This poem is about a night when the poet’s mother was bitten by a scorpion. It describes how different people reacted, what they did to help, and finally, how the mother responded with love and selflessness.
Beginning: The Scorpion Bites
It was a dark, rainy night.
Because of the heavy rain, a scorpion crawled into the house and hid under a sack of rice.
In the dark, it stung the poet’s mother and then went away.
The Villagers’ Reaction
The peasants (villagers) came to the house after hearing the news.
They prayed loudly, repeating the name of God many times, to drive away the evil.
They believed that every time the scorpion moved, its poison also moved inside the mother’s body.
They said many prayers:
“May her pain reduce the sins of her previous birth.”
“May her suffering balance the evil in the world.”
“May the poison purify her body and soul.”
The villagers surrounded the mother with candles and lanterns, but their prayers and chanting could not cure her.
The Father’s Reaction
The poet’s father was a rationalist and skeptic (a man of science).
Yet, out of worry for his wife, he tried every possible remedy.
He used powders, herbs, mixtures, and even burnt the bite with paraffin and fire.
A holy man also came and performed chants to reduce the poison.
The Mother’s Strength
The mother suffered in pain for about 20 hours.
Finally, the poison lost its effect.
After so much suffering, the only thing she said was:
“Thank God the scorpion picked me and spared my children.”
This shows her love as a mother – she was ready to suffer as long as her children were safe.
