58THE VOICE OF THE RAIN

And who art thou translated: The poem begins as a dialogue with the poet asking the rain a question,
Who are you? He does get a reply, though not in a language human beings can understand. Therefore
he attempts, through the rest of the poem to translate it for the reader.
I am the poem of the earth rain: The poet compares therain to the process of writing a poem. In other
words both the formation of rain and a poemare creative processes.
Eternal I rise bottomless sea: This refers to the first phase of the formation of the rain. The rain is
formed by the water vapour that evaporates from the land and the bottomless sea. This process is
eternal and impalpable (cannot be seen or touched).
Upward to heaven yet the same: this is the second stage in the process of rain formation. The vapour
condenses to form clouds. These clouds are tangible (have some shape and can be seen) and though
their essence remains the same they have changed their form. That is why they are described as
altogether changed yet the same. They are vaguely formed because clouds do not have a definite shape
and constantly keep changing.
I descend to lave. Globe: This stage describes the vapour falling back to the earth as rain and the
various ways in which it enriches it. By falling on the drought ridden land it quenches the thirst of the
parched earth and as it falls it settles the dust layers of the globe, thus purifying the air.
And all that in them . Unborn: When the rain descends, all the seeds scattered on the ground
germinate, thus springing forth fresh life on earth. Seeds are referred to as unborn life, as something
that has potential to grow (latent) but waiting for rain to infuse life into them.
And forever own origin: The rain originated as vapour from the land and the bottomless sea. By falling
back to these places as rain it makes it richer, as new life springs from the unborn seeds. The rain adds
to life on earth, thus giving back to it much more than what it took away in the form of vapour.
And make pure and beautify it: By settling the dust layers in the air the falling rain makes it purer and by
sprouting fresh leaves, flowers and new plants it adds to the beauty of the earth.
For song, issuing from returns: the formation of the poem follows a similar process:
The birth place or the place of origin of the poem is the imagination of the poet. Like evaporation,
imagining is an eternal process for human beings. It is also impalpable as it cannot be seen or touched.
It then takes on a shape when the poet puts his thoughts in words, using his creativity. This shape is not
yet definite because the poem undergoes many revisions and changes before it finally goes for printing.
So, like the clouds, its shape is vague. However, the poem maybe totally different from what the poet
started out with, but it is the outcome of the same thoughts. Therefore, it is altogether changes yet the
same, like the rain.
After the poem is completed (finds fulfillment), like the rain which falls everywhere, it gets circulated
among various readers (wandering) who may or may not dwell upon its merits and demerits (reckd or
unreckd). Some will read the poem for pleasure, interpreting it in their own way and some will critically
analyze the poem in all its aspects. Either way, each reader adds a new layer of meaningto it. The
feedback to the poet regarding his poem will have these multiple meanings of readers attached to it

thus making the poem much richer than the one meaning (the Poets) it started out with. Whether the
feedback is appreciative of the poem or criticizes it, it will make the poet a better writer as he will learn
from it (duly with love returns).Thus, like the earth which benefits from the rain, the poet benefits from
the wandering of the poem.
DISCOVERING TUT
1922- Howard Carter discovered the mummy of King Tut.
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The tomb was opened to tourists. People from around the world flocked into the cramped, rock
cut tomb 26 feet underground to pay their respects. They gazed at the murals on the walls of
the burial chamber and at Tuts gilded face, the most striking feature of the mummy faced outer
coffin lid.
The contents of the tomb were- Stunning artefacts in gold, precious collars, inlaid necklaces and
bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes, the inner
coffin and mask- all in pure gold. He was also buried with everyday things he would need in his
afterlifeboard games, bronze razor, linen undergarments and cases of food and wine.
It remains the richest royal collection found till date.

Damage done to the mummy by Howard Carter

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He took months recording the funerary treasures and finally when he reached the mummy
itself, he found a major obstacle. The ritual resins had hardened, cementing the mummy to the
bottom of the coffin.
In order to separate king Tut from his adornments, he kept the mummy in the desert sun for
several hours, hoping the heat would loosen the resins. This did not produce any result, but
weakened the mummy.
He then chiseled away the body from beneath the limbs and trunk to lift the body of the king
and later concealed the damage by reassembling it on a layer of sand in a wooden box with
padding. It was later found that his breast bone and front ribs had been lost in the process and
were missing.
He justified his decision by saying that if he had not done this thieves would have circumvented
the guards and stolen the precious ornaments that adorned the kings body.

How has archaeology changed since Carters time?

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It uses more sophisticated tools like X- Ray machines, CT Scanners, etc.

Earlier archaeology focused on treasures, now it focused on reconstructing the past from details
of the period revealed during the course of the investigation.
Archaeology now is an interdisciplinary science which uses experts from various fields such as
radiology, forensics, history, anatomy etc.

5th January, 2005- scanning king Tuts body in a CT scanner

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As the body was being carried along a ramp and a flight of stairs to be placed in a hydraulic lift to
be lifted in the trailer that contained the CT scanner, the weather altered dramatically. There
was an angry wind which spread the desert sand in the air and dark, rain laden clouds scudded
across the desert.

It was believed that this was natures way of showing her displeasure and perhaps the curse of
the pharaoh, death or misfortune to those who disturbed the dead, was coming true. This
superstition was further reinforced when the wind abated and the clouds cleared as soon as
King Tut was put back again in his resting place after the scan.
When the body was being put in the scanner, the scanner refused to work because sand had
clogged one of its cooler fans. This was also attributed to the curse. However, with the help of
two plastic fans, the sand was cleared and the scan could take place.
A CT scanner scanned the mummy from head to toe, creating 1700 digital images in cross
section. Tuts head, scanned in 0.62 mm slice to register its intricate details was recorded and a
team of specialists in radiology, forensics and anatomy set to work.
Astonishing images were revealed on a computer screen. A grey head took shape, neck
vertebrae was clearly seen, a hand, several views of the rib cage and a transection of the skull
appeared.

Orion
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From where the crew performed the CT scan, they could see just above the entrance of Tuts
tomb, Orion, the constellation that the ancient Egyptians knew as the soul of Osiris, the god of
the afterlife, and believed that he was watching over the boy king as he lay in his tomb after the
scan.

In death, as in life, moving regally ahead of his countrymen.

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Because he died at a much younger age than the other kings of his dynasty who died at ripe old
age, he moved ahead of his countrymen in life, heading towards death.
As his mummy was the first one to be scanned from all the mummies in the valley of the
departed, the royal cemetery, he moved ahead of the other royal kings in being examined and
investigated so as to reveal the mysteries of his life and the period in which he reigned.

Amenhotep III- Tuts father or grandfather- a powerful pharaoh- ruled forfour decades- at the height of
the 18th Dynastys Golden Age.
Amenhotep IV- was a fanatic who shocked the country by attacking Amun, amajor God, smashing his
images and closing his temples- promoted the worship of Aten, the sun disk- moved the religious capital
from Thebes to Amarna changed his name to Akenaten or servant of the Aten.
Smenkhkare not much known about him ruled for a brief period did nothing worthy of much
notice- exited without a trace.
Tutankhaten- boy king changed his name to Tutankhamun or the living image of Amun broughabout
arestoration of the old ways ruled for 9years died unexpectedly.