Summary of the poem the king speaks to the scribe
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The King Speaks to the Scribe is a poem that describes King Ashoka’s narration to his scribe Karthikeya. The Emperor starts off by saying that what he is going to tell the scribe is a result of atonement and not humility or pride. His words indicate that his words of atonement is not capable of undoing the damage caused in the Kalinga war. He is full of remorse as the battlefield scene is vivid in his mind.
The king knows that the affected people lack the basic shelter and food that they need apart from the loss of their loved ones. They do not even have the fuel to cremate the dead relatives. So, he wants the scribe to write about the sorrow and enslavement of these people who were living a peaceful and happy life before the war. He also requests the scribe to note that having won the war was ultimately of no use at all.
Finally, the emperor Ashoka communicates his grief at all that happened. He says that the aftereffects of the war have left behind cuts that are deeper than the cuts made by his sword. He is ready to surrender himself to the affected people for them to deal with him the way they want to.
The poem, 'The king speaks to the scribe' by Keki N Daruwalla takes a single moment in history and helps us see it with a fresh perspective. It starts with Ashoka asserting to his scribe, Kartikeya, that what he is about to tell him does not come from pride or humility but redemption and he is aware that his words will never be enough to wipe away all the bloodshed. Ashoka vividly describes the gory images of the battlefield of the Kalinga War, and how it seemed like the smell of the battlefield made the heaven hold a cloth to its nose, while his chariot crushed and moved through the dead bodies of the soldiers. No obstacle stood between them and destruction and no dwindling lights would be there to welcome them back to their village.
Ashoka tells Kartikeya that he is the medium through which he speaks to them. He tells him to use a simple language without any dictums, royal decrees and rules on how to live, or formal addresses to other kings and appeasements to the gods. There should be no discussions about slaughters, opulent feasts, and celebrations when the people whom he is addressing do not even have basic food, shelter, or comfort of their loved ones who have died and cannot even be cremated ritually due to lack of fuel. Ashoka tells him to write about the sorrows and futility of war and enslavement among people who have been peacefully living according to their familial duties and community practices. He conveys his agony and despair and wants everyone to know that even though he is a king, he has now abandoned all of his pride and lives in complete humility. He invites everyone to leave the life of crime and lead one filled with peace and harmony.
Ashoka urges his scribe to write these messages on every available surface in a very simple language, etching them deeply and they should “cut deeper than the cuts of my sword”, so that no force can make them disappear. Ashoka’s deep empathy and compassion shine through. In the end, he understands the enormity of the task of communicating his grief to his people across the vast rivers of blood flowing between them and him, and Kartikeya's words should be "like a tide of black oxen crossing a ford” so that they can successfully reach the people everywhere.