International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 150

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
is indicative of his sense of drama in writing and performance (Literatuan 1976). The
repetition and sing-song aspects are hypnotizing as are many such American religious events.
It imbues religious-style verve to the cant of such political promises.
With the translation process, not all poetic nuances can be transcribed. The cultural
context with regard to the way the writer feels at that time and place cannot be wholly
translated. The link between language and what has been described as ‘an outside reality’
hinders any form of equivalence when translating. The shades of language which include the
colloquial language, its structure and musicality cannot always be retained in the process of
translation. It is as if a new poem is created in the best possible conversion from the original
(Heald 2001).
The impact of his poetry
Once the ban on performing was lifted, Rendra resumed performing and reading, starring in
his own eight-hour long play, Panembahan Reso, a work centred on the succession of power
in Indonesia. In his later years, Rendra received numerous literary awards, including the Art
of the Indonesia Government award in 1970, the Prize of the Academy Jakarta, and the
Main Book Prize of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1976
(www.pippoetry.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/w-s-rendra.)
Rendra lived through a momentous time during the 1960s and 1970s, both politically
and culturally, for the Indonesian people. He was seen as one of the writers who had been
credited with modernizing Indonesian poetry and giving it life in what was a new adopted
national language (Hatleey 2009). He gave voice to the anger of the young adult generation
who had enthusiastically supported the rise to power of the New Order, only to end up
feeling betrayed by its corruption, authoritarianism and its lack of concern for any social
equity. (Hatleey 2009)
Rendra contributed to social change by creating public spaces for political opposition
to the government. His theatre and poetry reading performances gave voice to the thoughts
and feelings of his audiences and these were unprecedented in the time of the New Order.
His ability to attract large numbers of people generated political rallies in a sense. He
popularized poetry in ways which had not been previously used in Indonesia (Febriansyah
p.15). However, whilst his poetry often spoke of the struggles of the poorer classes, it was
difficult for such people to actually attend his readings.
Rendra was the principal voice against the dictatorship and injustice in the 1970s,
and yet, he remained very wary of attempts to create institutionalized protest. He believed
that, as a poet, he must be a “voice from the wind,” beyond the reach of any organized
political force (Lane 2009).
Whilst Rendra was committed to writing about the daily struggles of the poorer
classes, it was not from personal experience. In his poem, Orang-orang Miskin (Poor People

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