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.