Poem--Sita

My Lord, My Love; Thy summons I have obeyed—
Is it Thy will that I burn again upon a Pyre?
Another test by Fire to prove my Sanctity
When the anguish of thy suspicion
Unrelenting, burns yet in my heart?

Should the Gods again stand testimony
To the steadfastness of my Love for Thee?
Has Thy Name ever wavered upon my lips?
Though long years of hardship and exile,
Have I once reproached thee? Has there been
A moment when I have not worshipped Thee
With all that I am, heart, body and soul?

And yet Thou demands, yet again
Proof of my devotion! Is this justice , Lord?
Will Thou treat the meanest of thy people
As Thou treats thy Queen? Is this
But a woman’s eternal Destiny: that queen or beggar,
She must stand trial for wrongs
Not of her doing? Why do thy hands tremble?
Why will Thou not meet my eyes?

I see the knowledge of my Innocence
Rankle in Thy eyes; Thy Pain pierces me
Greater than my own—I shall not reproach Thee;
Thou art a King , a Righteous Sovereign
Before Thou art my Lord and Husband;
I shall not be cause for Thee
To waver or falter in Thy royal Duty.

Know Thee that tongues can never be silenced:
There will always be one man or another,
Unconvinced; one voice asking for another pyre;
Will Thou have me burn each time?
Forgive me, my beloved, my Lord—
I am weary; weary of this cruel Destiny.

Let all end with this! Mother, embrace me!
Let me lie again upon Thy Lap,
Unburdened of all Trials and cares;
Earth, Thy daughter pleads with Thee—
Prove Thou my innocence, once more, for ever more,
And let me come Home to Thee!

*Background story: In the Ramayana, after Ravana is defeated, Sita, who was the cause for the war is rescued. But Rama demanded proof of her chastity after staying so long in Lanka. Then came the famous Agni Pareeksha—the test by fire; Site entered a pyre that was set aflame ; and the Agni deva did not touch her; He appeared and declared her purity. Rama received her back happily and returned to Ayodhya in triumph.

The Ramayana however does not end here. After his return to Ayodhya, one night, Rama leaves the Palace to find out what is happening in the city …Rama overhears a conversation between a man and his wife that he is not a man like Rama to keep a wife as Rama did! In humiliation and sorrow, to uphold the Raja Dharma, where the ruler must be beyond reproach, Rama orders Lakshmana to seize Sita for execution. But as Sita is well into her pregnancy, she is abandoned in the forest (where Valmiki lives). Valmiki receives Sita in his ashram and offers her shelter, and she stays there for many years , bringing up her children , Luv and Kush . Valmiki teaches them the “royal” arts and also the Ramayana.

When Rama decides to perform the great Ashwamedha yagnam, Rama’s sons, Luv and Kush stops the sacrificial Horse in the forest and is brought to court. The story of the Ramayana they sing moves the king and his people to tears; Rama summons Sita to Ayodhya again—to once more declare her innocence to the people and lay all doubts to rest, that she may return to the palace. Sita does return, and in presence of Rama and the people, she requests the Earth to take her if she is innocent. As soon as these words are uttered, the Earth stretches out and welcomes Sita while the gods cry out her praises.

I have tried to protray her emotions at that moment when she is asked to prove her innocence.
This is purely a personal perception.