BIO
Laxmi Prasad Devkota (12 November 1909 – 14 September 1959) was a Nepali poet,
playwright, and novelist. He authored more than four dozen of books including five epic
works. His book Muna Madan is considered as the best seller of all time in Nepali
literature. He is honored as Mahakavi (Poet the Great) and regarded as the greatest
poet of Nepali literature.
Make Me a Sheep, O God!
Dead tired I am, O God!
Make me a sheep, please.
This house of mine, a sword of Damocles
This bane of thinking
This sin of knowing
This heart-burning judgment of conscience
The three kinds of worries that I may fall into
This show of rising higher
This curse of bearing responsibility!
No! No! I so not want the magnificent pomp!
Let all the accounts be cleared after death!
Sweet and carefree!
Give me a beast’s irresponsibility!
O God!
Life without a spade but not the curse of labor,
The sweet thing is but to crunch the self growing grass!
Why the eighty-four types of dishes?
Why the tongue artificialised?
Why the ears artificialised?
Why so many perfumes for a dirty nose?
Why the sculpture-writer Vedavyas and a number of works like Shukabahattari fancy
false?
Why the hard labor of ignorance deep?
Why the yoking of the body?
So much of tears and cries- all of no use!
So much of shrieks of laughters for the change!
Why such a great deception over the flaming funeral pyre?
Why playing on so many strings?
Listen to me !
Let the strong sufiet as they like; but knowledge should not belong to me.
A true hermit is the sheep.
the natural taste being the green,
The bleating may not blaspheme the virtues of god
Singing the praise in taste, may not the cloth be woven;
Cloth may not be woven; let it be grown all over the body.
Let me fight with my horns.
Let there be no spiritual fight.
Let time glide smoothly!
Let there be no universal scorching-the atomic destruction of the atheist.
Let me not make the false and sophisticated wisdom soar,
So that the queer future may give a string!
Let not the devil sit on my horns
As the symbol of knowledge.
Let me not dabble at the trap of civilization;
Let me not soar higher leaving the reality behind.
Let not my soul fall towards the ideals.
Let not the false strings play sweeter songs than “Ba! Ba!”
Let me love the lamb.
I need only paternal feelings, O Lord
This is all I want.
No matter If he dies. It is up to the wish of my Lord !
Worry I won’t- let not my breast dry till he lives,
Until his body becomes full.
Or the grass becomes hard
And he does not become able to eat by himself
And no doctor is to be called.
Let my soul, inclined towards terrible black art, never take speed.
Let not jump to the void like a sage.
Or with an artificial imagination.
Let me not create distorted magic of variegated colors out of magic-less truth
Let me not become a Brahmin to live on dirty water washing away other’s sin;
Let me not advance my feet towards Hell, being fully conscious of sins as the virtuous
persons.
Let me not reform in order to expose this world.
Let me not patch up the old and tattered things.
Let me lit the light of life,
Like the simple beautiful and un-beautiful light of Nature.
When dying
Let me reach higher up than the sage,
And to the heaven, than the Brahmin,
To the abode of bliss than the pious,
Let me not point out a defect!
Let me have divine animality, O Providence,
Be kind to me and seize me quickly!
Come! Please!
Make me a sheep right now.
प्रभुजी, भेंडो बनाऊ
ज्यादै थाकें हे ईश्वर !
भेंडो बनाऊ मलाई ।
यो शिरको धराप- जो हो मेरो घर
यो विचारको शराप-
यो जान्नाको पाप-
यो अन्तःकरणको हृदय ज्वालक नाप
यो खसुंला भन्ने तीन किसिमको ताप
यो चढ्ने रवाफ ।
यो जवाफदेहीको अभिशाप ।
भो ! भो ! म चाहन्न दिव्य रवाफ !
फेरि मरण पछि कुमारीचोक बहीखाता साफ
मीठो मस्त !
जानवरी निरुत्तरदायित्व मलाई
भगवान ।
बेकोदाली-जीवन न कि परिश्रमको सराप
मीठो भन्नु चुरुम चुरुम आफै फल्ने घाँस ।
किन यी चौरासी व्यञ्जन ?
नकली जिभ्रो ?
नकली कान ?
एक सिंगाने नाक निमित्र यत्तिका अन्तर ?
झूटो कल्पना निमित्त वेदव्यास र लाखन, लाखन, शुक वहत्तर ?
अँध्यारो अज्ञानको साह्रो खेती !
शरीर जोती जोती ?
यतिका आँसु यतिका क्रन्दन वेकाम !
यत्ती हाँसो हिलहिल परिवर्तनको !
हर हर चता माथि ।
यत्रो छकावट ? यति तार बनाई ?
सुन, मेरो भनाइ !
बलियोले खाए खाऊन, मलाई ज्ञान नआऊन्
सच्चा साधु भेंडो छ !
सादा स्वाद हरियो हुनाले, परमेश्वरको निन्दा नगरोस् आमा
चाहनाको गुणन गरी लुगा नचुन्नु परोस्
लुगा नबुन्नु परोस्, उम्रोस् आँग भरी
लडूँ म सींगले,
आध्यात्मिक समर नहोस्
काल होस् सजिलो,
नकि नास्तिकको अणुवत् ध्वंस-समष्टि ज्वलन
नतानुँ लहरा नगर्जुन् पहरा, दुःखको प्रदर्शन भित्र
जीवनकाठ बनाउन कृत्रिम झूठो बुद्धि उडाइ विचित्र
भविष्यले नडसोस् ।
भूत विद्या बनी सींग माथि नबसोस,
सभ्यताको धराप नउचालु, नउडूँ यथार्थ छोडी
आदर्शहरूतिर आत्मा नखसोस् :
भ्या भ्या भन्दा मीठो गाना, नकली तारहरूमा नबनोस्
पाठाको प्रेम गरुँ
केवल पितृभाव प्रभुको मिलोस् ।
यति मात्रामा मात्र,
मरे मरिगो परमेश्वरको इच्छा !
सुँघ्दा छैन-जीए दूध नसुकोस् त्यति बेलासम्म
जबतक उसको आँग हुँदैन भरी,
अथवा घाँस कडा नहोस्
आफै खाने नबनोस्—
डाक्टर बोलाउन नपरोस् ।
भयंकर काली बोक्सी कलातिर प्रकृत मेरो आत्मा कहिले नदुगुरोस्
साधुजस्तो शून्यतिर नहाम्फालूँ
अथवा कृत्रिम कल्पनाले—
जादूहीन सत्यबाट रङ्गी चङ्गी
वाङ्गा जादू ननिकालूँ
ब्राह्मण नबनूँ अरुको पाप पखाली खान
मैलो पानी
धर्मात्मा झैं पापहरूको चेत भरिईकन-
रौरवतिर पयर न उचालू-
नसुधारुँ—उवार्न जगत् यो !
पुराना—फाटाहरूले न टालूँ,
अप्रिय फालूँ
प्रकृतिको सादा सुन्दर असुन्दर बत्ती,
जस्तो जीवन बालूँ ।
मर्दा !
मर्दा
साधु भन्दा माथि पुगूँ,
ब्राह्मण भन्दा स्वर्ग,
धर्मात्माहरू भन्दा सुखको वैकुण्ठ,
दाग एउटा ननिकालूँ
दिव्य पशुत्व मलाई प्रभुजी
जनी गर झट्ट समाऊ !
आऊ ! आऊ !
अहिल्यै भेंडो बनाऊ ।
The Swallow and Devkota
The swallow and Devkota
Share the same nest and the same trait.
How do the tiger and the lamb drink water together on this bank!
Sitting down does Nature thread
Both hearts in a string.
It isn’t afraid, I’ve no doubt!
Both the beings have a false cause to be awake
At midnight in a room.
Falling low, coming downward there’s
Fire in this world,
Going high beyond limits there’s
The cold snow of eminence.
Living in the middle
Modest fluttering,
One lives in pleasures sweet!
Look! Right here is stretched
The long, thin electric wire!
How do the live currents flow in that!
On that the swallow sits on guard all through the night
The poet’s heart also takes fitful naps alike.
The heart smells the moistened earth
Gazed upon by the heaven through tears.
Through all days
The heart pecks and pricks
For the means to make love’s mansion
In the mind!
In the solitude of night while
The world falls asleep
The eyes of imagination, always alert, begin to doze.
Sweet are the friends, the poems, the female one
The light with self!
For a firm hold on life in this world
Are its ‘cheep’ and ‘peep’.
To pass your honeymoon you chose Nepal
The place that is healthy and high.
Silently does the tie spiritual
Between the swallow and Devkota weep.
Seeing our creative pain
The starry sky like the eyes of compassion,
Peeping through a crack in the window,
Falls down rolling in a star.
The swallow and Devkota
Share the same nest and the same trait.
We came chasing the spring
The dream flowers become real!
We sang the song of Gauri-Shankar,
The song that’s the duet of Prakriti and Purush.
The melodious creation of that beak and this taste-bud
Is our own abode.
The ages’ children may open their eyes
Looking far ahead!
We sight constantly
The mud trodden by every feet
That is the means of our abode.
Such bricks and such mud are found all over Nepal
All over the world!
All over the days, fluttering, flapping
The nose smells the earthy smell.
Trying to lift the clay softened by heaven’s tears
It pecks and pricks,
The swallow and Devkota
Share the same nest and the same trait.
When the young ones hatched in the nest
Grow their wings,
We in fondness wish
To take them to the forest to make them fly.
Then, will fly high
We the loving couple,
The swallow couple of poetry and poet.
Flapping shall we reach the sea-shore
To turn back once
And to look through tears
The forest of human beings.
In happiness will then our souls submerge.
The labour-pain,
The anguish felt for their abode will vanish.
The swallow and Devkota
Share the same nest and the same trait.
गौँथली र देवकोटा
क.
गौंथली र देवकोटाको
एउटै गुँड छ ! एउटै गुण छ !
ख.
यस घाटमा क्या बाघ र पाठो पानी पिउँछ !
प्रकृति बसेर, दुइटैको दिल,
एक धागोमा सिउँछ, सिउँछ !
त्यो तर्सिन्न, म शङ्किन !
मध्यरातमा एक कोठामा
दुइटै जीवको जाग्ने निहुँ छ
तलतिर लागे यस संसारमा
आगो, आगो,
मास्तिर ज्यादा लागेदेखिन्
यशको चिसो हिउँ छ, हिउँ छ !
बीच बासो,
फ्यारफ्यार मध्यम,
रसले जिउँछ, रसले जिउँछ !
ग.
बिजुलीको तार लामो, मसिनो,
तानिएको हेर ! यहाँ छ !
तरङ्ग, लहर क्यै त्यसमा जिउँछ !
त्यसमा गौंथली रातमा रुँग्छ,
कविको मन पनि त्यस्तै उँग्छ !
स्वर्गले रोई हेरिरहेको
भिजेकी पृथिवी मनले सुँघ्छ !
दिनभर, दिनभर,
दिलले, साधन त्यस्तै हिलोमा
प्यारका एउटा महल बनाउन,
ठुँग्छ, ठुँग्छ !
सूनसानमा निशिको, सुत्दा
सारा संसार, जागी, जागी,
कल्पनाको आँखा उँग्छ !
घ.
सुहृद्मधु छन्, कविता, पोथी,
सँगकी ज्योति !
यस जगत्मा खँदिलो बासो
निम्ति, उनको ‘चिउँ’ छ ! ‘पिउँ’ छ !
मधुमास बिताउन नेपाल छान्यौं,
विवाहपछाडि,
स्वस्थ र अग्लो ठाउँ जुन छ ।
गौंथली र देवकोटाको
अध्यात्म मितेरी चुपचाप रुन्छ !
सृष्टिको हाम्रो पीडा देखी,
करुणादृग झैं तारामय नभ,
करयाइँबाट झ्यालमा चिहाई,
एक तारमा गुड्छ गुड्छ !
गौंथली र देवकोटाको
एउटै गुँड छ ! एउटै गुण छ !
ङ.
वसन्त पछाडि लागी आयौं !
स्वपनाको फुल बिपना हुन्छ !
गौरी–शङ्कर गाना गायौं —
प्रकृति पुरुषको जुहारी परस्पर,
गाना जुन छ !
त्यो चुच्चाको, यस रसनाको,
गाउँदो रचना हाम्रो घर हो !
युगका बच्चा आँखा उघार्लान्,
हेर्दै पर हो !
दिनभर, दिनभर,
जगत्ले कुल्ची हिंड्ने हिलोमा,
हाम्रो नजर छ
त्यही हो हाम्रो घरको साधन !
यस्तो ईँट र यस्तो माटो, नेपालभर छ !
पृथिवीभर छ !
दिनभर, दिनभर, फ्यारफ्यार, भुर्भुर,
माटोको गन्ध नाकले सुँघ्छ !
स्वर्ग रोई, गीला, बनेका हिला चुचाले
उचाल्न खोजी ठुँग्छ, ठुँग्छ
गौंथली र देवकोटाको
एउटै गुँड छ ! एउटै गुण छ !
च.
बच्चा काढी यस गुँडमा जब
तिनको पखेटा उम्रन्छ !
वनमा लगीकन तिनलाई उडाउन,
हाम्रो मीठो मनसूब छ !
त्यसपछि प्यारा, प्यारी हामी
कविकविताको गौंथली जोडी
उड्छ, उड्छ !
सागर–किनार पुग्छौं, फ्यारफ्यार
एक बार फर्की,
आँसुले हेर्न,
मानिसहरूको जङ्गल जुन छ !
डुब्छौं, दम्पति सागरमा तब,
सुखमा हाम्रो आत्मा बुड्छ !
प्रसव–वेदनाको यो सदनको
पीडा उड्छ !
गौंथली र देवकोटाको,
एउटै गुँड छ ! एउटै गुण छ !
*****
Sources: The Swallow and Devkota and Make Me a Sheep, O God!
Original Nepali poems – Laxmi Kavita Sangraha, Publisher- Sajha Prakashan and SahityaSangrah
English translation – Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota Study and Research Center
These poems may have appeared elsewhere, prior to their publication in Life and Legends.
