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.