Nepal 2009, Poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota Centenary Year R. 1

Nepal stamp 2009

Poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota Centenary Year R. 1

- - - - - - -

Laxmi Prasad Devkota (November 12, 1909 – September 14, 1959), was a Nepali poet. Devkota is considered the greatest poet of Nepal—he has been given the title of "Maha Kavi" ("The Great Poet") of Nepal.

In this piece Devkota connects the beggar with the divine as the ultimate fount of kindness and empathy:

कालो बादलबाट खसेको
अन्धकार भित्र बसेको,
ईश्वर हो कि भिखरी?
घर, घर, अागन चारी
बोल्दछ, अार्तध्वनिमा बोल्दछ
करुणामृत दिल भारी ।

translation:
Crushed under black clouds
Lodged in darkness
Is he a beggar or a god?
As he wanders from house to house
He speaks in tunes suffused with pain
A heart weighed with compassion.