PUISI TRADISIONAL MELAYU

PANTUN MELAYU

Kekayaan khazanah pantun Melayu diwarnai oleh sekumpulan pantun yang sungguh istimewa dan unik serta mewakili peri ketinggian daya pemikiran dan kehalusan bahasa Melayu. Pantun tersebut sentiasa segar dalam hafalan masyarakat Melayu, diingati generasi demi generasi, malahan berterusan hingga ke hari ini sebagai khazanah pantun klasik Melayu. Antara pantun yang dimaksudkan adalah seperti berikut:

Tenang-tenang air di laut,

Sampan kolek mudik ke tanjung;

Hati terkenang mulut tersebut,

Budi yang baik rasa nak junjung.

Tingkap papan kayu bersegi,

Sampan sakat di Pulau Angsa;

Indah tampan kerana budi,

Tinggi bangsa kerana bahasa.

Buah berangan masaknya merah,

Kelekati dalam perahu;

Luka di tangan nampak berdarah,

Luka di hati siapa yang tahu.

Inderagiri pasirnya lumat,

Kerang berjemur dengan lokan;

Bagaimana nabi kasihkan umat,

Begitulah saya kasihkan tuan.

Pisang emas dibawa belayar,

Masak sebiji di atas peti;

Hutang emas boleh dibayar,

Hutang budi dibawa mati.

Puas sudah kutanam padi,

Nenas juga ditanam orang;

Puas sudah kutanam budi,

Emas juga dipandang orang.

Dari mana punai melayang,

Dari paya turun ke padi;

Dari mana datangnya sayang,

Dari mata turun ke hati.

Kalau tuan jalan ke hulu,

Carikan saya bunga kemboja;

Kalau tuan mati dahulu,

Nantikan saya di pintu syurga.

Tanjung Katong airnya biru,

Tempat mandi si dara jelita;

Sama sekampung lagikan rindu,

Inikan lagi jauh dimata.

Asal kapas menjadi benang,

Asal benang menjadi kain;

Barang yang lepas jangan dikenang,

Sudah menjadi hak orang lain.

Nasi lemak buah bidara,

Sayang selasih saya lurutkan;

Buang emak buang saudara,

Sebab kasih saya turutkan.

Tudung periuk pandai menari,

Menari lagu putera mahkota;

Kain yang buruk berikan kami,

Buat menyapu si air mata.

Tanam pinang rapat-rapat,

Biar senang puyuh berlari;

Kupinang-pinang tetapi tak dapat,

Kupujuk-pujuk kubawa lari.

Buah langsat kuning mencelah,

Senduduk tidak berbunga lagi;

Sudah dapat gading bertuah,

Tanduk tidak berguna lagi.

Sayang laksamana mati dibunuh,

Mati dibunuh datuk menteri;

Tuan umpama minyak yang penuh,

Sedikit tidak tertumpah lagi.

Nyiur gading puncak mahligai,

Sayang ketupat berisi inti;

Hancur daging tulang berkecai,

Belum dapat belum berhenti.

           

Pucuk pauh delima batu,

Anak sembilang di tapak tangan;

Tuan jauh di negeri satu,

Hilang di mata di hati jangan.

Kalau roboh kota Melaka,

Papan di Jawa saya dirikan;

Kalau sungguh bagai dikata,

Badan dan nyawa saya serahkan

Buah cempedak di luar pagar,

Ambil galah tolong jolokkan;

Saya budak baru belajar,

Kalau salah tolong tunjukkan.

Kajang tuan kajang berlipat,

Kajang saya mengkuang layu;

Dagang tuan dagang bertempat,

Dagang saya bertumpang lalu.

           

Halia ini tanam-tanaman,

Ke barat juga akan condongnya;

Dunia ini pinjam-pinjaman,

Akhirat juga akan sungguhnya.

Berburu ke padang jajar,

Dapat rusa berbelang kaki;

Berguru kepalang ajar,

Bagai bunga kembang tak jadi.

Padi muda jangan dilurut,

Kalau dilurut pecah batangnya;

Hati muda jangan diturut,

Kalau diturut salah datangnya.

Kalau mengail di lubuk dangkal,

Dapat ikan penuh seraga;

Kalau kail panjang sejengkal,

Jangan lautan hendak diduga.

           

Anak dara menumbuk pandan,

Membuat kuih hidangan kenduri;

Ilmu yang baik jadikan teladan,

Segala yang buruk letak ke tepi.

Rumah kecil tiang seribu,

Rumah besar tiang sebatang;

Kecil-kecil ditimang ibu,

Sudah besar ditimang gelombang.

Kalau ada jarum patah,

Jangan simpan di dalam hati;

Kalau ada silap dan salah,

Jangan simpan di dalam hati.

Malam ini merendang jagong,

Malam esok merendang serai;

Malam ini kita berkampung,

Malam esok kita bercerai.

               

Kalau ada sumur di ladang,

Boleh kita bersama mandi;

Kalau ada umur yang panjang,

Boleh kita berjumpa lagi.

Tuai padi antara masak,

Esok jangan layu-layuan;

Intai kami antara nampak,

Esok jangan rindu-rinduan.

BENTUK PANTUN

Umumnya, pantun Melayu terbina dalam bentuk berangkap, mengandungi bahagian pembayang/sampiran dan maksud. Bentuk pantun terbahagi kepada rangkap pantun dua baris/kerat, empat baris/kerat, enam baris/kerat, lapan baris/kerat, dua belas baris/kerat dan tiga puluh baris/kerat. Rima pantun pula tersusun dalam bentuk yang tetap seperti ab/ab atau abc/abc dan seterusnya. Walau bagaimanapun, penciptaan pantun di Alam Melayu memperlihatkan pelbagai ciri kreativiti masyarakat setempat hingga melahirkan beberapa ciri kelonggaran dalam bentuk dan rima pantun yang dihasilkan. Rujuk Harun Mat Piah, 1989, Puisi Melayu Tradisional, untuk huraian terperinci tentang bentuk pantun Melayu.

Pantun Dua Baris

Ada ubi ada batas,

Ada budi ada balas.

Sebab pulut santan binasa,

Sebab mulut badan merana.

Pantun Empat Baris

Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah,

Gunung Daik bercabang tiga;

Hancur badan dikandung tanah,

Budi yang baik dikenang juga.

Nasi lemak buah bidara,

Sayang selasih saya lurutkan;

Buang emak buang saudara,

Sebab kasih saya turutkan.

Pantun Enam Baris

Apa didapat orang memburu,

Dapat rusa jantan betina,

Sedang bersembunyi di celah batu;

Bila mendapat bunga yang baru,

Bunga yang lama tiada berguna,

Adat dunia sudah begitu.

Bukan cempedak kami katakan,

Buah delima dalam pasu,

Pisau lipat baru diasah;

Bukankah telah kami katakan,

Pandang pertama cinta palsu,

Tiada dapat dibawa bersusah.

[Petikan daripada Kumpulan Pantun Melayu susunan Zainal Abidin Bakar, Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka, 1991, halaman 319]

Pantun Lapan Baris

Rumpun rotan di kota alam,

Ditebang dibelah empat,

Tumbuh serumpun di seberang,

Selasih muara sungai;

Penglihatan usah diperdalam,

Pandang nan usah dipertepat,

Adik di dalam tangan orang,

Maksud rasa tak akan sampai.

[Petikan daripada Pantun Melayu, Balai Pustaka, 1958, halaman 68]

Pantun Dua Belas Baris

Anak jintayu dari hulu,

Disambar ombak Laut Cina,

Dibawa terbang ke perahu,

Hinggap minum ke muara,

Anak ikan berkeliaran;

Kamilah tahu dari dahulu,

Adik jauhari bijaksana,

Membuhul tidak membeku,

Mengulas tidak mengesan,

Meratap langit dengan bicara,

Bumi tidak ketirisan.

Rotan sepatah dua patah,

Tarik kerakap batang padi,

Dibawa Sutan dari Judah,

Padi yang jangan digemparkan,

Kalau gempar antara gugur,

Bila gugur masuk perigi;

Tuan di Mekah di Madinah,

Naik akhirat batu haji,

Tegak berdiri Rasulullah,

Kami yang jangan dilupakan,

Kalau lupa antara tidur,

Dalam tidur menjadi mimpi.

[Petikan daripada Puisi Melayu Tradisi susunan Mohd. Yusof Md. Nor dan Abd. Rahman Kaeh, Penerbit Fajar Bakti, 1985, halaman 20]

Pantun Berkait

Angsana berpucuk di atas batu,

Pucuk digangsa beribu-ribuan;

Ada bunga di naung batu,

Kuntumnya kaca tangkainya embun.

Pucuk digangsa beribu-ribuan,

Kembang diuca balik beroleh;

Kuntumnya kaca tangkainya embun,

Dipandang sahaja diambil tak boleh.

Kembang diuca balik beroleh,

Tambang garam di dalam sekoci;

Dipandang sahaja diambil tak boleh,

Bertambah geram di dalam hati.

[Petikan daripada Warisan Puisi Melayu susunan Mohd. Taib Osman, Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka, 1975, halaman 28]

A Collection of Definitions

The term pantun is an old one in Malaysia and Indonesia - from written records at least 400 years. But we cannot go wrong if we guess that it is much older than that. Those found in the texts of the Hikayat Raja-raja Pasir and Sejarah Melayu/Sulalat al- Salatin betray an already mature form and sophisticated tradition. The term itself grew and developed through the many centuries.

As shall be shown later the initial culture of the form is the Malay, and its original language likewise Malay. If we trace the development of the term’s recorded meanings we will notice that in the earliest Malay-English Dictionary (Bowrey ( 1701), a basic and quite rough work, a pantoon,’ is defined as a `meeter, rhime, verses, a Poem.’ From this basic definition a pantun is both a form and also a poem and rhyme. About a century later, in 1812, Marsden notes it down as, `an epigrammatic stanza or a poetic sentence, consisting of four short lines rhyming alternately, in which the thought is expressed by comparison or allusion. A comparison, allusion: simile, proverb.’

There is yet another new meaning to the two already noted, which likewise sees it as a camparison or a proverb. The 1907 Malay-English Dictionary (Wilkinson,) and the 1970 Kamus Bahasa Melayu by Winstedt stress the same two meanings as outlined by Marsden. Wilkinson (1907) though is more thorough in his definition:

a simile, a proverbial saying; (by extension, a quatrain,

The first line of which rhymes with the third and the second with the fourth. In Sumatra sa-pantun is used where saperti would be used in the Peninsula, and the word sa-pantun occurs in this sense in Shair Jubili Melaka. In some romances (e,g, the Ht. Hg. Tuw.,and Ht. Hamz.) the word pantun is used with the meaning of `proverbial saying (umpamaan); in other romances it is confined in use to the well-known quatrains.

The connection would appear to be in the use of proverbial sayings meaningless in themselves, but used as intelligible sayings rhyming with them; e.g., sudah gaharu cendana pula being used for sudah tahu bertanya pula. The transition from `proverbs’ of this kind (based on sound) to proverbial rhymes would be simple.

For Wilkinson, the first meaning of proverbs, with allusion, to the second of a poetic form is an easy transition. In 1934 Za’ ba more consciously defines the form as:

The pantun is the oldest mode of verse and Malay in its

origin. Even before the Malays knew how to write they

were already well-versed in the pantuns and were used to

answer each other in the form. Even now the pantun is an original mode of poetic writing used by village Malays to describe their sad thoughts and the shades of their beautiful emotions, as in the graceful teasing and love making.

Klinkert( 1934), likewise defines panton with both the meanings, a special form among the Malay peoples and comparison or allusion.

Later definitions too stay much along these two main meanings though some do expand on the characteristics, the rhyme and parts of the pantun, especially in Abdul Rozak Zaidin, Anita K.Rustapa, Haniah, 1991, Kamus Istilah Sastra. The total number of lines are from four onwards, with possibilities of expansion. There are various types of pantuns - the adat, religious, children’s, humorous, travellers’, introductory and riddles. This also would often lead to berbalas pantun, sessions where quatrains are replied with other quatrains.

Among the most famous and perfect of pantuns is the following poem where a network of sounds – parallels, assonance, alliteration, repetition of sounds and words produce a symphony of music and connotations.

Air yang dalam bertambah dalam

Hujan di hulu belumlah teduh,

Hati yang dendam bertambah dendam

Dendam dahulu belumlah sembuh.

In the Alas and the Banjarese dialects of Malay the same word pantun is used while in the Achehnese language, the word panton refers to the same form of poem. In Kerinci it is panton and in Manado Malay it is pantung.

In the Toba Batak language it is called ende-ende or umpasa, the latter recalls the Malay term umpama, meaning comparison or allusion, and therefore similar with it. It is mostly used in ritual and social meetings and ceremonies. However, in the Simalungun Batak language pantun means the same verse form though with a nuance of respect, which gives it an additional meaning. In Iban it can denote a song or an old saying, both of course closely related to the old meanings of the there Malay word.

In the great and yet unfinished search for the origins of the form Brandstetter has looked for the term in various Nusantara languages, including Pampanga, and concluded that the syllable tun means arranged, straight etc. However, this does not lead to a conclusive notion that the basic meaning does really refer to the still to be conceived form. According to Harun Mat Piah ( 1989:106) however, there is yet another view that the word originates from Minangkabau panuntun. However, no proof is given for this line of thought. One thing seems certain though - in all this discussion the word pantun is quite common for most of the Malay dialects and related languages of the Archipelago.

Van Ophuijsen, a collector of Sumatran pantuns, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the leaf language of the Bataks is the source of the pantun. He says that the Malays have no leaf language. This, though, is not totally true because there is a great code in Malay poetry in which words referring to leaves and trees in the first two preparatory lines would echo the meaning proper in following two lines. This code is perhaps even deeper than just a language of flowers and trees, for philosophically Malays see nature as a mirror of man and his fate. They read nature to understand their own situation. Alam terbentang menjadi guru, nature is spread out to be a teacher, says a famous proverb. Thus the pantuns posit the natural elements in the introductory lines and in the second part propound the meaning proper, often one already referred to indirectly by the first part or foreshadower. Not only names of leaves echo meaning but fishes and animals too lend themselves to doing the job.

In the following early two-line pantun names of common salt-water fishes – siakap, senohong, gelama, ikan duri, are arranged to echo human weaknesses: if once you tell lies, then you will start to steal:

Siakap senohong gelama ikan duri

Bercakap bohong lama-lama mencuri.

The relationship between nature and the human world through phoentic and semantic allusion has perhaps at an early age created pantun or proverb couplets, children’s songs, like the one above.

The couplet developed into a quatrain to allow a greater and more satisfying play of sounds, meaning and music, which finally became the famous and popular four-line pantun. Often used and often by very talented poets, the form underwent various experiments and emerged later as the six-, eight-, ten-, twelve-, fourteen-, sixteen-, eighteen-, twenty- and twenty-two line pantun, which still retain the two parts of foreshadower and meaning.

Meanwhile there developed a linked form. This is a series of linked quatrains, also a result of experimentation. Another line of experimentation produced the pantun alif ba ta, (the alphabet pantun), where the first word of each verse begins with a letter, in the proper sequence, pantun rejang, (where Malay horoscope symbolised by the different animals is cast into the pantun form. Finally, we find the rare Si Bungsu Babilang Malam in which a story is told night after night in verse, displaying its own special sophistication.

The form, variety and language of the pantuns are proofs of their age. The parallel lines, the children’s jingles and the riddles no doubt are the earliest forms. As it is delightful, funny but intelligent and wise the pantun came to be adopted and used in the different sectors of public and private life, from the lullabies to romantic emotions, from wise communal proverbs to observation of life. It is interesting to note that this form which hailed from primitive beginnings has not only been able to survive the centuries but is able to prosper in a more technological age, which has in fact killed other forms like the syair, seloka and the mantera.

When Srivijaya, on the southwestern coast of Sumatra became a great maritime power in the 8th century and influenced many states to the east, north and southwest of the Malay Archipelago, the language that was already quite sophisticated then continued to grow along as a medium of international communication and administration. Hundred of tribes/ethnic groups of Indonesia and Malaysia, which did not possessed a common language of communication were in need of one intelligible to all. Malay played this role to some degree and therefore was quickly seized upon to do the job. It was widely accepted -- not only did it become a language of interregional communication but there developed special Malay dialects in Betawi, Manado, Makasar, Ambon and Kupang to serve their specific regions.

The pantun is the most beautiful flower in the garden of the Malay language and literature. A simple form, it is yet capable of romance, humour, and could even carry customary laws which are the unwritten rules of conduct and guidelines for the communities. Many are pithy and wise, parcelled in chosen words, and therefore lend themselves to being easily memorable and often taken back on ships by sailors and traders, sung in the markets and to be spread to the hinterland of the ports. As they struck the imagination of many who heard them they attracted yet still many more new poets and imitators in the language or others in the different islands and regions such as Bali, Lombok, Nias, North Sumatra, Aceh, Sarawak (Iban, Melanau), Minihasa, Sangihe-Talaud and so forth.

The very complex network of maritime voyages and trading, spread by the Buginese, Malays, Jawanese, Minangkabau, and the Bajau, all found in the different parts of the Archipelago, also helped to transport the pantun throughout the islands. Most probably the Malay pantun was brought from one community to another island or part of it, that was perhaps a thousand kilometres away. The case of the Bajau who are to be found in Southern Philippines, the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia and the eastern and western ends of the Flores Island as a carrier of the form is indeed a notable one. While they fished and traded they took the pantun from their ports of call and brought it back to their communities, which were many as they often travelled from one to another. There is yet another example of its spread. Sintang, an old sultanate in the middle of the island of Borneo saw the coming of two Muslim missionaries, one from Banjar, and the other from Johor, in 1600. They taught religion and used Malay as the language of instruction. Besides religion they were also asked of the general cultural aspects of their home countries. Among the most important aspects of their of literary culture that they spoke of was the pantun. When the Sintang Sultanate developed and the language developed, the pantun too began to become popular, and composed in many Dayak languages, besides the Sintang Malay. This was the special Sintang method of spreading the form.

The next example is the Cocos Islands case. The islands to the south of Indonesia were taken over by Clooney-Ross in the late 1880’s. When there were not enough workers to work the coconut plantation the owner brought in Indonesian and Malaysians as indentured labourers from various parts of the Archipelago. They in turn brought with them their cultural baggage, and among it was the pantun, which not only later became the main form of entertainment but also a developed literary form. Over time it grew with the community and no doubt also marked the history of the language itself. Thus the Cocos pantun has special words that are not known in other parts of the Malay-speaking world.

The Sri Lanka case is a little differerent from that of the Cocos, but contains a typical pattern of Malay migaration. When the British were exiling rebels from their colonies some Malays were expatriated to the island of Sri Lanka. With them they carried their language, religion and literary treasury, including those in the written form. The pantun was easily transported, and became an element of their identity in the new and foreign land. Yet the pantun always enriched itself with local input, and the Sri Lankan Malay was no different. It developed within Sri Lankan surroundings, and flavours itself with local words or variations only to be found on the island.

In the Malay-language area of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and the coastal areas of Borneo the development of the form was especially rich, partly also because it was easy to carry to all the areas by sea, rivers or land. Thus we see the pantun among the Komering and the Kerinci, and the Bangkahulu and Lampung peoples. From Palembang there were many sailors sailed the straits to Kedah, Perak and Pahang. This allowed the attractive pantuns of Palembang to be enjoyed in Pahang, Kedah and Perak. It seemed that there was an internal network among the Malay communities, while there was another, a bigger one, though looser, among the non-Malay groups, which we might call it an external network, but also overlapping with the Malay network.

When Melaka itself began to grow as an entrepot port during the 15th century the pantun was already a mature form around the Straits of Melaka, and possibly also in the Betawi, Ambon, Manado and the Makasar areas. The process of the spread was now more intense, for it was carried to even more distant islands and countries like Nias and Cambodia. As many would like to imitate the American pop songs in our times so would the songs of the Melaka imitated by the inhabitants of its colonies and hinterland.    When Melaka fell to the Portuguese in 1511 the Malay language and the pantun could develop at its own rhythm, initially created by these two sultanates. After Melaka, Johor and Aceh were the centres, and the pantun spread further. The lingua franca, so-called the bahasa Jawi, was already a sophisticated language, known throughout Southeast Asia and also beyond - to Persia and Arabia, as traders sailed back and forth along this maritime silk route.

In the twentieth century the pantuns were more spread more formally though. When the Balai Pustaka was established in 1920 in Batavia and the Pejabat Karang Mengarang in Tanjung Malim in 1930’s part of their main responsibility was to write school textbooks and collect local literary works for publication. The pantun was included in the syllabus of the schools and collections, letting it spread far and wide, throughout the Archipelago and the different generations.

PANTUN : THE ROMANCE AND THE LAUGHTER OF THE ARCHIPELAGO

Muhammad Haji Salleh

The pantun of the Malay World, in its various names and forms, has captured the imagination and scholarship of many people form within and without the area. It is found to be indigenous and unique and is often considered as a kind of capsule of Malay life, thought and aesthetics. More than in any other form herein is to be found the genius of the Malay, his wisdom and wonderful shades of meanings, and modes of expression. For many, including the Malays themselves, here is to be found the magic of literature. Winstedt (1961) in his introduction of a collection of pantuns observes that `no one can estimate the mental scope of the Malay without an understanding of the pantun…’ This is the treasure house of thoughts, poetic and the life of the Malays.

The pantun is essentially an oral form – it was born from an oral past and continued this charmed life essentially as an oral form. However, over time, and with the popularity of the printing presses since the end of the 19th century, collections have been published in many dialects of the language, including the Malay of the Peninsula, Betawi, Riau, Melaka and Jakarta Peranakan, Minangkabau, Ambonese and Achehnese. In the meantime there are almost a hundred manuscripts of the pantun collected in the libraries of Jakarta, Leiden, Paris, London, Berlin, mostly of the pantuns from the end of the last century, and composed of various collections by scholars from England, Holland and Germany.

A recent study (Muhammad Haji Salleh and Bazrul Bahaman, 1999) was able to collect pantuns from 39 dialects of Malay and 25 non-Malay languages. These Malay dialects begin with Acheh in northern tip of Sumatra, through Langkat/Deli/ Serdang, Jambi, Minangkabau, Kerinci, Insular Riau (Bengkalis, Penyengat), Mainland Riau (Rokan, Indragiri Hulu, Kampar, Proto-Malays, South Sumatra, Ogan Komering, Lahad, Basemah, Musi, Prabumulih, Muara Enim, Lampung, Serawai). In the Island of Borneo the task of collecting was divided into two areas: West Borneo ( Sintang, Ketapang, Sambas, Hulu Kapuas) South Borneo (Kutai, Banjar, Pasir). Sulawesi (Celebes) too is similarly divided into two parts, namely, Manado and Gorontalo, while from the archipelago of Maluku (the Moluccas) pantuns were collected from Ambon and Ternate. The Malay dialects of the island of Java are spoken by Jakartans and the Peranakan Chinese. In Malaysia itself collection was done in the North (Kedah, Perlis, Pulau Pinang), East (Kelantan, Terengganu), West (Johor, Pahang, Melaka, Selangor, Perak), Negeri Sembilan, Sabah and Sarawak. Peranakan Chinese, Indians of Melaka and the Aslian (Proto-Malays), among others the Semak Brik, have a special contribution to the treasury of the pantun. In Brunei poems in Brunei Malay were similarly gathered, though from collections and various products of research and radio/tv programmes.

In the non-Malay speaking areas of Sumatra the pantun is to be found among the Karo, Toba, Mandailing, Simalungun, Achehnese, Gayo and Alas. In Java itself pantuns are composed in Javanese and Sundanese languages. In Bali there is an old pantun form among the Bali Agha, while in the West Nusa Tenggara there is a version in Sasak. In Central Celebes the following groups use the pantun: Saluan, Kaili, Pamona, and Tanemperar. In Northern Celebes we find it among the Gorontalo, Sangihe-Talaud and the Minahasa peoples. In East Malaysia the pantun is found among Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Kedayan and Bajau. Pantun is popular among the Pattani Malays of in southern Thailand, who use a dialect of Malay quite akin to the Kelantanese.

http://pantun.usm.my/pantuninenglish1.asp

Pantun in Proverbs

As in the adat laws the pantun mould is also put in the service of the proverbs, which in general may be viewed as a great and wonderful treasury of social ideals, norms and values. In scope these cover an even wider area than the former.

The earliest proverbs perhaps preceded the pantuns, as products of the Nusantara man’s observation of nature and his human neighbours. In its historical development it has found its way into numerous sectors of human endeavour and modes of speech and discourse. Some of the proverbs probably began life as a mere line or couplet. But because the mature pantun so easily accommodated new functions and was considered to be attractively concise some of the proverbs have been recast into this form, with one, two, or even three lines added.

The proverb pantuns are normally of exceptional quality; their words are well chosen and the foreshadowers highly imaginative. The lines are well balanced, as products of a more conscientious process and not spontaneously composed like love poems of the berbalas pantun. Let us take an example:

Anak angsa mati lemas

Mati lemas di air masin,

Hilang bahasa kerana emas

Hilang budi kerana miskin.

There is a possibility that the proverb in the last two lines, concerning how decorum is lost when gold intrudes, and budi is lost because one is poor, has already been known for many years or centuries before it found a new form for its meaning. In order to cast it into a pantun two introductory lines were composed, to prepare for the meaning proper, and give it a pantun structure and completeness.

There is yet another variation where only the fourth line is a proverb, and the three preceeding lines are composed after the fact. This is of course more challenging. The first two preparatory lines are composed, then a line is further added to precede the proverb proper. This process enlarges the meaning of the proverb and provides details which might have escaped the listener/reader:

Ada seekor burung pucung

Leher panjang laksana terong,

Tiada tahu sendiri kosong

Sebagai kaduk naik junjung.

           

The proverb says, a semi-wild kaduk creeper (thus of a lowly status) forgets itself when it climbs a tall wooden support. The pantun poet has added a line before this, to refer to a person who does not know that he is but an empty shell. This lines completes the meaning of the poem.

In yet still another version, the form used is still the four-line verse. The old proverb is only to be found in the third, here in italics, (meaning if you have done something that should not be known by others, you must keep it out of sight), while the first, second and fourth lines are the contribution of the new poet. Here again he provides the extra details that would help explain the meaning, while providing the preparatory lines and metaphors.

Anak ikan dimakan ikan

Anak sia di dalam tua,

Tahu makan tahu simpan

Rahsia jangan bagi keluar.

However, there are also two-line proverb pantuns. Here, for example, the proverb is normally in the second line, while the first is creative product of the poet. Spoken in a situation of awe or advice, these poems are invaluable, and perhaps because they employ the time-tested pantun mould they are more effective. Many are, however, spoken half in jest, and hits tangentially, to protect the person targeted from feeling malu or shame.

Themes

The pantun has admitted itself into almost all the important spheres of life. It is widely appreciated, enjoyed and composed by both king and subject. Throughout the community, from the leaders to villagers, from folk healers to singers, from retainers to slaves, from elders to children, the pantun is known and well employed in rituals and dialogues between neighbours and friends.. The themes of the pantuns can be guessed at even from afar, through their many functions, for function is closely related to the contents and the occasions.

Among its more dominant themes are firstly, love, secondly, social values, thirdly, fate, fourthly, family life, fifthly, the children’s world, and sixthly, situations during work. But in truth such division of themes is never mutually exclusive. A poem may touch on more than one theme; for example a love poem may touch on the whimsical nature of fate. And the themes listed here are mostly the popular and obvious ones. As the pantun is by nature indirect and considers direct statements less poetic, thus some themes are purposely hidden or made vague, as vague as the metaphors or symbols in which they are offered.

Love, as a theme is the single most dominant, as the pantun is often seen as a medium of the heart and emotions, especially among the young. These poems are spoken or sung at harvest, marriage and other social occasions, as described earlier. They are most popular when they are sung before an audience with a man and a woman mutually teasing each other, in fine allusion, and within the decorum of the society. Related subjects may include longing, unrequited emotions, parting, jealousy, and dejection, the love triangle and anger.

Other occasions when love pantuns may be heard are in the lyrics of love songs, in the dondang sayang of Melaka and the dikir barat of Kelantan, kentrung of Java and also the traditional songs of the Malays. This love song touch on a myriad of subjects, all experienced or imagined. In the earlier stage of an affair there is the difficult relationship. In the subsequent stage we may revel in poems of praise, or suffer those of uncertainty, despair, longing, anger, jealousy and so on.

Praise is usually directed at a girl’s beauty, her budi bahasa, and other similar qualities. The following is in praise of a young woman’s surprising beauty and fragrance.

Anak itik terbang ke hutan,

Disambar buaya patah kakinya;

Bunga cantik jadi suntingan,

Tak sangka begini harum baunya.

Cik Dayang berkain batik,

Memakai tudung sutera Cina;

Semakin kupandang bertambah cantik,

Makan tak kenyang tidur tak lena.

Social Norms, Values and Interpersonal Relationship

Next to the love theme, are the poems of social norm and values, that make up a big portion of the pantun’s repertoire. Budi - goodness, and the sense of indebtedness for someone’s kind deeds, etiquette, ethics, decorum, the values of patience and hardwork, respect for the elderly and each other - all find their argument in the verses. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

Budi

Budi has a very complex meaning, covering the areas of goodness, wisdom, decorum, kindness, behaviour, morality, and service (Kamus Dewan 1994:180). Among the Malays budi is considered the highest of values, one that makes for a good human being, and must be embraced by one and all. Says a famous pantun,

Yang kurik kundi

Yang merah saga,

Yang baik budi

Yang indah bahasa.

The spotted is the gold weight

The red is the Indian pea,

The virtuous is kindness

The resplendent is decorum.

This value/ideal can have a wide ranging influence - a race is strong because of its budi, and is destroyed because its budi is impaired.

Kuat rumah karano sandi

Rusak sandi karano rumah binaso,

Kuat bangso karena budi

Rusak budi hancuala bangso.

And budi is the very environment, the very air, the beautiful art of living. Among the Malays the budi and the adat are two moulds that make them the useful citizens that they should be. There is no exception to this rule, and neither can it be an object of trade or profit.

Anak Cina mengirim surat,

Dari Jawa sampai ke Deli;

Hidup kita dikandung adat,

Budi tidak dijual beli.