The Dance Of The Eunuchs Poem by Kamala Das
The Dance Of The Eunuchs
It was hot, so hot, before the eunuchs came
To dance, wide skirts going round and round, cymbals
Richly clashing, and anklets jingling, jingling
Jingling... Beneath the fiery gulmohur, with
Long braids flying, dark eyes flashing, they danced and
They dance, oh, they danced till they bled... There were green
Tattoos on their cheeks, jasmines in their hair, some
Were dark and some were almost fair. Their voices
Were harsh, their songs melancholy; they sang of
Lovers dying and or children left unborn....
Some beat their drums; others beat their sorry breasts
And wailed, and writhed in vacant ecstasy. They
Were thin in limbs and dry; like half-burnt logs from
Funeral pyres, a drought and a rottenness
Were in each of them. Even the crows were so
Silent on trees, and the children wide-eyed, still;
All were watching these poor creatures' convulsions
The sky crackled then, thunder came, and lightning
And rain, a meagre rain that smelt of dust in
Attics and the urine of lizards and mice....
[From Summer in Calcutta]
We do not know if the eunuchs came to her house or not. Was it a personal experience which she came to feel it? Whatever be that, the spectacle is no doubt bizarre to experience the dissatisfied souls dancing and singing and clapping. Their lullabies too are of their type.
They cut a sorry figure as for being neither men nor women genderlessly. What they are none can say about the creations of the Divine.about the things o the Divine. But when they bless, they as Ardhanarishwar Shiva and when curse they, hairs stand on.
The eunuchs, where did she see them in Calcutta or Malabar? Why did they come to? What is the matter? Generally, they come after hearing the news of the new born child and they make it dance and as money from and bless and go away.
Some beat their drums; others beat their sorry And wailed, and writhed in vacant ecstasy. They Were thin in limbs and dry; like half-burnt logs from Funeral pyres, a drought and a rottenness.. the great kamala das of india writes great poems and novels.. tony
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4/18/2024 4:24:23 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Her days in Calcutta and her exposure to eunuchs is expressed in her many works.