Vasco da Gama Lands at Calicut, 1596
He had been navigated here
by a Madagascar Moslem from Gujarat
Otherwise he'd not have known
the first thing about it
Our girls ran in terror
Hiding their bare breasts
from his men's lascivious eyes
Soon under the palms they were
opening their thighs
Vasco da Gama fell on to my shore
And kissed my sand
Soon I had some Portuguese on my tongue
And blood on my hand
Vasco da Gama remembered his God
And I forgot mine
Soon the spices filled his lap
And boys, his bed
Crayfish and crab tugged at his heel
He wiped the seasalt and seaweed from his hair
He kissed the feet of the Zamorin
Who was pleased to offer him arms and men
Soon the sea coast burnt
from Janjira to Cape Comorin
I still feel its light
Though men have forgotten its heart
The palms the palms
Coir and copra and toddy and pearls
The astrolabe the sextant the
star the Cross
Vasco da Gama had his pick
Namboodri soon became Catholic
Vasco da Gama planted the Cross in my heart
Francis Xavier took my bread and my beard
My countrymen had both conquerors speared
The coffers of Portugal ran silver
And the Mandovi red with blood
Magnolia, frangipani scented by moonlight
Waft with our women with hatted men
The locked sun of orange
The unlocked mango sap
The landlocked heart of India
running with lovesap
Some women immolated themselves in the sea
Some immolated the men they married
Hearts broke like China plates
Smashed on the tiled floor
Books began burning like never before
Cinnamon cardamom
cloves coconut allspice
The Chinese nets of Calicut
Catching a silver catch / And souls to save
Soon Vasco da Gama was smouldering in his grave
St. Thomas sacrificed on the temple mount
I was the Brahmin who gave him a shroud
De Nobili heathenised at Tambaram
I was the child memorising his grammars
The printed word wrote a new history
My name and language were nowhere in it
I look into the mirror I'd lost my face
It took me four centuries to return to grace.