I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land

[sovay]

Has anyone ever written a response to Kipling's "Mandalay"—either parodic or straight—from the perspective of Supayalat, the "Burma girl"? It seems inconceivable to me that someone should not have; the poem has been around since 1892 and it's famous. But I don't know whose collected poems I should be looking in. Friendlist?

"One gets used to the flying fishes, but that bloody dawn coming up like thunder is driving me crackers."
—Charles Addams (1977)

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Who would dare? It's such a great poem.

And doesn't the poem itself suggest- ever so subtly- the ex-soldier's self deception?

[seishonagon.livejournal.com]

I don't know about written versions, but when I was growing up, my parents had a beautiful painting up called "the Burma Girl" which I was always told was based on Kipling. I don't know if it's actually true, about its being based on Kipling, but it's definitely what I heard growing up.

[time-shark.livejournal.com]

Maybe Sonya Taaffe should write that poem.

[larryhammer]

I do not know of such a poem, though I've seen other responses by other poets.

---L.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

No notion, unfortunately. But I'd read it if you wrote it.