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Queen Esther’s Lot

for the Jewish holiday of Purim (“Lots”)

Oh, to be taken from home’s holy ways,
Delivered to a king uncircumcized,
And after one grand night, spend endless days
With harem women and men feminized—
My living God, let this not be my lot.

They say cosmetics do the skin no harm,
That unclean meat I loathe and would refuse
Will but enhance my esoteric charm
Outshining beauty as my grace accrues—
But let not pork and powder be my lot.

The bower floor is alabaster white,
Sky-colored hangings held on ivory rings
Surround majestic furnishings bedight
With satin to which cassia fragrance clings,
And in this royal bedstead lies my lot.

He says he loves me, crowns me Persia’s queen,
Grants me a palace where I reign supreme,
Subjected to himself, for these deeds mean
Men rule each home in fact as well as dream:
May kind and loving husbands be our lot.

Woe, uncle! Don’t curse your tongue and every Jew
By speaking dire conjectures as if real.
You’ve heard the proclamation? Is it true?
Commanded with Ahasuerus’ seal?
Oh, let not slaughter be our nation’s lot!

Not I! Unbidden if I near his throne,
The bodyguards at once put me to death.
Perhaps I may survive, a Jewess lone,
The day my people draw their dying breath—
But what a lonely stranger’s haunted lot.

Forgive my blasphemy. How could I think
God would not save, by other means than mine,
His chosen ones, however low I sink
In doubt and sick despair, should I decline,
At such a time, to use my queenly lot.

Dear uncle Mordecai, direct the Jews
Of Shushan all to pray and fast three days
For me and for God’s favor as I muse
How regally to act in holy ways,
And void the doom decreed for us by lot.

O ever-living God, true King of kings,
We exiles chose this land’s idolatry,
Revered our sins and hated lovely things.
Grant me well-ordered words of bravery
To nullify our just yet unjust lot.

The Persian king looms terrible to see—
Is he an angel of belligerence?
“Sweet Esther, I’m your brother, smile on me,
Embrace me, cast off swooning somnolence!
What froze you suddenly in this faint lot?”

My lord, my lot assigned celestially
Requires me to demand your clemency.
My life is threatened by an enemy
Who has condemned my people hatefully.
Give us permission to resist that lot.

Your premier Haman plots against your wife!
Allow your faithful subjects to defend
Themselves, and if need be, to take the life
Of those who for our utter loss contend.
Give us a fighting chance as our fair lot.

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Poet’s Note

Purim (“Lots”) is the Jewish holiday recalling the Biblical story of Esther. Her Jewish identity unknown, Esther was chosen above many other beautiful girls to replace the disobedient queen of Ahasuerus, ruler of the Persian empire. Haman the prime minister persuaded Ahasuerus to order all Jews in the vast empire to be killed on a day chosen by lot, but Queen Esther obtained a reversal of lots, with Haman executed and the Jews authorized to kill anyone who attacked them.

Shushan: the Persian capital, now the city of Susa

brother: The speaker is Ahasuerus, Esther’s husband, but he says “brother” to emphasize their equal majesty at the crucial moment when she swoons in fear of him.

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Margaret Coats lives in California.  She holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.  She has retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others. 

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20 Responses

  1. Paul Freeman

    That first stanza, of just 36 words, effortlessly reveals an enormous amount of information and scene setting, allowing this reader to move on space with a memorable story I had never come across before.

    This is storytelling at it’s best.

    Thanks for the read, Margaret.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you! The memorable story was created without all the elements of the original, focusing only on the central character and her emotions. I’m glad to know it is successful!

      Reply
  2. Jeremiah Johnson

    Margaret, some thoughts on the poem:

    I had to read this twice before I saw how every stanza ended on “lot”, and I have to say, it never felt forced!

    “May kind and loving husbands be our lot.” I like the ring of that line – and it’s convicting. It’s not easy to always be kind and loving, and Paul wasn’t just being glib when he ordered husbands to live it out through the Spirit!

    “Perhaps I may survive, a Jewess lone . . . But what a lonely stranger’s haunted lot.” – Something profound about those lines – the feeling expressed by so many who have survived a catastrophe of some sort, a battle, an earthquake, etc., and wondered “why me?” – and, of course, it would be all the more poignant if you realized you might could’ve done something about it.

    “angel of belligerence.” – what an intriguing phrase!

    “demand your clemency” – Does Esther “demand” clemency? Does she have the nerve? Maybe she does – perhaps it depends on how one reads the text.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks for your reflections, Jeremiah. At the point where Esther “demands” clemency, she has the nerve to do this because she has come through fear and weakness to realize God “requires” her to do so. In other words, she acknowledges the need to act “regally” in the position given her as queen.

      You are right about one of her steps along this way. She has looked ahead to imagine herself as the lone survivor of a catastrophe–and she sees she could do something to prevent it.

      And thanks a lot for finding all the “lots” readable and unforced!

      Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Margaret, you skillfully and overwhelmingly with inspiration told the story of Esther from the Bible. This story is one I have remembered since childhood when I read it in “Egermeier’s Bible Story Book.” Esther was brave enough to stand for her people in the face of death if she did not obtain the sympathy of the Persian king. Smoothly and eloquently, you provided complex details with elegant words and verses that reverberate with imagery and accuracy.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you so much, Roy. I’m glad you can recognize this from the childhood Bible story book. I tried to show how Esther works up her courage, in accord with her faith, as she goes from one situation to another, in which she seems to have a “lot” dictated by fate. She overcomes feelings of a helpless victim, when it comes to making a brave stand for her people!

      Reply
  4. Brian A. Yapko

    Margaret, thank you for this excellent poem on the subject of Esther and her salvation of the Jewish people from the evil Haman. The historical context concerns those Jews who did not return to the Holy Land with Ezra and Nehemiah after the Babylonian exile but, rather, remained in communities in Persia. Esther is the speaker’s Persian name. Her Hebrew name is Hadassah (which means myrtle – a symbol of prosperity in the Hebrew Bible) – a name much-invoked as a protectress in Jewish communities throughout the world for hospitals and other benevolent organizations. This ties into one of the central themes of the Book of Esther: hidden things. You extensively address the other major theme: lots in the sense of gambling. For there are many hidden things in this story and there are many gambles. These subjects involve too much detail to go into here, but your emphasis on “lots” is particularly special given that the Jewish holiday Purim does indeed mean lots and that tomorrow is the first night of Purim. Your emphasis on the word “lot” at the end of each otherwise standard a-b-a-b stanza is a marvelous device here to give this word, with all of its shades of meaning, poetic emphasis. It’s especially important for the fact that the date of the slaughter of all Jews was chosen by lot, and it’s important in the gambling-with-life sense that the king does not bring salvation but, rather, gives the Jews the right to prepare and defend themselves. There is still some suspense of whether things will work out.

    Going back to the idea of “hidden things” this is one of the reasons Jews celebrate Purim by wearing masks and costumes. In the story, Esther’s Jewishness is hidden from her husband, the king. Haman’s actions and motives are kept hidden from the king. But here your poem deviates substantially from the text, not in theme or intent, but in explicitness of vocabulary. The Book of Esther is famous for being one of the few books in the Bible that does not mention God. His hand and will appear throughout the book, but He is not explicitly brought into the narrative. This is an important aspect of the narrative for it shows that God works even when He does so silently and anonymously. It is clear that Esther and Mordecai are highly faith-driven. It is clear that salvation is through Him working through Esther, Mordecai and then the king. Your poem, however, has Esther explicitly invoke God. I think it is appropriate and, in fact, meaningful for you to make explicit what is implicit in the detached third person narrative. Here, in the context of a dramatic monologue, you get to present what is in her heart. You are filling in the missing pieces, as it were.

    It is impossible to avoid noting the irony in reading of this poem at this particular point in history that antisemitism is rampant throughout the world and Israel is under deep attack both from her enemies and from her allies. The vile villain “Haman” is astonishingly close to “Hamas” and both share the same genocidal aspirations 2500 years apart. Margaret, your beautiful poem is a powerful reminder that God is in charge, that miracles occur and that somehow and against all odds the Jewish people persevere through the most heinous attacks and calumnies. Thank you for this.

    The tomb of Esther and Mordecai has been a pilgrimage site in Iran for many centuries, although unavailable to Jews since the coming of the ayatollahs. It is still maintained by the small remnant of Jews left in Iran after the expulsions. The tomb was set on fire in 2020 because Jewish heritage is highly disrespected in that country.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/tomb-of-mordechai-and-esther-in-iran-reportedly-set-ablaze/

    Esther and Mordecai’s tombs were again vandalized in October, 2023 because, it would seem, anything Jewish must necessarily be desecrated even if it has no rational connection to Israeli politics. I note that to desecrate a mosque in Israel would be unimaginable.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS . . . That phrase from the book of Esther has become proverbial. Brian, I’m so glad you mention how much this story called for a poem based on it to be written in such a time as this very year–and published as the Purim celebration of deliverance is about to occur. The phrase comes from Mordecai speaking to the hesitant Esther, opening her eyes to the possibility that God put her in the place of queen for just such a time as the dreadful plan to slaughter all Jews throughout a great ancient empire. I have also put into this poem the faith of Mordecai, which he conveys to Esther, that God could and would save the Jews without her–but how terrible to miss a distinct and powerful God-given opportunity! This is something many of us have come to think about in recent times. Thank you for outlining how oddly similar the current situation is, even to the point of attacks on Israel being masterminded and funded by Iran, the land that was ancient Persia.

      I’ll return later to you very rich response about the poem itself and treatment of the Biblical text. Thank you for all of it!

      Reply
  5. Cynthia Erlandson

    Margaret, you have told Esther’s story in such a concise and powerful way. I agree with Jeremiah above that your unobtrusive use of the word “lot” to complete each stanza, with various meanings of the word, is one profound way the poem is held together. And not only have you told the plot; you have also depicted the strong emotions and the fear that must have been a major part of the story for Esther herself. And, the way you used the -a-a-a-b rhyme scheme in the penultimate stanza seemed to me to be an emphatic way of preparing the reader for the climax of the story.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks, Cynthia. Because the Biblical story includes so much, I did my best here to tell most of it with a focus on Esther the heroine. The stanza you notice rhymes (imperfectly) in words that all have a final accent three syllables before the end of word and line. It’s a rather formal way for Esther to explain herself and make her request before going on to accuse Haman and emphasize that request for approval of Jewish self-defense in the last stanza–which is really the completion of her work. Her lot becomes “our lot” that she can influence, while others bring the tale to its happy end. Glad you enjoyed the piece!

      Reply
  6. Rohini

    This is so beautiful and moving. I want to go back to the Bible and read Esther’s story again. Although the words will not come close to your skilful narration.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Rohini, for appreciating my way with Esther’s story! It’s always worthwhile to go back and read the Bible. In Jewish tradition, reading the book of Esther is part of celebrating the holiday of Purim during the next day or two.

      Reply
  7. Michael Vanyukov

    Dear Margaret: sublime. It adds to the drama by ending on a cliffhanger, with no response from the king. Interestingly, while Mordechai is commonly perceived as Esther’s uncle, he was actually her first cousin. Brian very pointedly notes the similarity between Haman and Hamas – especially timely as it is indeed Purim now.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Michael, thank you very much for your response. “Sublime drama” is a compliment for which I am most grateful. I had thought of the poem as a possible recitation at a Purim party for a girl costumed as Esther. Several Jewish women have told me that every girl (if the family is observant at all) dresses up as Esther at some point while she is growing up. There is enough quick changing of emotional states here to suit an aspiring actress. She might need an actor to enter the scene and speak Ahasuerus’s lines while she is swooning, but even that might possibly be done in a faraway voice by Esther limp in a chair or on the floor. I’ve seen this kind of thing in acting classes! And if she wants to be precise about Mordecai, it’s easy to substitute “cousin” for “uncle.” I appreciate that note of yours.

      Your remark on the cliffhanger last line deserves another box addressed to you and Brian, which I’ll do when I have time.

      Reply
  8. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Margaret,
    I love this. Your lines read between the lines and capture the depth of Esther’s trial as well as her courage. When I read Esther I have thought about how dismayed and distressed she must have been. I am glad to have read someone else’s reflections on this story, and so well put to verse. Thank you.
    Gigi

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Gigi! As you know, the story is complex, and it is interesting to tell it only from Esther’s point of view. She had much to fear: the harem, the king, Haman, Mordecai’s rebuke, and of course God, in addition to the threat that all Jews would be killed. I’m not surprised that she swooned when it was all too overwhelming, and I’m glad you find my picture of her perceptive.

      Reply
  9. Laura Deagon

    Margaret, I’m always drawn in to your poems and what is intriguing is that even familiar stories are given a new perspective. As I have mentioned before, the elements of poetry are somewhat foreign to me, but yours flow and draw me in each time.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Laura, thank you so much. It surely my hope that readers not very familiar with poetry can nonetheless be drawn in by it. And when the story is familiar, that the poem can offer a new perspective!

      Reply
  10. Margaret Coats

    For Michael Vanyukov and Brian Yapko, both of you noted how the poem ends as a “cliffhanger” or “in suspense.” This leaves Esther as well as ourselves wondering how things will play out. She has no more to do, but the remainder of the book tells what the king did and how the Jews killed many enemies when the chosen day had come. One thing to reflect there is that only the diehard enemies would have gone on in violence when it became clear the Jews would fight and the king had reason to support them.

    Doesn’t that make the ending of the poem like the situation today? The diehard enemies are on the attack, and the Israelis are fighting, but the one major difference is that most powers in the world seem unfriendly and would stop Israel. Esther’s request for a “fighting chance” seems to be denied. Today’s king of sorts wants to give some rest and recreation time, and a safe space, to those known diehard enemies.

    And that reminds me of the character of Purim celebration when the holiday was established. The Jews were glad to be delivered, but knew their safety depended on the king’s will. Even those who had returned to Judea were still in a province of the Persian empire, and thus threatened under his original decree. The laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed, so the king made an additional decree allowing Jews to fight on their own behalf. Had he not done so, they would have had a much greater number of enemies–everyone who thought the king frowned on the Jews. After all, he had added to his first decree the incentive that those who killed the Jews could legally seize their property. There was much to be gained as an enemy of Jewry.

    Therefore, Esther’s request for a fighting chance resonates at present. The situation has changed, because Israel no longer depends on a foreign potentate. Esther asks today whether the world will allow this nation to defend itself by rooting out and destroying diehard enemies who have shown themselves to be such–recently and violently. The situation is still in suspense, in a way corresponding to how the poem ends.

    Reply
    • Michael Vanyukov

      Margaret, this is really a terrific observation, pointing out another evidence of the Bible’s being a holy history. It is truly amazing how events keep repeating, over and over again, with regularity that is referred to in the Haggadah. Indeed, it is just another time when the “king” holds the permission for the Jews to defend themselves in his hands – not to help in any manner, just allow them to fight. And thankfully, you are also right that this time the Jews can defy any “verboten” in that regard – although it’s yet to be seen how much influence the congressional antisemites and their increasingly loud constituency have in the matter, not that the old-guard Democrats are much better. Europe is hopeless in that, with its traditional antisemitism now reinforced by the Muslim influx. Your cliffhanger is poignant. Thank you for the poem and the comments.

      Reply

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