There she was, and eye burned eye, as amber fell on sunlit honey. Her complexion was that of jafran doodhĀ¹, and her hair was black and messily braided, like Golden-wreathed Bengal's daughters whose benisĀ² came undone as they filled their pails with water. Her smile was warm and soft, but it stung into the pilgrim's skin. Draped with the finest jamdaniĀ³, a shadow of the river-woven cloth whom the Greeks, Romans and Syrians all loved dearly. Pearl and gold rested on her collar, slenderly carved to perfection. The jewels dangled from her ears too, yet she did not have the nak-fulā“ of bengali wives. She was unmarried, unrestrained by any man. She wore the heavier nak-dulāµ, whose purpose was merely ornamention.
Her face was gentle, yet strong. There was no mistaking the regal nose, from which the gaze from her amber eyes slid from Heaven's throne as worshippers raised pyramid-like temples to Ishtar-Inanna. The nose mirrored the pilgrim's, almost. Her eyes were folded carefully under her brow, thick clouds bearing rain over the amber-tinted sunset, paving way to nightfall. A sliver of the war goddess she could be slipped through under her battle-hardened jaw, yet the smile of a mother did not waver. She had the face who ghotoksā¶ would sell their own sons to, firm and intelligent, gentle and caring.
This was Aphrodite, who had sailed unto the shores of Cyprus on her heavenly woven foam-adorned boat. This was Inanna who had braved the wrath of Ereshkigal for the sake of her dearest love. This was Durga-KÄli, whose rage could raze entire worlds if harm came her children's way. This was Venus, who bore Rome in her womb. This was the goddess to whom all men and gods bent, whom even fate could turn its will for. Then readily you shall praise her name too, Reader, for the Lady of the Heavens Eternal would smilingly send her badshahiā· blessing to you.
2- lit. braid (I didn't want to use the same word twice in a sentence)
3- Jamdani is a fabric exclusively woven in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Particularly near the Shitolokkha river bank. It is the closest thing we have to muslin in the modern age. More here.
4- lit. nose flower. There's a belief among Bengali women that wearing a nak-ful prolongs your husband's life. It is also commonly a sign of a married/engaged woman in rural areas. Though nowadays it's commonly a sign of a girl who has had her first period.
5- lit. dangling from the nose. A bigger and heavier version of the nak-ful. Theoretically the same and nowadays synonymous, I wanted to stick with the traditional differentiation I learnt from my grandmother.
