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In this two part article, ninotaziz attempts to explain the fascination the francophone world had with the Malay pantun and its bid to popularize it. Despite approval from the most renowned and respected poets in the literary world, the form sadly failed to take the world by storm. Yet in its beauty, nuggets of the Malay thought and culture survived 500 years of subtle resilience and quiet grace. (If you missed the first part, it is here.)
Part II
Kupu-kupu terbang melayang
Terbang di lautan di hujung karang
Hati di dalam menaruh bimbang
Dari dahulu sehingga sekarang
Moths fly here and there without rest
They fly out to the open sea, to the reefs
There is deep uneasiness within my breast,
From time long past until today without relief
(translation by ninotaziz)
From 15th century pantun to 18th century pantoum
The pantun berkait was introduced to French poets and novelists of the 19th century. And the very man credited with popularizing the Malay pantum by storm was largely Victor Hugo himself. In 1829, Hugo published the highly acclaimed collection of poems, les Orientales. In it he included extensive notes, including a special mention of a French translation of a Malay pantun from his correspondence with Ernest Fouinet titled simply Pantoum Malai. Victor Hugo was clearly very taken up by the pantun, describing it as “d’une délicieuse origanlité.”
The Malay pantun in Jawi script was translated into English by William Marsden in his book A Grammar of the Malayan Language (published in 1812) and later by Ernest Fouinet into French.
Butterflies sport on the wing around,
They fly to the sea by the reef of rocks.
My heart has felt uneasy in my breast,
From former days to the present hour.
They fly to the sea by the reef of rocks.
The vulture wings its flight to Bandan.
From former days to the present hour,
Many youths have I admired.
The vulture wings its flight to Bandan,
Dropping its feathers at Patani.
Many youths have I admired,
But none to compare with my present choice.
His feathers he let fall at Patani.
A score of young pigeons.
No youth can compare with my present choice,
Skilled as he is to touch the heart.
Incidentally, this poem in Jawi script was featured on the cover of Francois Rene Daillie’s Alam Pantun Melayu. (Note: I am glad to say that thanks to my late grandfather, I can read the Jawi Script but it is a dying art in Malaysia). The “Pantoum Malai” in question is actually a pantun berkait, a longer pantun set of interlocking quatrains.
The period pantoum gained prominence in France very closely corresponded to a time one of the Malay Sultans was exiled to Seychelles, Sultan Abdullah of Perak. Incidentally, the Sultan spoke flawless French and his children played his favourite tune Les Rosalie on the violin and piano so well, which actually made way its way here and there (that’s another story) to end up being the basis of our national anthem. One can only imagine the French connection there.
The real beauty of the pantun is its ability to slowly reveal layers of deep meaning. It creates a longing and profound set of emotions that is left unspoken, long after the pantun is uttered. It plays with many senses, the heart-strings most of all.
I am sure many would think that the Academy Award winner Oscar Hammerstein II seems as far away from the pantun as can be. The musical theatre genius from a bygone era co-wrote 850 songs, and Hammerstein was the lyricist and playwright in his partnerships; his collaborators wrote the music. There is a very enduring song Hammerstein wrote called I am Going To Like It Here. Oscar Hammerstein’s song is an example of the pantoum, which is always inspired by the pantun berkait.
The revival of the pantun
I am hoping to see the art of pantun see a strong revival, at least in appreciation. I would hate to think my children would only get to listen to pantun at Malay Weddings. Or my unborn grandchildren, none at all.
Perhaps you would like to share a form of writing or song unique to your culture, or one that you feel passionately about? Do you feel it is vital that they are continued to be shared with the younger generation? Why? And how do we do this?
About our contributor, ninotazziz:
She is a PR consultant and a multiple award winning author and storyteller of many generations from Malaysia. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, ninotaziz grew up in the idyllic village of Chenor, Malaysia and furthered her education in Canada. She specializes in Malaysian legends, or Hikayat, and wrote three anthologies of Malaysian legends and four YA novels – NAGA, ONANGKIU, SITI and NIK. ninotaziz firmly believes that the Malay classic pantun, literature and Hikayat are a rich world heritage that deserve an international audience.
An active member of the international poetry blogosphere in particular The Magpie Tales, Poets United and the dVerse, ninotaziz embraces the online media as a platform for engaging poets worldwide towards peaceful and enriching cultural exchange. For poetry she blogs at http://www.poemsbyninotaziz.blogspot.com
Married to Rudy Daud, the family is blessed with five daughters and enjoy picnics in the garden, late night movies, ice skating and gamelan.
Suggested reading for this article:
Alam Pantun Melayu by Francois Rene Daillie, DBP, 1988
Pantun Melayu: Bingkisan Permata edited by Harun Mat Piah, Yayasan Karyawan Kuala Lumpur, 2001
The Soul of Malaya by Henri Fauconnier, Archipelago Press, 2003
Tunjuk Ajar Melayu by Tenas Effendy, Balai Melayu Jogjakarta, 2004
Pantun Peranakan Baba by Ding Choo Ming, UKM, 2008
Les Orientales, Victor Hugo, 1829
Hi Bjorn – great to see you back. I think this form would make a great prompt.
the idea of taking a metaphor and tying it to real-life reminds me a bit of a parable.
Hi Bill,
Bjorn is not back yet, smiles ~ But I agree, we should tackle this form again in our MTB. Happy Tuesday~
Hi Bill!
Love to see that you appreciate the metaphor in the pantun. Pretty tricky to handle, even pantun writers today can’t match the classics. But, I would like to see how modern metaphors can flow with the pantun.
I’m ready to give it a try…
Let’s go on the pantun trail…
really looking forward to trying a form that was used 300 years before my country was a country 🙂
The translated poem is beautiful Ninot ~ I now appreciate the format and its layers of meaning ~ I certainly believe that old cultural stories and poetry forms should be preserved for the future generation ~ This is part of one’s history and lessons can be gained from reading the literature of the past.
Thanks for an interesting feature ~
Now that I am reading the Jawi pantun again, I feel nostalgia and the deepest of emotions. But we also need to keep the pantun relevant.
Thanks again Grace!
Wow, Ninot, Oscar Hammerstein using a pantun – I’d never have expected that! Thank you, as always, for a fascinating world tour of this attractive poetic form.
I am so glad you liked that. I tried to make sure the article will touch heartstrings at different points for everyone.
Love the emotional element of this form.. and truly free avenues of publication like Word Press and Blogger Platforms allows any and all OLD AND new potential forms to be shared.. no longer is there an elite Art world of corporate-like interest controlling human creativity.. in expression of ART.. and we are already seeing the fruit of that across many Arts.. when everyone is allowed to express all of what they ARE within.. inspiration is the name of the game of life.. always has been and always will be in all forms of Art.. singing hand in hand with human productivity.. overall.. along with connections of heart with other human beings.. and the rest of Nature AKA GOD.. anything goes.. and that is how all that is IS evolved to go.. the restraints of the past.. ARE NOW giving way to greater and greater human freedoms in ALL THE ARTS OF LIVING FREE… IN CONNECTING GREATER LIGHTS OF TRUTH AND LIGHT.. along with respect for the DARK AS WELL..:)
I suppose , Art is reason for appreciation, KatieMaFrederick. For me it must be coupled with history, sense of self, love and respect for my heritage. That is just the Asian in me.
Kudos! Well done Ninot Ma’am!
Pantun is around us but more or less standing alone. Your most informative treatment of the French connection is an eye opener. Never knew it had been that long a time. Wonderful dedication and thanks for the thought of putting it on the d’Verse map. From the reaction of the bloggers this far it appears to be due for a take-off from here. I’m sure it will! Terima kasih atas sumbangan Puan!
Hank
Sama-sama Sir Hank. I am glad you enjoyed it. Mari berpantun.
Thank you again for this furthering of our feeling for this great form
Thank you so much for reading Sabio. It gave me great pleasure researching this article.
I do hope to hear your viewpoints on Asian poetry. Its depth, emotions and form. Which is usually so structured, perhaps like our societies.
Thank you for educating us about this beautiful form of poetry
Thank you Candy. When something beautiful can also be educational, it is a treat. Thank you for reading….
What a fascinating history, which I much enjoyed reading! Thank you, ninotaziz
Glad you enjoyed the history bit Rosemary!
Great analysis, Ninot. It’s nice to have you “tending bar.”
Good to see you this week as well Victoria. And on tending the bar, it has been fun!
Due to computer problems, joining you all late. This is remarkable form. The beauty combined with metaphor is truly unique. I think it would be interesting to have this as an MTB and see how we do with it. I find the Asian poetic forms to be thoughtful and artistic in their rules; not as a constraint but as deepening our understanding of self and nature, and in our spiritual being. Thank you so much Ninot for teaching us about this form and giving us a new way to express ourselves.
Kanzensakura
I totally agree. It would be great to see how we do with the metaphor….
Let me share an old children’s classic
Dua tiga kucing berlari
Mana sama si kucing belang
Dua tiga boleh kucari
Mana sama Abang seorang
Two three kittens run about
Can’t compare with my tomcat
Two three suitors come around
Can’t compare with my true one
Not quite there, but you get the gist…
Such fascinating information, Ninot…never knew any of this about Hammerstein or Hugo. Thank you for sharing this with us. And the pantun is so lovely in its form. Really would hate to see it disappear in usage.
I enjoyed reading this history,it is very rich in content. But I never knew there exist a form of poem like the pantun. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Ninotaz, for thie erudite exposition. It is interesting to learn of this poetic form – having struggled mightily with the pantoum (derived from the pantun) during my degree studies – the positioning of the repeated lines made my head spin! I have read some of les Orientales in French, and Hugo remains one of my favourite poets.