes of your next
birth, they said. May the
sum of all evil balanced
in this unreal world
against the sum of good
become diminished by
your pain.
Night of the Scorpion
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May the poison purify
your flesh of desire,
and your spirit they
said, and they sat
around on the floor
with my mother in the
centre, the peace of
understanding on
each face
Night of the Scorpion
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More candles, more lanterns,
more neighbors, more insects,
and the endless rain. My
mother twisted through and
through, groaning on a mat.
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and
blessing, powder, mixture,
herb and hybrid.
Night of the Scorpion
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Night of the Scorpion
He even poured a little
paraffin upon the bitten
toe and put a match to
it. I watched the flame
feeding on my mother. I
watched the holy man
to tame the poison with
an incantation. After
twenty hours it lost its
sting.
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Night of the Scorpion
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion
picked on me and
spared my children
The poem "Night of the Scorpion" by Nissim Ezekiel recounts the night when the poet's mother was stung by a scorpion during a storm. The villagers gather, invoking religious prayers and rituals to help alleviate her pain. The poem delves into themes of suffering, faith, and human response to adversity in the face of superstition and hope. Through vivid imagery and cultural allusions, Ezekiel weaves a poignant narrative of familial love and community support in times of crisis.
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Presentation Transcript
Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel Presented by Dr. Vishnu W. Patil Assistant Professor Department of English Deogiri College, Aurangabad 1
Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel 2
Night of the Scorpion I remember the night my mother was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours of steady rain had driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice. Parting with his poison of diabolic tail in the dark room he risked the rain again. 5
Night of the Scorpion The peasants came like swarms of flies and buzzed the name of God a hundred times to paralyse the Evil One. With candles and with lanterns throwing giant scorpion shadows on the mud baked walls 6
Night of the Scorpion they searched for him: he was not found. They clicked their tongues. With every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved in Mother's blood, they said. May he sit still, they said. 7
Night of the Scorpion May the sins of your previous birth be burned away tonight, May your suffering decrease the misfortunes of your next birth, they said. May the sum of all evil balanced in this unreal world against the sum of good become diminished by your pain. 8
Night of the Scorpion May the poison purify your flesh of desire, and your spirit they said, and they sat around on the floor with my mother in the centre, the peace of understanding on each face 9
Night of the Scorpion More candles, more lanterns, more neighbors, more insects, and the endless rain. My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat. My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid. 10
Night of the Scorpion He even poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it. I watched the flame feeding on my mother. I watched the holy man to tame the poison with an incantation. After twenty hours it lost its sting. 11
Night of the Scorpion My mother only said Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children 12
Thank You for your patient listening !
