Allahyarham Zubir Ali seorang penyair dan penyanyi yang meninggalkan kita terlalu awal. Lagu beliau “Doa” antara lagu pebret isteri saya. Selama ini sang isteri tak pernah bagi cadangan lagu atau syair untuk saya terjemahkan. Tetiba dia suruh buat yang ni.
Tak dapat nafikan jauh ia lebih sedap sebagai lagu – cuba dengar dan baca al-Fatihah bagi ruh beliau:
Mak has been in the hospital a lot lately. That put the wife and I in a sentimental mood one evening so we put together this video. The music is Khabar Bagi Ibu by the Alleycats. Here are the lyrics with my translation:
How are you, dear mother Who I love so much I have some news for you About your future daughter-in-law
She’s an ordinary person, nothing special But healthy and bright And she’s going to help me Get through my day-to-day
No need for you to worry about our love We’ve promised to respect one another I hope you will throw yellow rice across the front yard of the house To welcome the two of us home O Mother of mine
I love her Just like dad loves you And she loves me Just like you love dad
I love her Just like dad loves you And she loves me Just like you love dad
Ke hadapan ibuku Yang sangatku cintai Dengarlah khabar ini Tentang calon menantu
Orangnya sederhana tidak berlebihan Tapi cergas serta pintar Dan dia kan membantu Dalam urusan seharian
Usahlah engkau bimbang tentang cinta kami Kami telah berjanji akan saling menghormati Harap ibu kan taburkan beras kunyit Di depan halaman rumah Menyambut kepulangan kami berdua Oh ibu ku
Ku menyintainya Seperti ayah menyintaimu Dan dia menyintaiku Seperti kau cintakan ayah
Begitu kata Dato’ Hattan. Mengikut nasihat beliau, sudah saya mengkaji Gurindam 12 Raja Ali Haji dan disini mempamerkan hasilannya. Inilah Gurindam 12 Fasal 4 serta terjemahan bahasa inggeris.
He was referencing the poem Rajawali that was dedicated to him by the late WS Rendra, an Indonesian literary figure and activist who was himself a political prisoner under the Suharto regime. The poem is here:
I have tried to render it into English. Here is my translation of WS Rendra’s Rajawali:
The Eagle
An iron cage
cannot change the eagle
into a parrot.
The eagle is the sky’s beloved
and inside the iron cage
the eagle feels sure
the sky will always be waiting.
The sky without the eagle
is expanse and freedom without a soul
seven skies, seven eagles
seven realms, seven travelers.
The eagle that soars
enters solitude
gazing down upon the world
the eagle in the iron cage
sits in meditation
arranging his life’s affairs.
Life is a coral necklace of possibilities
made from the sweat of the sun
without the eagle’s steadfast heart
our eyes look only upon illusion.
The eagle that soars
is the stalwart defender of the sky
and he will pluck out both your eyes
O, you most traitorous polluter
The original version can be found in the collection of WS Rendra’s poetry Balada Si Burung Merak, available here.
UPDATE:
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim READ MY TRANSLATION and declared it to be, and I quote, “fantastic”. I do hope you appreciate the value you are getting by being able to read this blog 100% for free.
Gurindam Dua Belas is a Malay poem written in rhyming couplets with free meter. It has 12 parts, each dealing with a different pasal, or issue. It was composed by Raja Ali Haji (1808-1873), an intellectual of the Riau-Lingga court best known for his history Tuhfat al-Nafis (the Precious Gift). Di sini saya baca Fasal 2 dan 3 serta terjemahan saya dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Moga bermanfaat.