The Lunatic Laxmi Prasad Devkota

 The Lunatic

Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Nepal

(1909-1959)

b. Write the summary of the poem "The Lunatic".

A famous Nepali Literary star Laxmi Prasad Devkota, has composed this poem "The Lunatic". It is the translation of his Nepal poem "Pagal" in 1956. The poet has used a mask of an insane person to show a contrast with the world people and his thinking. in the first stanza he says he is insane (mad) and this is his thinking.

The speaker tells about different contrasts in a second stanza with unusual habits. He can see sound and hear picture and taste a smell. He touches such things that world people don't believe them. He sees flower in the stone. He speaks such strange language, which is not written and spoken and all his words are never understood by anyone.

In the third stanza, the speaker makes many contrasts. Other sense with five sense organs he speaks. One minus one is equal to one and he works with heart while other work with mind. He enjoys in poetry while sane people do in prose. If they freeze he melts because he has world of vapour. With all such contrasts he says a vein is loose in his brain so he is insane.

In the fourth stanza the persona of the poet says he is called crazy when he is talking wintry sun heat. When he is sad at the death of people and weeps people call him mad. Seeing dead body he realizes Buddha's Philosophy still he is called mad. in listening a melodious song of cookoo he is referred to mental hospital and he is tasted if he is mad by pinching on his skin. He still a accepts that he is an insane

In the fifth stanza, the speaker focuses on stronger contrasts that wine is blood, prostitutes are corpse they don't have affection. King of other is beggar to him because he is high ambitious. The highly respected people are fools to him. Other's gold is his iron and the clever people are innocent to him. All the progress is his not progress because all are fools in his eyes. Such is his plight and such is his evaluation. What people value, believe and proThwud on are meaningless to the speaker.

In the sixth stanza, the speaker has become more aggressive. Blind leaders lead the world society/society where truth is not counted. Foolish and cheater have covered all high Honest, true and good people are always sidelined. The speaker sympathizes the weak minds and thinking of so called intellectual people of modern world.

In the last stanza, the speaker is very much violent and challenging towards the flatterers who disturb people from getting true rights and freedom. Political leaders are like prostitutes because they can be sold in money. With black money common people are controlled from getting human rights. False news is published in the media. When the speaker like honest people read them feeling comes to challenge and fight against them. He is much more angry when innocent people are forced to take poison and accept guilt of wrong deeds. When innocent and honest person is corrupted and cheated by so-called clever inhumanly his anger grows up. When he sees tiger punching upon the innocent dear, big fish to small, strong blow occurs from inside of him. There is no inhumanly. His brain burns like a forest fire he becomes too much cruel and become a child of tempest explosion of volcano. His mind is not proper, this is his condition.