In search of the beauty of ASEAN poems

In search of the beauty of ASEAN poems

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

JAKARTA (JP): Is beauty a universal value, unrestrained by
ethnic and geopolitical boundaries, regardless of country of
origin?

Time magazine published a cover story two years ago discussing
the universal value of people's beauty; beauty, according to the
article, is based on evolutionary judgment.

Yet, how does one compare and value a collection of poetry: a
collection of poems, each one a representation of its own
cultural perception?

This issue was raised during a recent discussion on the book
ASEANO: An Anthology of Southeast Asian Poems, at the ASEAN
Secretariat in South Jakarta. The speakers included former
minister of education and culture Fuad Hassan and poet Emha Ainun
Nadjib.

Fuad, also a literature professor at the University of
Indonesia, said that it was improper to judge the value of a poem
based on its logical values. An attempt to dissect the beauty of
a poem through a scientific approach would only destroy the
poem's beauty.

He illustrated his point using a daisy taken from a floral
arrangement in front of him.

"We all agree," he said, "that this flower is, indeed,
beautiful. Yet if we dissect this flower into separate entities,
labeling each one with a Latin expression, the beauty would
decrease, or at least not everyone would agree that the flower is
still beautiful." As he was saying this, he pulled off the
daisy's petals.

Such an approach to poetry, according to Fuad, is currently
implemented by our culture, which attempts to judge the beauty of
poetry by its utility function.

The attempt will fail, he said. Poetry is a subjective
expression of a poet in his attempt to present a meaning to a
trend or event he faces. Therefore, any effort to rationalize a
poem is doomed to fail, said Fuad.

While strongly embracing traditional agricultural and rural
values, ASEAN countries are still struggling to assimilate the
influence of modern technology into their own cultures. Poetry,
which records the common trend of an era, denotes this phenomena.
Unlike their predecessors, such as Chairil Anwar, who daringly
said Here I am, a wild beast/Driven out of the herd but who still
boldly claimed that I want to live another thousand years, the
young ASEAN poets compiled in ASEANO are melancholic.

Take, for example, a poem by Darman Moenir titled Puncak At
Night And There Are Stars Shining Down.

haven't you wiped away the disturbing

chill from my lamenting lips?

but only the dark night descends

before there is nothing left

"Why is it that the tendency to lament is stronger than to
delight among the new poets?" Fuad said.

The strength of poems these days, Fuad said, is not centered
on the idea contained in the poem but on the ability of the poet
to manipulate words.

Poet Emha Ainun Najib said that the ability of our society to
appreciate poetry is tainted by our political condition and our
industrial standpoint.

Poetry, Emha said, has never used typical language. There is a
need for the government to differentiate between cultural
language and bureaucratic culture.

"Using a literal translation upon hearing Chairil Anwar's
poem, a security officer may feel the need to capture the person
who is claiming himself to be a stray animal," Emha said
rhetorically.

To be appreciated by our society, then, according to Emha,
poets and poetry need to establish their own place in the
society. As a part of the culture, the function of the two should
be as society's reference, not as a pillar of the society.
Failure to realize this would only lead to a lack of a spiritual
institution to support our culture.

So, then, how does one approach this anthology of beautiful
poems; what color is reflected through this anthology? Editors
from each country have their own views.

Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., from the Philippines, said that the
responsibility borne by young Filipino poets was to pay close
attention to their craft and the social dimension of their works
to improving their society.

Sukhon Polpatpicharn from Thailand celebrates the beneficial
impact of political freedom that leads to the prolific
imagination of his contemporaries, what he terms "beautiful,
sonorous and forceful".

In his discussion, Fuad said a common thread in ASEAN poets
can be seen through their cultural history. Through this
anthology, the diversity reflected in the region may easily be
seen.