Night of the Scorpion by Ezekiel: A Summary

Nissim Ezekiel is one of the greatest Indo-Anglican poets. His 'Night of the Scorpion' is a fantastic poem. Here the poet has depicted a brilliant and real picture of rural India. He beautifully exposes the illiteracy and ignorance of people of our country.

'Night of the Scorpion' has a dramatic beginning. The poet describes the night when his mother was stung by a scorpion. The poet says:

I remember the night my mother

Was stung by a scorpion.

After this incident a large number of villagers assembled to express sympathy with poet’s mother. They uttered the name of God to give her relief. They attempted to search for the scorpion in the light of their lanterns. But they could not succeed in their search mission.

The assembled villagers expressed their views on the situation. The narrator's father was different from them. He was a skeptic. He tried every herb to offer relief to his wife. A priest voiced mantras to relieve the poet’s mother of her pain. After twenty four hours the narrator's mother got complete relief. She then thanked God for the safety of her children. The poet concludes the poem with the following marvelous lines that show the greatness of a mother:

My mother only said

Thank God the scorpion picked on me

And spared my children.

The imagery of the poem is vivid and varied. The scorpion appears as a symbol of evil. The poem has the essence of free verse. In short, 'Night of the Scorpion' is, no doubt, an excellent poem.

Sandal S Anshu, Satna