Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Buah Cempedak

buah cempedak di luar pagar,
ambil galah tolong jolokkan,
saya budak baru belajar,
kalau salah tolong tunjukkan

Literal Translation

there are jackfruits on the other side of the fence,
take a bamboo stick and please pluck for me,
im still a kid learning,
if i do anything wrong, please show(teach) me

* This is a classic Pantun that most Malaysians would probably know. Its about learning a new thing and not afraid of making mistakes. It shows the 'optimistic' mind of the Malays back then.

The pembayang is probably intended to make the Pantun rhymes. however, its interesting to note that most pembayang consists of objects that could be found in pastoral setting. for example cempedak, pisang, galah and semut.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Ram Ram Pisang

Ram ram pisang,
Pisang Masak layu,
jatuh dalam lubang,
di sambar bapak u

* This is actually a song that i learn when i was a kid. honestly i have no idea what it meant. it only discusses about bananas getting cooked, falling into a hole and getting attacked by a father shark. (malays have this thing about bananas that they keep mentioning it in their songs and pantun)

Sumur di Ladang

kalau ada sumur di ladang,
boleh kita menanam padi,
kalau ada umur yang panjang,
boleh kita berjumpa lagi

Literal Translation

if there are 'sumur' on the field,
we can plant rice paddies,
if we live long enough,
maybe we might meet one day

*sorry, i dont know what 'sumur' means, somekind of plant maybe.