Begum Samru (Poem)
I might be 4 and a half feet tall
Started as a dancing girl
Others looked down on me
But I made them dance to my tune.
At fourteen, I lived with Walter
He was thrice my age
Knew the language of guns
Not the wiles of words
To seduce at court.
That was my forte
We got land as a result.

Vassoult and George courted me at forty
I preferred Vassoult
The French know this game best
We tried to steal away
I heard Vassoult was shot
So I stabbed myself
We don’t die easy.
Dear ol faithful George
Got me back to power
Whew.
My turban gave me height
As I led my troops in battle
My enemies called me a witch
Unable to digest my success as a soldier.
I fired on Najaf Quli Khan and his men
Emperor Shah Alam breathed easy
I lived till ninety
Hookahing away.
More on Begum Samru here.
Here’s the first in my series on famous women.