Saturday, June 26, 2010

Two Poetuns Inspired by Zainal Jais


I

Went searching in the forest for quails,
Spotted instead a deer with ambition equestrian,
Looking up to a teacher who is interested in her nails,
Is as frustrating as looking at a politician jockeying for position.

II

Went hunting on the plain,
Caught a deer with striped limbs,
Want to learn from a saint,
Turns out to be a pompous pimp.

This is the original pantun written by Zainal Jais which inspired the poetuns:

Berburu di padang datar,
Dapat rusa belang kaki,
Berguru kepalang ajar,
Jadi pemimpin gila kerusi.

1 comment:

WordWalker said...

This is a translation of the Malay pantun below it written by Azizol Muhamad of Butterworth:

A princess went for a swim,
In the water she sang a requiem,
If your life is good and free from whims,
Ensure your prayer is proper and prim.

Sang puteri pergi berenang
Sambil berenang berdondang sayang
Jika hidup dikurnia senang
Jangan lupa tikar sembahyang.