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Poems on the MRT

Dialog Terakhir Wayang Pak Dalang / The Last Dialogue of the Shadow Puppetmaster by H.B. Johar

 

Dialog Terakhir Wayang Pak Dalang
H.B. Johar

setelah cerita ditamatkan
gamelan syahdu dihentikan
watak-watak dikembalikan
ke dalam kejap peti
tanpa bernyawa
gelap tak bercahaya
kini ia sedar
ia cuma keseorangan
sejak awal dan akhir
di sisi batas wujud
pohon pisang itu
seharusnya ia tidak lupa
pada dialog terakhir
wayang kulitnya
sebelum panggung
dikosongkan
sebelum penonton
bergegas pulang
“apakah Aku
yang menjadi bayang-bayang
atau bayang-bayang itu
adalah Aku sendiri?”

— Diterbitkan dalam Perahu Sudah Dipecahkan Khidir (2021)

The Last Dialogue of the Shadow Puppetmaster
Written by H.B. Johar
Translated by Alfian Sa’at

after the story has ended
and the melodic gamelan stopped
the characters are returned
into the sealed chest
lifeless
darkness without radiance
now he realises
he is all alone
from the beginning to the end
on the edge of existence
marked by the banana log
he should not forget
the last dialogue
of his shadow puppets
before the stage
is emptied
before the audience
hurries home
“am I the one
who becomes the shadow
or is the shadow
me myself?”

— Published in Perahu Sudah Dipecahkan Khidir (2021)

H.B. Johar, also known a sufi poet, is a reputed poet in the Malay Archipelago who has written in several genres since the early 1980s. His work has been translated into English, Mandarin, French and Russian. He has won Anugerah Tun Seri Lanang 2015 (Singapore Malay Literary Prize) and South East Asia Write Award 2010 in Thailand.

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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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