Summary

Summary A Story for Pearse by Sujata Bhatt - Poem Analysis

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Module
Poetry

Institution
CIE

In this resource, you’ll find an analysis of ‘A Story for Pearse’ by Sujata Bhatt. It’s targeted specifically toward those studying the Cambridge A-Level (CAIE / CIE) syllabus, but it’s suitable for anyone studying the poet at any level. Bhatt’s poems are beautiful and complex, often...

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Uploaded on July 26, 2022
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A Story for Pearse
Sujata Bhatt

But the more fragrant body,
the body that was love, rose up,
no rot as yet set in,
evicted the people from the wake,
and raced out the door
after the soul that had been so faithful,
and fell, by the lake’s edge, without
seeing the soul again.

None of the mourners was there
to bury either body.

- Pearse Hutchinson, ‘The Soul that Kissed the Body’

Reading your new book today
I am reminded of my great-aunt,
of her soul, her body…
How she died alone
with a terrible stench
oozing from her body -
how almost no one mourned her.

(Full poem unable to be reproduced due to the copyright)

VOCABULARY

Kerosene - paraffin oil, used to set fires
Ablaze - on fire
Invariably - unchangingly

, Coarse - rough
Paranoia - delusional or irrational thinking
Disjointed - fragmented
Consoled - comforted
Coy - flirtatious shyness

STORY/SUMMARY

Stanza 1: When I read your new book today - ‘The Soul that Kissed the Body’ - I am
reminded of my great-aunt, of her soul and body… I think about the way in which she
died - alone, with a terrible smell oozing from her body - how almost no one grieved
when she died.
Stanza 2: Souls that feel they can kiss life, and kiss the Body before they depart to
heaven are so lucky!
Stanza 3: But your version of this idea, your poetic lines seem also like they’re written
specifically for my great-aunt - and all day the urgent movement of your words have
been pulling my mind back to her.
Stanza 4: My great-aunt was called Hirabhen, she was rescued from her
mother-in-law and from her husband soon after she was married.
Stanza 5: Her mother-in-law used to beat her with a bamboo pole. She made her work
all day with barely any food, and then whipped her every night, turning her beautiful
skin ugly with bruises and scars.
Stanza 6: It could have been even worse than this - at least they didn’t pour fuel over
her head and set her on fire.
Stanza 7: But who knows what happened that finally convinced the young Hirabhen to
tell her parents about the abuse - in those days if you went to a court of law and talked
about it, the judge would have said “This is not a marriage! You are free! You can
choose again who you would like to marry, you can decide for yourself.-”
Stanza 8: She chose to become a nurse and earn money for herself, rather than relying
on another man. She said she wanted to learn something new, and to help others.
Stanza 9: But I’m sure that the day she went to court to divorce her husband, her soul
walked out on her - it was a moment where the soul left the body. After the battle was

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