For a change of pace, I present poetry from the kampongs along the Sarawak River. They are usually recited at gatherings of Malay people, where the men and women are seated separately. The ending of the first and third verse and the second and fourth verse must rhyme. The first two lines have no meaning, but the second two hold the message. I have explained some of the first two lines to place you in the kampong. This was a way to transfer knowledge in the kampong from one generation to the next.
_______________________________________________________________________
Raut buluh raut rotan
Duduk memetik daun ulam
Laut biru jelas kelihatan
Di bawah berjuta rahsia alam
Notice how the first and third and second and fourth end words rhyme. Here, the first two verses have no meaning. The English translation:
The bamboo takes shape like rattan, Sitting and plucking the salad leaves, The blue sea is clearly visible, underneath the sea holds countless mysteries.
A person living in the kampong this means he may have hidden problems or could be very rich yet living in poverty.
In the first line a strong stout piece of bamboo turns into a flexible piece of rope.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Dari Meik Merpati
Bawa misi memadam api
Bomba Malaysia rela berbaki
Niat suci tidak bertapi
And the field rose, Dove took off, The Malaysian firefighters are ready to serve, A pure intention without hesitation. The firefighters are very dedicated and will act without hesitation
__________________________________________________________________________________
Baju pendek pakaian serani
Kaki lima tempat bersembang
Sungguh pelik di hati kami
Lelaki sekarang berambut panjang
Short sleeve shirts for white man’s shirt, Five-foot space to chat, It’s really odd in our hearts, Guys these days have long hair.
It’s really awkward to see men with long hair these days.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Titi Titi jati
Surung surung papan
Hati jadi mati
Kerana ikut syaitan
Feels like a slippery slope, man. You start messing around, and before you know it, your heart’s gone cold ’cause you’re just following the devil’s path.
Titi titi jati is a small bridge made of two hardwood planks across a small rivulet.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Tudung dipakai kain cinta
Kain murah, kain kudi
Tolong menolong, budaya kita
Itulah amalan orang berbudi
The scarf is made of love cloth Inexpensive fabric, fabric of pride Helping each other, that’s our culture That’s the way of kind-hearted people
__________________________________________________________________________________
Dari Petani turun ke Perlis
Naik kereta Proton saga
Bernyanyi berpantun penyeri majalis
Sudah berpantun kita berniaga
From a place called Petani to Perlis, Riding in a Proton Saga, Singing rhymes to liven up the gathering, Now that we’ve rhymed, let’s do some business.
Petani is a town in the state of Perlis. A proton Saga is a Malaysian made car.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Tiak hinggap di pohon ari
Buang sebaris ayat dikarang
Tiada ilmu kira-kira
Wang habis di kocek orang
Every time it lands on a tree Throws away a line of written verses No knowledge of calculations The money will go into someone else’s pocket and not yours.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Buka kedai kopi
Jual goreng pisang
Bukan mahu kami
Jadi orang dagang
Open a coffee shop, Sell fried bananas, I have to travel to another town to find a job.
This could be a way a person is informing the kampong he will be leaving for the city to find employment.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Buah petai, buah kuini
Dibuang isi dimakan biji
Sungguh pandai adikku ini
Tumbuh gigi dah pandi menjagi
Petai fruit, kuini fruit,The flesh is thrown away, the seed is eaten. My little brother is really clever, Growing teeth, already know how to take care.
Here time is told by the time it takes for the front teeth to grow in. My little brother is very clever, and he knows how to take care of himself
Petai is a stinky fruit that some people like to eat. Kuini is a very smelly mango.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Kain Puteh masih basah
Letak jangan tempat beradu
Kalau berkasih resah gelisha
Tidak terasa manisnya madu
The white cloth is still wet, Don’t lay it on the bed.
When in love, there’s restlessness, You don’t even taste the sweetness of honey.
There are many pantuns dealing with love.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Beri kami sepinggan
Sepinggan sayur cendawan
Adik nampak tampan
Tampan anak pahlawan
Give us a serving, A serving of mushroom vegetables, The young boy looks handsome Handsome as a child of a warrior.
Here, we have the kampong people complimenting a relative. Sibling has a wide meaning in the kampong.
————————————————————————————————————————————-
Bernyanyi helang terbang petang
Tempat bersarang pohon rambutan
Begini malang nasibmu sayang
Tanah sehasta jadi rebutan
Singing eagles flying in the evening, A place to nest in the rambutan tree. What a pity of fate, a small piece of land is being fought over.
The parents or grandparents could have started out with a huge piece of land. This land was whittled down to the heirs. The heirs fought over a small piece of land because it may have contained a fruit tree which provided an income.
From
Latifah Sabli Pantun Melayu Sarawak Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka 2009.
Sarawak Malay and the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, are entirely different languages. The words have been checked by my wife, a kampong Malay from Kuching to give the correct meaning. AI translations into English have also been checked to provide the best translation as per society.