With the massive amount of English loan words in Bahasa Malaysia, the chunky stew of different languages and dialects that go into any given conversation, and the history of baba-nonya peranakan pantuns, it only makes sense that a hybrid English-Bahasa pantun form emerges. I’m happy to do my part. Kat bawah ni semua pantuns I:
- Pantun Aidil Fitri
Kelapa terjatuh dari pokok tinggi
Kalau terapung boleh sampai pulau;
I wish everyone Salam Aidil Fitri
From where I’ve come from to where I’ve arrived now.
Every season the birds start a-flyin’,
The place that they land is from the startin’;
Dah cukup lama saya teringin,
Mengucap Maaf Zahir dan Batin. - Pantun CIA
Nyaring berbunyi si burung hantu,
Bintang tercantik ditutup awan;
Some things for money you just dare not do,
The effects are too drastic, the guilt lingers on. - Pantun McDonalds
Tiny fishing boat struck by a squall,
As much as you bail, rainclouds pour more on;
Walau Makdonal dah masuk Halal
Mustahil bagiku nak kira Tayyiban. - Pantun the Journey
Sebiji kuini sebiji pelam,
Jika mau makan kena peram;
Though the long journey’s mightily lonesome,
If not for love then tell me who’d come? - Pantun the Jeffries
Sekelip mata tersedar dari mimpi,
Ke Bumi Kenyalang yang indah dan luas;
Dreamed for a sec I was stuck on the Jeffries,
Haulin’ freight in my flatbed, agin’ too fast. - Pantun Dapat Lari
Takde six-pack di negri asing,
Tak berpantun pun ku tak kisah;
Dapat lari, itu yang penting,
Dari si Trump, that ol’ muthaf—— whoa whoa whoa
