Poetry on Night soil
Irrepressible poets in many countries despite social stigma attached to their professional work were writing poetry on defecation habits, farting and heavenly qualities of night soil. Chakrian in India, Euslrog de Beaulieo Gilles Corrozal and Piron in France, Swift in England were all enjoying themselves at the technological impasse which human beings were faced with in disposing of what they excreted.
Gilles Corrozel for example described the toilet in the following vein i.e.
"Recess of great comfort
Whether it is situated
in the fields or in the city
Recess in which no one dare enter
Except for cleaning his stomach
Recess of great dignity" 7
Or take the erotic French Poet Eustrog de beaulieu and I dare to translate as follows:
"When the cherries become ripe
Many black soils of strange shapes
Will breed for many days and urgents
Then will mature and become products of various colors and breaths" 8
French poet Piron called the faeces as 'Royal Nightsoil. Though ostracized by the academic community he wrote as follows:
"What am I seeing oh! God
It is night soil
What a wonderful substance it is It is excreted by
the greatest of all Kings
Its odor speaks of majesty" 9
English poet called night soil as object of contemplation for the sage. According to him, midwives predicted the future of the child from examining the first excrement. In the province of Punjab in India and before independence Grandmothers ate the first excrement of the male child if he was born after a long period of marriage or after number of female births in the family.
The Urdu poet Chirkin in India was not well recognized by his poet fraternity. Out of vengeance and to create embarrassment he wrote on human waste and farting. I venture to share with you the following English version translated from Urdu-the language in which he wrote.
"The asset which I will earn
now will all be invested in Toilet.
This time when I visit your home,
I will never 'pee' there."
http://www.plumbingsupply.com/toilethistoryindia.html
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