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Poems on the MRT

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Bunga Lalang / Lalang Flower by Isa Kamari

 

mengharap mawar suci
laksana mengharap
bertukarnya bunga lalang
menjadi serumpun padi
kerana kebenaran itu lebih tinggi
dari kejujuran hati.

hidup menakung air di tangan
kekadang melupakan manusia
tentang hakikat hujan
kepintaran dalam kehidupan
bukan suatu pertanda
darjat manusia semakin mulia
kerana pemikiran bagaikan lumrah sungai
yang jarang bersih walaupun jernih
lalu hidup menjadi suatu pencarian
menuju muara yang masin
namun kita tidak harus menyerah
pada kerelaan angin
yang menerbangkan dedaun ke hujung pelangi
lalu gugurlah citacita yang masih hijau
kerana kesabaran
telah terpisah dari dahan yang masih muda
dan hidup menjadi suatu penantian
musim bunga yang tidak akan tiba.

mengharap mawar suci
laksana mengharap
bertukarnya bunga lalang
menjadi serumpun padi
kerana kebenaran itu lebih tinggi
dari kejujuran hati.

yang menggugurkan embun di waktu pagi
adalah cinta yang maha tinggi.


Lalang Flower
Written by Isa Kamari
Translated by Annaliza Bakri

to want the sacred rose
is to hope
the lalang flower will transform
into a paddy stalk,
as truth is higher
than an honest heart

a lifetime of water through cupped fingers
can make one forget
the reality of rain
a lucidity for life
does not portend
a nobility of note
as the stream of thought
is seldom clean even when clear
then life becomes a quest
towards the salt-wedge estuary
but we should not surrender
to the will of the wind
that roars the leaves to the rainbow’s end
lest our young hopes falter
because patience is
cleaved from the new branch
and life becomes a wait
for a spring that will never arrive

to want the sacred rose
is to hope
the lalang flower will transform
into a paddy stalk,
as truth is higher
than an honest heart

that which surrenders the morning dew
is love above all love


Published in Sumur Usia (1993)

Isa Kamari has written 11 novels, 3 collections of poetry, a collection of short stories, a book of essays on Singapore Malay poetry, a collection of theatre scripts and lyrics of 3 music albums, all in Malay. His novels have been translated into English, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Indonesian, Jawi, Russian, French, Spanish and Mandarin. Several of his essays and selected poems have been translated into English. Isa was conferred the S.E.A Write Award from Thailand (2006), the Singapore Cultural Medallion (2007), the Anugerah Tun Seri Lanang (2009) from the Singapore Malay Language Council, and the Mastera Literary Award (2018) from Brunei Darussalam.

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Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with SMRT and Stellar Ace. Produced by Sing Lit Station, a local literary non-profit organisation, this collaboration displays excerpts of Singapore poetry throughout SMRT’s train network, integrating local literature into the daily experience of commuters. Look out for poems in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, as well as videos created by local artists and featuring local poets in stations and on trains. The Chinese, Malay, and Tamil poems are available in both the original languages and English. To enjoy the full poems, commuters may read them on go.gov.sg/potm.

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