When the mother was stung, the villagers are described as "swarming flies". This may mean they were running to help the mother or running away from the scorpion. The villagers chant the name of god to the mother, chanting the name of god in some cultures, is said to bring luck or hope to the person they are chanting for. In the poem it also states that the villagers used torches and lanterns to try and find the scorpion. As the villagers moved around with the torches and lanterns, the scorpion left shadows on the "mud baked walls". The villagers could not find the scorpion so they started to make a "clicking" noise to try and draw the scorpion towards them.
In one part of the poem, it mentions that the scorpion was controlling the poison that was inside the child's mother. "With every movement the scorpion made, his poison moved around the mothers blood". The villagers seem to believe that the scorpion controls the poison that is inside the mother so they think that if they capture the scorpion, the poison inside the mother will also stop moving. They state that they want to stop the scorpion on line 18, "May he sit still". After line 18, a series of sentences are started with the word "may". In Standard English, this word usually introduces a polite request.
The villagers all sat round whilst the mother laid there. It is described that there is a look of understanding on all of the people's faces, which shows that they are supporting the mother, hoping she will be fine. In some cultures it is believed that if you catch the scorpion that has poisoned someone, the victim will recover. This may be why the villagers were so keen to capture the creature. The poet then describes how everyone is trying to help the child's mother recover. "My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid. He even poured a little paraffin wax upon the bitten toe and put a match to it".
"I watched the flame feeding on my mother" this is one of the most effective quotes in this poem as it's dramatic and metaphorical. Again, the poet describes how people are trying to help the child's mother by writing; "I watched a holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an incantation". The p poet gives the effect that the poison has been inside the mother for a long time by saying; "After twenty hours, it lost its sting" The last three lines of the poem have had a large amount of thought go into them, as it's unusual to normally end a poem like this.
