Napoleon in the eyes of Javanese

Napoleon in the eyes of Javanese

By Singgir Kartana

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, a key figure in
the French Revolution, has inspired Javanese scholars to pen
works of literature and history.

Serat Napoliyun Bonaparte (Verses on Napoleon Bonaparte) is
one of the results of the interest Javanese writers have in
Napoleon's life. It was recently translated and published in an
Indonesian edition titled Serat Napoleon Bonaparte, Suntingan
Teks, Terjemahan dan Analisis Semiotik (Manuscript on Napoleon
Bonaparte, Editing of Text, Translation and Semiotic Analysis).

In fact, there are nine old works written in Javanese focusing
on the life of Napoleon. Eight of them are kept in Surakarta,
Yogyakarta and Jakarta, with the remaining one at the University
of Leiden in the Netherlands.

Serat Napoliyun Bonaparte, containing 102 pages, is now at
Widya Budaya Library in the Yogyakarta Palace. The text was
written in 1856 at the request of Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengku
Buwono VI.

The first and oldest Javanese manuscript on Napoleon is Prabu
Bonaparte (King Bonaparte), written by Ng Sastrawijaya in l847.
It is now in Radya Pustaka Museum in Surakarta, Central Java. The
122-page manuscript has been transcribed into Latin.

The other works include Babad Napoleyon (Story of Napoleon),
which was written in 1891 by R.M. Sasradiwirya. It is now in the
Pakualaman court library in Yogyakarta.

Cariyos Napoleon (Tale of Napoleon) is in Radya Pustaka
Museum. The 392-page book was written by Atmasupana, and the text
has been transcribed into Latin.

The National Library in Jakarta keeps Serat Napoleon, while
the Library of Leiden University in the Netherlands stores
Napoleon Bonaparte.

There are two other old Javanese manuscripts on the life of
Napoleon. They were written by a Dutch man, CF Winter, based on a
Dutch text.

Only one of the nine manuscripts, Cariyos Napoleon, fully
relates the life of Napoleon from birth to death. The other
manuscripts contain excerpts from the life of the emperor.

The Indonesian translation of Serat Napoliyun Bonaparte was
jointly published by the Indonesian-French Institute and the
Javanese Studies Institute in Yogyakarta. It was first translated
into Javanese and transcribed into Latin by KRT Wignyasubrata. To
make the text more readable, the book was then translated into
Bahasa Indonesia by Marsono and Waridi Hendrosputro.

The original manuscript was written in the ancient Javanese
Kawi language in tembang macapat (six-line Javanese verse).

"That kind of writing was merely aimed at easily conveying the
contents of the book from generation to generation. In the past,
it was indeed the most effective means to teach something to
others," said Javanese scholar Suryanto Sastraatmadja.

The book contains a comprehensive outline of the French
Revolution from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of
the 19th century. It also follows Napoleon's life, starting from
when he was a simple soldier to his rise to emperor and his death
in exile on St. Helena island.

The book extensively discusses the Napoleon's wars in France
and Europe. The days, dates, months and even the names of
villages where historical events took place are noted in detail.
Thus, the book closely resembles a history text.

The spelling of the names of places, people and countries was
adjusted to fit Javanese pronunciation. For example, France was
written Pangkrik, Prussia Pruwis, Louis Lodewik and Spain
Sepanye.

There is a great deal of controversy about whether this book
can be considered a historical work. The controversy lies in the
great deference the authors showed toward those in power, in this
case Sultan Hamengku Buwono VI. This deference is shown in the
bad image given to Napoleon, while excessive praise and flattery
of the sultan are apparent.

In the beginning, Napoleon is depicted as a very bad
character, conducting himself improperly, showing himself to be a
harsh and easily angered man. Later, Napoleon's greatness as an
emperor is described favorably. As a history text this kind of
description is certainly exaggerated.

Napoleon's treatment differs from the writer's description of
Sultan Hamengku Buwono VI as a famous figure in war. The sultan
is described as honored, holy, noble as a priest, humble and
compassionate.

Interestingly, the writer also discusses the close
relationship between the sultan and the Dutch.

This is a very interesting fact and sheds some light on the
socio-cultural context of Javanese society at the time. The book
also somewhat explains the mentality of the palace's literary men
at that time. Thus we may come to know the motivation of Sultan
Hamengku Buwono VI to take the initiative - through the skills of
his literary men - to write this book.

"Viewed from the time when this manuscript was written, maybe
Javanese society at the time was in need of a description of a
role model. The sultan responded to this need. The contrasting of
Napoleon's character with the sultan's might also have served the
continuity of the sultan's power," said Suryanto.

Unfortunately, most of the manuscripts on Napoleon have not
been translated into Indonesian.