Read also: Poet's Introduction
Poem (Text)
Perhaps Eid is more than the Vermicelli
thing
I was spooned to believe.
In the mosque this morning
I promised God to bend my knees
another four times.
My fellow knee-benders raised offertory,
to cushion the prayer-keeper,
so expiate the neglect he suffered
on the wooden bench.
Outside, the beggars buttonholed us,
Eid could not anchor in their corduroy
cheeks.
How can these spindling shapes
be blotted out from the face of the
morning?
I had left behind my blotting paper
the last day at school.
The master said in holiday there was no
danger
of staining. I was convinced.
But question hovered like flies
over my plate as we began to eat.
My father said, watch that!
I held the shining spoon to my mouth,
looking for my face in it.
Overview
The poem is written in simple language without
any specific rhyming scheme or punctuation marks narrated by a child. Every
line varies in length but they are constructed beautifully. The poem is
basically a reminder to Muslims all over the world to fulfill their moral
responsibility: to help the poor. It highlights some of the moral and darker
issues of our society. The importance of money in the social circle of Pakistan
has been beautifully depicted and we can say that the poem is a social portrayal.
Analysis
Eid is a humor pensive poem
that provokes us to accomplish a big moral responsibility. Usually, Eid is
observed after completing the thirty days of fasting, with happiness and a lot
of delicious dishes. A huge gathering at mosques to offer prayer by wearing
different new attires. Eid becomes more special to children. The poem also
reflects a cultural significance but on the other hand, it highlights the
differences between poor and rich.
The first line of the poem
rejects the prevailing idea of celebrating Eid by just enjoying the dishes. The
poet says that it is more than that.
He promises to God to offer the
religious duty.
"I promised God to bend my
knees
another four times."
It is not only special to
children but for older to pray, to bend their knees. In the second stanza, the
image of offertory has been used. The offertory is an offering or collection of
money made at a religious service. Money is being collected in order to be
given to the prayerkeeper.
Money is given to Imam sahib
for some kind of compensation who sits on the wooden bench. Throughout the
year, they have ignored the prayer keeper who keeps on sitting on the wooden
bench and delivering religious sermons to the believers. The knee benders raise
offertory to expiate the neglect he has suffered.
Here a very serious issue has
been talked out. The stanza also shows the poor condition of religious people
in our society. They are living in a very excruciating condition.
In the third stanza, the image
of the beggar is used. They are poor and have a pathetic life. The poet says
that after offering prayers, first, the money is to be given to Imam Sahib and
then to the beggars who are outside of the mosque. The first line also shows
the power of beggars who stop people by force and are compelled to give money.
Outside, the beggars
buttonholed us,
Corduroy cheeks is an image
that shows the appearance of the child that they are not happy due to their
extreme poverty. They always look miserable, although they get money on Eid and
every occasion.
Here the poet raises the
question of whether is it not possible to blot out these weak and poor
creatures from the morning. This is a very happy and shining morning but on the
other hand, the gloomy faces of beggars make it depressed. The narrator
continues and says that it is not possible to remove the sadness because he had
left blotting paper at school on the last day.
This paragraph vividly shows
the gap between the poor and the rich in economic terms. Both the groups become
happy on this ‘Eid occasion.
In the last stanza, the image
of spoons is used to show someone's face. These two spoons are very neat and
clean and reflect the gap again between poor and rich. These are only available
in rich people's houses. The poet says that the question hovering in his mind
that why he cannot remove the sadness from the faces of these poor beggars.
The father shifts his attention
by saying look at your shining spoon and ignore beggars.
This part is important in the
sense that it has innovation.
Read Also
Summary of The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid,
Chapter-wise Analysis
