SYMPOSIUM ON MYSTICAL ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC ART AND LITERATURE

MANIFESTATION OF THE DIVINE IN MALAY POETIC ARTS

Rohani Md. Yousoff, PhD

Malay literature began as a shared social experience

that was imparted in a community through an oral

tradition long before the coming of the printing

machines and the influence of Western theories.

According to Braginsky, literature “…formed the heart

of their cultural tradition” (1). He says that

literature as a form of communication also connected

the Malay world to other “world of letters” in

particular Indian and Arabico-Persian (2). According to

several sources,1 Islam was first brought into Malaya

through North Sumatra, specifically Acheh, Pasai and

Langkasuka by Arabs of Yemen, Arab-Andalus2 and

Persians. In fact, Braginsky attributes the expansion

of traditional Malay literature to the conversion of1 Hall, Mohd. Taib, Wan Mohd. Shaghir.2 Wan Mohd. Shaghir (4) refers to notes by Syeikh Ahmad al-Fatani in Hadiqatul Azhar, taken from Maklumat newspaper (pages 54 and 59) published in Betawi (Jakarta) in 1898.

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the Malays to Islam “...between the late thirteenth and

the early sixteenth century ... (which) ... reflected

original features of oral Malay literature” (2).

Muhammad says Malay literature is a combination of the

oral and written tradition which began five hundred

years ago (64). Harun dates Islamic influence in Malay

literature to the fifteenth century (1997: xiii).

Windstedt says that “Marco Polo found Islam already

established in Perlak, on the north coast of Sumatra3,

in 1292”. He adds that although no record exists of

Malay literature then, the first evidence of the Malay

script was found on a stone in Terengganu, “…bearing a

date which is either 1326 or 1386” (3). The Jawi4

inscription on the stone records penalties for sexual

and other offences enforced then.

Braginsky links features of oral tradition to the

“...Hindu-Buddhist experience period covering the first

centuries AD up to the mid-fourteenth century” (2).

Harun, however, feels that oral poetry (puisi lisan) is

3 Sumatra, Indonesia.4 Jawi: Malay text using Arabic script.

2

folk poetry and due to its oral nature was expanded

through an oral tradition particular to the Malays.

Winstedt attributes the growth of oral Malay literature

to the imaginative mind of the story teller, who

“...invented fables to account for the origin of beasts

and plants” (5). To him the Malay form of riddles (teka-

teki) that “...depends for its solution on jingle and

assonance, that is on literary style...led to the

pleasing form in Malay poetry, the pantun” (5, 6).

According to Harun oral poetry it is collective

and functional in nature created by anonymous authors

and used in the daily life of the Malay community.

Parts of these are the products of ritual activities

(1997: 5). This would support the original Malay

cosmology which was based on the premise of cosmic

dualism which involves the higher world and the lower

world, the existence of forces (higher world) that

controlled the well-being of the community (lower

world). Repetition of ritual activities became accepted

by the community and befitted part of the community’s

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tradition, which lay in the thinking, beliefs and

values of the Malays. The aesthetic values of the Malay

community are what satisfy the needs of the community

itself. Hence what is upheld by the community is of the

highest value. As language is a signifier, the

development of Malay traditional literature can only be

seen through the Malay-speaking countries of Malaysia,

Indonesia, southern part of Thailand and Brunei. Due to

divergence of ethnic cultures and practices, this study

shall be limited to the Malaysian context.

Winstedt states that the first specimen of Malay

poetry is the gurindam, a Tamil name for the rhythmical

verse found in epics whereby “…passages of the Hikayat

Raja-Raja Pasai, a Sumatran work written between 1350 and

1450” (126). The more well-known and perhaps best

preserved is the Gurindam Duabelas (Twelve Aphorisms) made

famous by Raja Ali Haji (1809-1873), a member of the

Bugis royal family. Gurindam Duabelas are verses of moral

guidance (Asmah, 76, 79). The other two genres of

Winstedt poetry elaborates are the syair and the pantun.

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Harun cites thirty-four genres of traditional Malay

literature (1997: 38, 39). With no English

counterparts, keywords of have been given by Muhammad

(63, 64) as follows:

1. Pantun, a four-line verse2. Syair, a four-line monorhymic verse3. Gurindam, a two-line structure for poetry of advice or

education4. Seloka, an early poetic form with random rhyme5. Pantun Seloka, generic name for poetry6. Talibun, a four-line poem frequently used during feasts7. Perbilangan, a proverbial structure using parallelisms8. Kata-kata adat, adat/traditional legal verses9. Perbilangan adat, customary laws in the form of

parallelisms10. Teromba, genealogy11. Tambo, genealogical texts12. Terasul, the art of court letter-writing13. Bahasa berirama, rhythmic language14. Sesomba, a poetic form15. Peribahasa berirama, rhythmic proverbs16. Peribahasa berangkap, proverbs in verse17. Prosa berirama (prosa lirik) lyrical prose18. Rejang, verses on the days of the month19. Dikir (zikir), verse in praise of God20. Jampi dan mantera, prayer-charm and mantra21. Teka-teki, riddles5

22. Endoi, lullabyes23. Bayt, a verse form of Arabic poetry24. Nazam, verses about the Prophet6

25. Ruba‘i, quatrain, rubaiyat26. Kit‘ah, a verse form

5 Teka-teki (riddles) can be posed in the adab style of pantun.6 Nazam: not confined to the Prophet as there are nazams that are written about other subject matters.

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27. Masnawi, a verse form28. Ghazal, a verse form with a Persian structure29. Berzanji, chant recounting the life of the Prophet30. Marhaban, song in praise of the Prophet31. Qasidah, religious chant32. Hadrah, religious chants33. Dabus, verses for invincibility34. Puisi-puisi sukuan, ethnic poetry

Poetry like marhaban, berzanji, nazam, bayt, kit‘ah, qasidah,

talibun, teromba and hadrah are believed to have its

origins from Arabia. The mystical and romantic types of

Poetic Art of Dabus, Ghazal, Masnawi and Ruba‘i originated

from Persia.

Islamic culture has greatly influenced the way of

life of the Malays including the values itself whereas

the Sufi school of thought influenced the spiritual

life of the Malays. According to Braginsky, as much as

poetry is the reproduction of the Divine creation

channeled through man, the literary arrangement of

Malay literature consists of:

…the sphere of beauty (indah) designed for theplane of the corporeal soul (hati), the sphereof benefit (faedah), for the sphere of theintellect (akal), and the sphere of spiritualperfection (kamal), for the plane of thespiritual heart (hati nurani) (279).

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He explains poetry as an “…emanation of the sacred text,

correlated with the macrocosm and microcosm” which is a

phenomenon quite natural to the Malays linking it to the

Sufi tradition (276). The evidence of such a text is

recorded by Winstedt which he says is “…a description of

the microcosm on which Allah modelled this macrocosm,

the world… (taken from a)…medicine-man’s charm-book”

(127). Note the old Malay spelling:

Allah bĕlum bĕrnama Allah,Muhammad bĕlum bĕrnama nabi.Bumi bĕlum bĕrnama bumi,Bumi bĕrnama pusat nĕgĕri.Langit bĕlum bĕrnama langit,Langit bĕrnama payong nĕgĕri.Bumi itu sa-gĕdang talam,Langit itu sa-gĕdang payong.

He translates this as follows:

Ere Allah yet was known as Allah,Or Muhammad as His prophet,Ere earth had got the name of earth,When earth was tiny as a navel:Ere sky was designated sky,When it was but a world’s umbrella,Earth no bigger than a salver,Sky no larger than a sunshade.

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To discern the community itself, the literary

tradition of the Malays must be seen in the practice of

habits and manners in daily life; a life filled with

traditional customs (adat). Among others the word adat is

also used in outlining Malay traditional laws (adat

resam), ceremonial customs and traditions (adat istiadat),

patriarchal laws (adat Temenggong), matriarchy or

matrilineal law (adat pepatih7). Malay custom has its own

values and norms that are positive. To have adat is to

have a tradition and not following adat can tantamount

to being rude. The Malays have their own worldview and

philosophy of life and it is with this wisdom that the

customs are put into practice. A well-known proverb

that supports the importance of custom goes like this,

“Life is borne by tradition, death is borne by earth”

(Hidup dikandung adat, mati dikandung tanah). An even stronger

one that stress the importance of adat is, “Let the

child perish, but tradition never” (Biar mati anak, jangan

mati adat).

7 Adat pepatih: Practiced among the Minangkabau Malays in Negeri Sembilan.

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Malay customs which have been adopted from various

cultures and traditions underwent further change with

the coming of Islam. This resulted in a healthy blend

as the teachings of Islam appealed to the Malays with a

long tradition of respect for the Unseen (ghaib). Malay

tradition is linked with the law of nature and to go

against the elements of nature means self-destruction.

Tradition here refers to the basic values in the human

being. These elements which are found in Islam are

congruent with the wisdom and practice of traditional

ceremonial customs (adat istiadat). Hence performances in

traditional customs have transformed from rituals

appeasing the ‘higher world’ of unknown spirits and

powers to praise of God and the Holy Prophet. The

assimilation of Malay traditions and the teaching of

Islam include the use of Poetic Art in giving thanks to

God for His Bounties and in expressions of the soul as

a mode of manifestation of the Divine.

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Following is an example of ‘sayings of customs’

(pepatah adat) which confirms the importance and strength

of knowing and practicing both Islamic law and customs:

Adat bersendikan syarak,Syarak bersendikan kitabullah.Kuat adat tak gaduh hukum,Kuat hukum tak gaduh adat.

A translation explains the meaning thus:

Custom based on laws, Laws based on the book of Allah. Strong customs no cause for concern for

laws, Strong laws no cause for concern for

customs.

The retention of the practice of traditional

customs is compatible to the lyrical nature of the

Malays. Hence the literary tradition of the Malays

under discussion is described as ‘Poetic Art’ to

differentiate it from the prose form of literature and

due to the nature of this literary art form which is

‘melodious’. The use of the Malay language as a Poetic

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Art form works as a signifier of the soul of the Malays

as it differs in vocabulary and style from Indonesian.8

The genres of Poetic Art forms can be

distinguished by the ‘tune’ (lagu). The aspects of form

and structure are also important in differentiating one

genre of poetry from another. Out of the figures

mentioned above, only the genres that are frequently

used and associated with the ceremonies in traditional

custom (adat istiadat) of the Malays shall be discussed

here. The others, although poetic in structure are

styles of literature which need not be ‘sung’ (berlagu)

or are not used in these ceremonies, although the

verses can be used in performances.

In a Malay community the values of courtesy (budi

bahasa) is upheld as the highest value of an individual

or a community, which, combined with aesthetic values

are best represented in traditional Malay literature

and customs. As Malay poetry is ‘collective and

8 Indonesian literature is diverse due to its large ethnic groups thatspeak several languages. On 28th October 1928, youth organizations fromseveral islands gathered and swore to ‘uphold the united language, theIndonesian Language’.

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functional in nature’ as mentioned above, Harun adds

that they are used for particular activities like

performing arts, telling religious stories and rituals

(1997: 5). Ismail cites Arnold van Gennep’s terminology

and concept of rites de passage or ritual transition,

whereby a ritual is performed when there is a change in

the life of an individual or a community. The

performance of the ritual is to avoid mishap and to

ensure safety of the individual or community (86).

Function and use of poetry in rituals are evident in

the customs and traditions of the Malays to mark the

beginning or the end of the planting seasons or ones

that identifies the changes in the life of man which

begins from the conception of life to death. This study

will look at selected types of Poetic Art in context of

the changes in the life of man and the ceremonies that

mark these occasions. These traditions and customs are

practiced in the royal household as well as the Malay

populace.

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Ismail lists the types of ceremonial customs and

traditions of the Malays that are practiced when that

‘change’ occurs, which begins from the time a child is

conceived as adat melenggang perut (tradition of rolling

the abdomen) performed by the midwife within the seven

months of conception to avert mishap and to adjust the

position of the baby in the womb. These customs are

usually accompanied by prayer-charm and mantra (jampi dan

mantera) (88). Harun says, to ease a delivery a midwife

would recite the following mantra while applying oil on

the mother’s stomach (1997: 519):

Bukan aku yang buka pintu rajat9Allah yang buka pintu rajatBukan aku yang buka pintu rajatMuhammad yang buka pintu rajatBukan aku yang buka pintu rajatLokman Hakim yang buka pintu rajatTuk bomoh yang ketujuh buka pintu rajatBukan aku yang buka pintu rajatTuk bidan yang ketujuh yang buka pintu rajatDengan berkat doaLailahaillallah.10

The translation is as follows:9 Rajat: this word in an old Malay word not found in any dictionary. I have, however, related it to the Arabic raji which means to ask for blessings from Allah (SWT).10 Harun’s source: Wan Ahmad bin Hj. Wan Abd. Rahman, Kuala Selangor 1978.

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It is not I that open the door of blessingsAllah opens the door of blessingsIt is not I that open the door of blessingsIt is Muhammad that opens the door of blessingsIt is not I that open the door blessingsJudge Lokman that opens the door blessingsThe seventh faith healer opens the door blessingsIt is not I that open the door of blessingsThe seventh midwife that opens the door of

blessingsWith blessings of duaLailahaillallah.

This mantra which manifests the Power of the

Divine also demonstrates the reliance of the midwife on

Divine assistance and blessing. When the baby is born

the adat pada waktu bersalin (tradition at delivery) is also

performed by the midwife where the umbilical cord is

cut by a golden ring. The placenta is usually put in a

coconut shell and salt is added then buried in a

particular place. If the baby is a boy, then it is

planted below the house near the main pillar (tiang seri)

to symbolize the male as the supporter of the family.

If it’s a girl, it is planted at the portal or gateway

to the house to entice suitors. When the umbilical cord

is dry and falls from the baby’s belly button, it is

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not thrown away, but kept to attain peace among the

family members.

After seven days another ceremony begins. The

marhaban is ‘sung’ by a group (see Figure 1) in the adat

bercukur (shaving custom) or naik buai (raising into the

cradle) after the umbilical cord is dry after the

seventh day. In the first seven days the child sleeps

with the mother and is weaned from the mother and put

in a cradle. This event can be grand especially when it

is a first-born child or grandchild. A cradle made from

cloth is decorated (see Figure 2) with a tray of

equipment (see Figure 3) that is used and while the

baby’s hair is cut (see Figure 4), the marhaban is sung

in salutations of the Holy Prophet where Arabic lyrics

is retained, manifesting the Divine in performance. The

first marhaban or ‘song of welcome’ is traced to the

arrival of the Holy Prophet when he was welcomed into

Madinah is still used.

Tala'al-Badru 'alayna, min thaniyyatil-Wada' wajaba al-shukru 'alayna,

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ma da'a lillahi da'

O the White Moon rose over us From the Valley of Wada' And we owe it to show gratefulness Where the call is to Allah.

Ayyuha al-mab'uthu fina ji'ta bi-al-amri al-muta' Ji'ta sharrafta al-Madinah marhaban ya khayra da'

O you who were raised amongst us coming with a work to be obeyed You have brought to this city nobleness Welcome! best call to God's way.11

In an interview Nik Mustapha12 says that Poetic Art

that are ‘sung’ do not have definite melodies (hence no

music notes are written) which depends on the

individual who is delivering the ‘tune’, who the guru

(master) was and renditions would depend on the

idiosyncrasies (taste and feel) of the individual. The

style is dependent on the special internal nature of

the ‘singer’ and is thus unique to him or her. He

further explains that Poetic Art forms like Syair,

11 Lyrics and translation from Yusuf Islam’s website and CD.12 Interview: 13th July 2010. Nik Mustapha bin Nik Mohd. Salleh is a senior lecturer in the Music Faculty of ASWARA. He comes from a family of artisans of Malay culture, in particular Kelantanese culture.

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Gurindam, Qasidah are monophonic (single sound) in nature

whereas the Berzanji and Marhaban are led by a soloist and

echoed by a chorus which is not harmonious in nature

which he ascribes to the Persian influence. He

attributes the ‘tune’ of Marhaban in particular is

attributed to Mimnermus,13 a musician as well as a poet.

The adat menjijak tanah (stepping on earth custom) is

rarely practiced these days. In this ceremony paddy14,

saffron rice and earth are placed in a plate or little

plates and then the child is carried or led to walk on

the filled plates (see Figures 5 and 6).

Apart from the ‘raising into the cradle’ Harun

mentions the istiadat berendoi15 (cradling ceremony), which

he says is also performed at the ‘hair-shaving’ and

‘stepping on earth’ ceremonies. He also says that it is

possible that this event is held at the time of aqiqah16,

completion of reading the Qur’an, ear-piercing and

weddings (1997: 266). At these ceremonies, he claims

13 Fubini, 9. 14 Paddy or padi: rice with husk.15 Berendoi: from the word endoi which means cradle. 16 Aqiqah: sacrifice of a goat when a child is born.

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that the syair is performed. He cites an example of the

syair concerning the birth of a child in manifesting the

Divine (1997: 268):

Bismillah itu permulaan namaKeadaan zatnya bersama-samaZahirnya sifat menyatakan isma17

Qadim dan taat sedia lama.

Asalmu dari lembaga AdamKeturunan dari murul-khatamDipecah empat anasir insanUntuk menjadi sekelianya Islam.

Salbi bapa mu rahim ibumuEmpat puluh hari nutfah namamuDelapan puluh hari alkah namamuSeratus dua puluh hari nazrah namamu.18

The following is another attempt at translation of the

above:

In the Name of Allah that is the beginning of nameIts essence all the sameIts external attribute speaks a name Eternal and faithful all the same.

Your origin from the form of AdamDescendent from seal of humanBroken into four elements of manTo become Islam all of it Islam.

Bone is your father the womb your mame

17 Isma: from the Arabic word ismi which means ‘name’ but has been changedto retain the rhyme.18 Note the aaaa, bbbb, cccc rhymes.

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Forty days seed is your name Eighty days clot of blood is your nameA hundred and twenty days vow is your name.

This is a concise variation of Syair Siti Fatimah which can

be ‘tuned’ in ten or thirty-nine verses (Habsah, 10-

15).

The narrative syair is another genre of Malay Poetic

Art. Braginsky says that the word syair is derived from

the Arabic shi’r or poetry. Harun expresses no surprise

at the source of the word as many Malay words are

based on Sanskrit or Arabic (1997: 211). Used in

performances like the stock theatre Bangsawan the syair

relates a story or gives advice and is ‘sung’ in a

specific way. Although the abab rhyme is used, the

more popular rhyme of the syair is “… made up of

quatrains with monorhyme of the type of aaaa, bbbb, cccc”

Amongst syair that is categorized as religious

narratives are stories of the Prophets like Syair Nur

Muhammad, Syair Nabi Allah Adam, Syair Nabi Allah

Ibrahim, Syair Nabi Allah Yusuf, Syair Anbia, Syair

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Adham and Syair Abdassaman (Harun, 248). The following

tells the story of how God calls on the angels to help

Yusuf (AS), and Gabriel goes down to carry out God’s

command:

Firman Tuhan azzawajalla“Hai malaikatku semua segalaIni seorang Nabi a’laLagipun anak anbiaku pula.

Sesungguhnya telah meminta iaPertolongan aku Tuhan yang kayaTentulah aku menolongi diaTiap-tiap permintaan tiada sia-sia.

Hai Jibril pergilah dapatKepada pesuruhku yang baik sifatJibril pun turun bersegera cepatKepada Yusuf hampar dan rapat.

Berkata Jibril alaihis-salam“Tuhan engkau berkirim salamBagi mu firman Khaliqul-alamNanti sedikit wahai pualam.

Telah menangis malaikat segalaIsi langit tujuh petalaTatkala permintaan kamu menghalaKepada Tuhanmu azzawajalla.

Adakah kiranya engkau kehendakkan Langit dan bumi aku balikkan?“Tiada kehendakku,” Yusuf jawabkan“Lembah lembut engkau kerjakan.”

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An indeed difficult piece, the meaning has become more

important to translate than trying to retain the rhyme as

below:

Commands God most Glorious“Well my angels all This is a Prophet of godAlso the child of my prophet too.

In truth he has asked My help God most bountiful Surely I will assist him Each and every request not wasted.

Well Gabriel go and approachMy messenger with fine attributes Gabriel then descends with instant speedTo Yusuf despaired and close.

Says Gabriel peace upon him“Your God sends you His salaamFor you command Creator of the worldWait a while dear marble.

As the angels cried all The content of seven skies Whence your request directed Towards your God most Glorious.

Would you wish forSky and earth I alter around?“Not that my wish,” Yusuf answers“In gentleness your effort be.”

21

The traditions that follow include the adat bertindik

telinga (ear-piercing custom) for the girls and the khatan

(circumcision) ceremonies for the boys which are

usually done in a communal congregation. Finally the

most tedious is the wedding ceremony (see Figure 7)

where a new life cycle begins.

To explain over thirty genres of Malay poetry

would be a monolithic task. Furthermore original texts

are not easily available in Malay or otherwise have

been adapted, changed by performers and lost its pure

form. Furthermore these are not part of the Malay

tradition adat although berzanji is read often before a

wedding ceremony, but in Arabic. Some genres are

usually seen as part of stage performances and the

others mentioned above do not necessarily manifest the

Divine. The marhaban remains the most popular form used

in traditional Malay ceremonies and even this genre

seems to be waning in its use in traditional ceremonies

except for the naik buai tradition mentioned above

although marhaban competitions are seen to be on the

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rise amongst schools. The evolvement of Malay poetic

art has seen increasing numbers of nasyid performances

which have in fact reached a stage of commercialization

where Malay pop singers are turning towards this genre

of music.

No Malay literature can be under study without

including the pantun which is the poetic genius of the

Malays. The most well-known form or the more popular

are the four-line verses, of adab rhyme19. The pantun

form has been introduced to European poetry by Ernest

Fouinet in the 19th Century. Several poets from Russia

and Germany, and French poets like Victor Hugo, Leconte

de Lisle and Baudelaire have used the pantun form in all

of their poems. In England, a poet known for the use of

pantun form in his poems is Dobson in his work, In Town.20

A pantun begins with two lines of the pembayang

maksud (foreshadowing the meaning), followed by the

actual message, which could be advice, declaration of

love or religion, found in the following two lines. The

19 Adab rhyme can either be aabb or abab.20 1100 Acres of Poetry, Endnotes.

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pembayang maksud is used to match the adab rhyme and

usually has no meaning and often not related to the

actual message. More often than not, the pembayang

maksud uses elements of nature, from flora to fauna to

old names of places. Following is an example of the

manifestation of the Divine which is a form of

education found in a pantun:

Air jernih sajaknya landaiJalan raya titian batuBerunding cerdik dengan pandaiFaham dua menjadi satu. 21

A translation, retaining the adab rhyme is attemptedbelow:

Clear water its manner tiltsMain road bridge of stoneDiscuss smart with witsUnderstand two becomes lone (one).

Following are examples of two pantuns which manifests

the Divine which also acts as a form of advice:

Anak gajah mandi di sumurAmbil galah dalam perahuOrang muda jangan tekebur22

Cubaan Allah siapa tahu.23

21 Pantun Melayu, verse 838, 132.22 Tekebur: an old Malay spelling of takbur.23 Pantun Melayu, verse 864, 135.

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Translated as:

In a well bathes baby elephant Take the pole from the boatYoung man do not be arrogantThe trial of Allah one knows naught.

The forefinger with its many uses in daily life like

folding betel nut leaves for enjoyment, its use in prayer

when pronouncement (kalimah) or witnessing (shahādah) and

tests the wisdom or perhaps hints at the recipient of

this pantun and the translation that follows:

Telepok dibelah-belahDengan sebelah di punggung pingganTelunjuk kami diberi AllahBuat pembalut kapur berjintan.24

The lily sliced into sectionThe other half at base of plateOur forefinger by Allah given To wrap limestone of anise-laid.25

The ingredients of limestone chalk (kapur) and anise

(jintan or cengkeh) are used in preparing the beetle nut

leaves (sirih) to be chewed, an old Malay custom believed

24 Pantun Melayu, verse 1122, 17625 Anise: Jintan or cengkeh

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to have been inherited from India. Whilst the pantun can

be spoken it is used in several forms and styles of

presentation and often found in lyrics of folk and

traditional songs. When sung, a singer will pose a

question which must be answered by another singer or

posed at the audience. An example and the translation

of this would be:

Akar keramat akar bertuahAkar bertampuk di gua batuNabi Muhammad bercintakan AllahDi manakah tuan masa itu?26

Root holy root hallowsRoot clings at cave of stone Nabi Muhammad Allah he lovesWhere, sir, were you gone?

A response to that could use the first two lines

that foreshadow (pembayang maksud) and take off from

the third line and the answer could go as follows:

Root holy root hallowsRoot clings at cave of stone When Nabi Muhammad Allah he lovesI, sir, was not yet born.

26 Pantun Melayu, verse 839, 132.

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The study of Malay literature cannot be seen on

its own as a literary form but also in association

with the occasion or social milieu and understanding

the meaning of the words; meanings of which are

sometimes obvious, sometimes veiled. The veiling is

due to the mystical meaning of words, which cannot be

understood from the study of words unless what it

represents is understood. As a lyrical race, the

Malays have always preferred the melodious aspect of

conveying history, propagating Islam or giving advice.

As in the oral tradition, Malay poetry is not always

direct, using metaphor, analogy, hint, allusion,

satire, allegory, parable and even mockery which are

referred to as kiasan. That in itself is adat, as no

disgrace is brought onslaught to the recipient.

Unfortunately the contemporary Malay poet prefers

the free verse sajak to rhymed poetry, which are used in

songs but cannot be used in traditional ceremonies. As

Malays should know at least one pantun, before I end,

as in typical Malay tradition, I would like to recite

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a pantun as a mark of the end of a ceremony or to bid

farewell and in this case, the end of this paper:

Bulan mengambang cahaya berseriMenerang jalan dara dihiaskanEmpat hari pelarian simposium iniSemoga ilmu hambaNya Allah tingkatkan.

Full moon shines brilliant light Brightening path as maiden decorates Four days of this symposium our flightHoping knowledge of His servant Allah elevates.

Rohani Md. YousoffKuala Lumpur, 16th July 2010.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anwar Redwan (Ed.) 1100 Acres of Poetry, (to be published).

Asmah Haji Omar (|Ed,). 2004. The Encyclopedia of Malaysia:Languages and Literature. Kuala Lumpur: Didier Millet.

Braginsky, Vladimir. 2004. The Heritage of Traditional MalayLiterature. Singapore: Institute of Southeast AsianStudies.

Habsah binti Mohd. Noordin (Ed.). 2004. Istiadat Naik Buai.Kuala Lumpur: Kementerian Kebudayaan, Kesenian danPelancongan Malaysia.

Hassan Ahmad (ed.). 2001. Pantun Melayu: Bingkisan Permata.Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan.

Hall, D.G.E. 1964. A History of South-East Asia. London:Macmillian & Co. Ltd. (First published in 1955).

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Haron Daud, “Manusia dan Kosmologi dalam Lagu-LaguRakyat Tradisional: Satu Tafsiran.” Paper presented atSeminar Lagu Rakyat Tradisional Rakyat, 6-8 September,1999 at Dynasty Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Harun Mat Piah. 1997. Puisi Melayu Tradisional: Satu PembicaraanGenre dan Fungsi. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Harun Mat Piah (Editor). 2004. Puisi Melayu Tradisional: Nasihatdan Pengajaran. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Fubini. Enrico. 1994. Translated by Michael Hatwell.1990. The History of Music Aesthetics by United Kingdom:Macmillan Press Limited.

Ismail Ahmad. 1988. Masyarakat dan Budaya Melayu. KualaLumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Mohd. Taib Osman. 2004. “The Malay written tradition”in The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages and Literature. Asmah Hj.Omar (ed). Kuala Lumpur: Didier Miller.

Muhammad Haji Salleh. 2008. The Poetics of Malay Literature.Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Teeuw, A. (1995). Sastera dan Ilmu Sastera. Kuala Lumpur:Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Wan Mohd. Shaghir Abdullah. 2000. “Kedatangan Islam diAsia Tenggara” in Wawasan Pemikiran Islam Ulama Asia Tenggara.Jilid 1. Kuala Lumpur: Khazanah Fathaniyah.

Winstedt, Richard. A History of Classical Malay Literature. Y. A.Talib (Ed.) 1996 (2nd Impression). Kuala Lumpur:Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

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ILLUSTRATIONS

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Figure 1: Marhaban group Figure 2: Decorate

cloth cradle using batik

Figure 3: Tray of equipment for the haircutting ceremony.

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Coconut water with floral

Scented water in a ‘sprinkler’Scented flowers and finely sliced pandanus leaves

Scissors &

Figure 4: Cutting of

baby’s hair.

Figure 5

Figure 6A child carried to the rice/earth mixture A child carried to walk on a row of plates

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Figure 7: A Malaywedding

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