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Poems on the MRT

Kita Pencari Masa / We, The Seekers of Time by Norulashikin Jamain

 

Kita Pencari Masa
Norulashikin Jamain

Kita yang mencari masa
hanya ada dua pilihan
kesementaraan yang kekal
atau pengekalan yang sementara

Kita yang sering kehilangan masa
terlalu lemah dalam ketidaktentuan
untuk mengekori ketetapan masa
pengejaran seperti perjuangan sesia

Kita yang selalu tertipu oleh masa
masih lalai dalam mengatur kehidupan
menyusun prioriti demi keperluan mendesak
pengertian menjadi kabur tanpa arah

Kita pencari masa
terus memburu kehilangan

— Diterbitkan dalam Perjalanan Waktu (2005)

We, The Seekers of Time
Written by Norulashikin Jamain
Translated by Alfian Sa’at

We who seek time
have only two choices
transience that is permanent
or fleeting eternity

We who often lose time
are too weak in our uncertainty
to follow time’s decree
our pursuits like futile struggles

We who are always deceived by time
are still remiss in managing our lives
prioritising our most urgent needs
thus meaning becomes a directionless blur

We the seekers of time
continue hunting for loss

— Published in Perjalanan Waktu (2005)

Norulashikin Jamain is the author of two Malay poetry collections, Perjalanan Waktu published in 2005, and Kembara Usia published in 2018. Her poems appeared in some anthologies such as Warna Alam (2023), Enigma (2022), Citra Wanita Serumpun (2021), Singapura: Kotaku, Kampung Halamanku (2015), Dari Jendela Zaman Ini (2010), and Irama / Rhythms (2000). She received national Malay Literary Prizes (Consolation) for her short stories (1999) and poems (2001 and 2003). She was a librarian at the National Library Board, Singapore, until 2017.

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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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