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Poems on the MRT

Seekor Labah-labah Dan Seorang Penyair Di Perpustakaan / A Spider and a Poet in the Library by Hartinah Ahmad

 

Seekor Labah-labah Dan Seorang Penyair Di Perpustakaan
Hartinah Ahmad

Seekor labah-labah berbelang
menyulam sarang tekun dan riang
di sebatang tiang pada 6.32 petang
di luar perpustakaan yang sedang hujan.

Sewaktu dengannya
seorang penyair menghadap komputer
selama separuh usianya
mencari ilham jika dapat
mata mindanya letih mengais
mencari jawapan paling tepat
hakikat dan makrifat
mengapa masyarakatnya sendat
teman sepersatuannya makin melarat.

Labah-labah itu terus menyulam
tanpa bimbang petang berganti malam
tanpa peduli lampu perpustakaan mahu dipadam.

Penyair itu sekilas tadi hatinya membara
karyanya terbelah tiga
bangun dia berlari
dalam badai juang yang belum berhenti
meninggalkan si buah hati
di perpustakaan sendiri
menimbang harga diri.

Apa lagi yang si labah-labah itu mahu
selain sebuah sarang
yang disulam bersama sayang?

Apa lagi yang si penyair itu perlu
selain sebuah ruang
buat dia berjuang?

Si buah hati berdiri di perpustakaan yang sudah sepi
menanti penyair dan hujan berhenti.

— Diterbitkan dalam Berita Minggu (25 Ogos 2014)

A Spider and a Poet in the Library
Written by Hartinah Ahmad
Translated by Alfian Sa’at

A spider with stripes
spins its web diligently and cheerfully
on a pillar at 6.32 pm
outside the library in the rain.

Meanwhile
a poet faces a computer
for half of his life
seeking inspiration if possible
his mind’s eye tired of searching
seeking the most precise answers
truth and enlightenment
why his society is stagnant
and his comrades destitute.

the spider continues spinning
without worrying that evening turned to night
without bothering how the library lights may be turned off.

the poet’s heart is ablaze
his work is torn in three
he wakes up and runs
in the storm of his unending struggle
leaving his beloved
alone in the library
weighing her worth.

what else does the spider want
other than a web
spun with love?

what else does the poet need
other than a space
for his struggle?

The beloved stands in the already deserted library
Waiting for the poet and the rain to stop.

— Published in Berita Minggu (25 August 2014)

Hartinah Ahmad writes poems, song lyrics, tv drama scripts, radio, and short stories. She wrote Tujuh Tokoh Muzik, Serampang 12, Masjid Ar’Raudhah, and the poetry anthology Ada Yang Berkata Sayap-Sayap Dunia Sudah Tua’, among otther titles. She received the Artistic Excellence Award 2014 from the Composer's and Author's Society of Singapore (COMPASS), the Singapore Literature Prize 2016 and 2022, and the Anugerah Persuratan (Literary Award 2017) for the poetry anthology Tafsiran Tiga Alam. She also received the Golden Point Award for poetry in 2013, 2017, 2019.

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Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with SMRT and Stellar Ace. Produced by Sing Lit Station, a local literary non-profit organisation, this collaboration displays excerpts of Singapore poetry throughout SMRT’s train network, integrating local literature into the daily experience of commuters. Look out for poems in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, as well as videos created by local artists and featuring local poets in stations and on trains. The Chinese, Malay, and Tamil poems are available in both the original languages and English. To enjoy the full poems, commuters may read them on go.gov.sg/potm.

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