Thursday, February 11, 2021

Week 3 Story: My Mistress' Eyes

  Soorpanaka wailed. She screamed. She growled and gurgled her fury. So long has she waited, alone and cut off (she had to smile at herself- the irony there was hard to be ignored), and now she was alone again. Again!

     She scrambled to the main room, tearing through chests and boxes. It had to be here somewhere. 

     She could feel the events of the past few days trying to push their way into her mind, but she was determined not to let them overwhelm her. 

     Whispered promises made in the dark. Love song carried on hushed breath. Then the clash of war bells. 

Soorpanaka hastily brushed a traitorous tear from her cheek. Here it was- the last thing that Tharna had given her, and the key to finding him. Her eyes still stinging, she read: 

     "My mistress' eyes burn terribly as the sun;

      her lips coal black, not rosy red;

      Her stature is short, and her breasts are none;

      A grimace so foul, all would surely dread. 

      I have smelt lilies fair, both pink and yellow;

      no such perfume from my lady comes;

      A battle cry she shouts, a bellow;

      No harps are heard, but only drums.  

      And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

      As any she belied with false compare."

     There might yet be a time for tears, but Soorpanaka would not let it be today. Tharna had made her feel once more like a woman, but she was a demon still. Those who fought against him would learn what that truly meant. All her life, Soorpanaka had fought her world. Today, she fought with purpose. She fought for her world. Hurtling down the mountainside, Soorpanaka threw back her head, moonlight illuminating the grisly holes where her nose and ears had been, and howled her battle cry. 

(Shakesperian Demon. Source: Flickr)

Authors Notes: This week, while I was reading from the Narayan version of the Ramayana, I was particularly interested in the story of Soorpanaka the demoness from the "Encounters in Exile" portion. Her story is pretty grizzly one. After having been rejected by Rama, she tries to kill Sita. In return she is mutilated by Lakshmana, who cuts off her nose, ears, and breasts. 
                          Yet even after this mutilation, she goes back to Rama and says "So, do not hesitate. No one will dare say that I have no nose or ears or breasts. I still have eyes, which can feast upon your broad chest and shoulders, and my arms are intact to embrace you. I love you madly." This passage felt almost Shakespearian in nature, and I was caught off-guard by this really strange moment of beauty in a story that was otherwise pretty brutal. 
                          I thought this might be an interesting basis for a story. So, the sonnet in the story is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. I also tried to write the story in such a way that Soorpanaka could be the heroine of the story, so that (even though it contains a discount Shakespearian love sonnet) it would not just read as a traditional soppy love story.

Bibliography: "Encounters in Exile" from "The Ramayana" by R. K. Narayan. Web Source (the link is for a research source- I am reading from a paper book)

2 comments:

  1. To start I love you're image and felt that immediatly set the tone for your story. From the very beginning, you feel like you are in Soorpanakas situation. You're authors notes go in great detail on why and has inspired me to write more on mine.

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  2. Wow, Maya! This story had me hooked from the start. The picture you choose is perfect for the story’s gristly tone, and your writing is descriptive and tangible. I could understand Soorpanaka’s desperation. My favorite part is definitely your adaptation of Shakespeare’s sonnet. I could tell it was familiar to me, but you added in the details of Soorpanaka’s mutilation. I also laughed at your author’s note, calling it a discount Shakespearian sonnet. I actually wrote a Shakespearian sonnet for a story this week, and it was incredibly hard, so I understand feeling inadequate next to the Bard! I still liked yours, though.
    I love Soorpanaka’s internal shift at the end, deciding to fight for the world rather than against it. The physical details seemed unclear to me, though. Who was attacking, and how would she fight? Since your goal is to make Soorpanaka the heroine, what if —instead of BEING attacked—she swooped into battle to save Tharna and took a more active role in that? I really like your interpretation of this part of Ramayana. The episode didn’t stick out to me at first, but you’ve made Soorpanaka a very sympathetic character and I want her to succeed!

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