Iem Davis, Joan Brown throw light in RI poetry

Di Serambi (On the Verandah); A BILINGUAL ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN INDONESIA POETRY; Edited and translated by Iem Brown and Joan Davis; Cambridge University Press 1995; Paperback 149 pp; RRP $16.95

MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): One way of appreciating a particular culture is through its poetry, because poetry comes from the deepest chamber of the poet's soul. I have, therefore, great admiration for translators of poetry for attempting to reproduce poetic images into another language, another culture.

Iem Brown and Joan Davis did more than translating, they also selected the poets and poems for Di Serambi - On the Verandah. All twelve writers featured are modern Indonesian poets whose works are well known in the country. The two women poets, Toety Heraty and Isma Sawitri, complement each other, Toeti being contemplative and Isma questioning. Both are very strong in their expression of womanness.

In Cintaku Tiga (My Three Loves), Toeti explains the three types of man she has loved with a degree of frankness restrained by a discretion borne of years of social conditioning pounded on a woman. In fact, in Post-Scriptum (Postcript), she expresses her longing to be able to free herself from the space jammed between hypocrisy and the pure self.

The book opens with the late Soebagio Sastrowardoyo, who provided a symbolic transcendence of culture and place with his poem Aku Tidak Bisa Menulis Puisi Lagi (I Can Write Poetry No Longer). In it he merged anger and desperation at instances of cruelty and abuse of power in various parts of the world, including Indonesia. He also sneaked into the Australian Aborigine's psyche with Lamunan Aborijin (Aboriginal Dreaming), where he slid into despair and then found solace in the distant hope of liberation in the afterlife.

Taufiq Ismail's raconteur side is obvious in Percakapan Angkasa (Conversation on High), where he tells the moving story of a hero of Truth and Justice, through the eyes of Cloud and Wind personified.

Goenawan Mohammad's sensibilities are manifested in the disturbing eeriness and the now stirring, now numbing sensation evoked by his poetry. The imagery in Dingin Tak Tercatat (Cold Unregistered) conveys a quasi-childlike puerile fascination of the immediateness of visual beauty, numbing the tactile senses to the unfriendly element: the cold. Lagu Obo (Song of the Oboe), on the other hand, has an inebriating quality, transporting the reader to a world where the border between dream and wakefulness is only imaginary.

Among the younger poets, Emha Ainun Nadjib stands out for the religious resonance in his poetry. His closeness to God becomes pronounced in the intimate way he converses with God in Tidak Bisa Kubiarkan Matahari (You Cannot Let the Sun) and Akan Kemanakah Angin (Where is the Wind Going). He also expresses a deep yearning for mystical knowledge and answers. His play on imagery moves between becoming lost in the enigma and reaching out for the unknown.

While the English version of the poems read very well, there are some nuances, in varying degrees, that are lost in the translation. For instance, in Toeti Heraty's Suatu Departemen, 'gairah semula menggetar / bangunkan nyala-nyala jingga pada / hidup yang hijau muda, /jadi coretan-coretan / secarik kertas dengan ketikan permohonan / yang dibiarkan saja ' has been translated, ' ambition, in the first trembling / rises as orange flames / to pale green life / becomes scribbles / on a piece of paper with a typed request / which are set aside'. The original Indonesian verse depicts the specific; of what has happened in the department, while the English version depicts the general; of what usually happens, anywhere.

Another problem a translator of poetry must surmount is penetrating the poet's mind and moods, as a poet has a license to use a word beyond the meaning provided by dictionaries. One example is the word raib in Goenawan Mohammad's Dingin Tak Tercatat. Angin sepanjang sungai / mengusir, tapi kita tetap saja / di sana. Seakan-akan / gerimis raib / dan cahaya berenang / mempermainkan warna.', has been translated, 'Wind along the river / drives everything out, but we stay / there. It is as if / the magic drizzle / and the swimming light / toy with colors. I think the poet meant... as if the drizzle disappeared and the lights swam toying with colors.

Provided we do not let those minor slips detract form the enjoyment of the poems, this is a fine book. Iem Brown and Joan Davis deserve praise for their combined work, and their contribution to opening Indonesian culture to the English speaking world. The volume will also be a valuable addition to the Indonesian Studies material sorely needed in Australia and many other countries.

-- Dewi Anggraeni