After a long hiatus, I am back to posting on this blog again. Instead of giving in to the temptation of quoting another poem by Agyeya, I will instead quote from another great poet who contributed immensely to Hindi poetry: Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Nirala's poetry stands out amongst his contemporaries both thematically and stylistically. I think he may have been one of the first few Hindi poets to use blank verse extensively. His poems also often highlighted social issues.

I quote here a passage from a poem by him that I read as part of school curriculum. Simple, yet eloquent, and very moving, it describes the plight of a poor beggar:

वह आता,
दो टूक कलेजे के करता
पछताता पथ पर आता।

पेट पीठ दोनों मिल कर हैं एक
चल रहा लकुटिया टेक
मुट्ठी भर दाने को
भूख मिटाने को
मुह फटी-पुरानी झोली का फैलाता।

वह आता,
दो टूक कलेजे के करता
पछताता पथ पर आता।