International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 149
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
dandisanamendapathiburandarisepi.
Karenahanyasepi
mampumenghisapdendamdansakithati.
Thousands of condors,
millions of condors,
move toward the high mountains,
and there get entertainment from deserted.
Because only lonely
able to suck revenge and hurt.
The repetition of these numbers in Indonesian and the allied alliteration pronounces a
musical beat like that of the heart. Thus, the rhythmic oral delivery sounds similar to a
drumbeat urging audiences to internalize the meanings and to follow the drummer boy.
He frequently used loathsome animals as metaphors. In his poem, ‘Khotbah’
(‘Sermon’), he describes the Indonesian people ‘Sebagaiseklompokserigala yang
malasdanlapar’ (‘Like a flock of hungry lazy jackals’) (Avelling p.4); in
‘Pemandangansenjakala 1968,’ (‘Twilight View’)‘Sekolompokanjing liar’ (‘A pack of wild
dogs’) (Ibid. p.44) and ‘Kelelawar-kelelawarraksasa’ (‘vampire bats’) (Ibid.). These are all
mean and dastardly animals not deserving of empathy and his subjects are justified by such
ugly comparisons.
His words could also be heartfelt and deeply moving:
‘The wind’s heart ached
as it watched the sad strides of peasant labourers,
working on fertile land,
which did not give them prosperity’ (Rendra cited in Lane, 2009)
This translated stanza may not have the same soft, simple musical tones of the Indonesian
language version; however, it still captures the sorrow and exhaustion of the people. His
observations of the poor stated their downtrodden existence and also imbued them with
the spirit of regal birds such as eagles and condors, even when they were overwhelmed by
anguish and pain.
In his early poetry, Rendra writes of human suffering in a sympathetic voice and his
style is influenced by the traditional song form of the tembang, a style of classical vocal
music which is sung in free verse poetry (Literatuan 1976).
There is evidence also of the music of Negro Spirituals in the poem, Khotbah
(Sermon), integrated with the chant of the Balinese Kecakmonkey dance. Such an approach
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