Enjoying the night with Indonesian-German poems
Enjoying the night with Indonesian-German poems
By Wawan S. Husin
BANDUNG (JP): The night was dark yet the stars were still
peeping from behind the trees as about one hundred and fifty
listeners, mostly artists and students of the German language,
packed the French Cultural Center's auditorium in Bandung.
That night, they mainly came to watch two poets, Berthold
Damshauser, a lecturer of Asian Studies in Bonn University, and
Soni Farid Maulana of Bandung recite the poems of both Indonesian
and German poets.
About 25 poems from both countries, including well-known works
by Indonesian poets, such as Aku (I) by Chairil Anwar and
Siapakah Engkau (Who are you) by Sapardi Joko Damono, were
brought to stage while Soni presented about eight of his own
poems.
From Germany, the poems presented during the bilingual poetry
reading on Aug. 4 included Berlin by Christian Morgenstern (1871-
1914), Kurfurstendamm by Karl Willy Starub (1880-1971), Besuch
vom Lande by Erich Kastner (1899-1974) and five poems by
Damshauser himself. Three students also took part in the poetry
reading.
The event, collaborative venture by the French Cultural Center
and the Bandung-based Goethe Institute, received a warm response
from students.
"The event is very impressive since we as students can learn
how the language when used as a medium of expression becomes
imbued with such beauty. The involvement of a native-speaking
reader is also beneficial. It's like learning by listening, or by
doing," said Dinar, a student.
The way the poems were presented, in two languages, was
applauded by other artists who came to the event.
"From the language and esthetic points of view, bilingual
poems are interesting since they help the audience to appreciate
and understand both (German and Indonesian poems)," said Ahda, a
local poet. "And Damshauser is a serious artist and his works are
worth listening to."
Soni is known for his six collections of poems, including
Sehabis Hujan (After the Rain) and Kita ini Hanya Dongengan
(We're Merely Tales), and as a productive writer. The works of
the man, who has dedicated 16 years of his time to literature,
can be found in various media.
Apart from being a poet himself, Damshauser has also
translated several works of renowned German poets. His translated
work includes Kau Datang Padaku (You Came to Me), an anthology of
German poems of the 20th Century, which he translated in
collaboration with Ramadhan KH.
The anthology contains translated works by monumental German
poets and thinkers, such as Friedrich Nietsche, Detlev
Liliencron, Ax Darthendey, Rainer Maria Rilke, Peter Hanke, Wolf
Biermann and Mathias Schreber. The title of the anthology is also
the title of a poem written by Richarda Huch (1864-1947), Du
kamst zu mir.
Now, Damshauser, who is an editor of Orientierungen -- a
magazine focusing on Asian culture including Indonesia, is
preparing a bilingual translation for another work, Jakarta
Berlin dalam Puisi dan Prosa (Jakarta Berlin in Poems and Proses)
with Dian Apsari.
A piece by Sony, Katarsis (Catharsis) was the highlight of the
night. "... I was diving in the stillness of stones/Diving in a
drop of dew on a twig of lead/ Diving in the stillness of
universe/ That flows the sincere and the silent/To my inner
heart...." Out of appreciation for the poem, Damshauser delivered
it in his mother tongue.