Pantun-Your Heart is My Favorite Playground

This entry was posted on 30/03/2012, in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 71 Comments

Good Day my dear friends,

Do you know what a Haiku is? Well, of course you do. What about Pantun? Do you know what a Pantun is?  See!  That’s why I have to start making it popular!

Pantun is a Malay poetic form traditionally expressed orally by young men in pursuit of love. It consists of 4 lines with variations of rhymes including a-a-a-a and a-b-a-b. Pantun is best known for its brevity and eloquence, despite the prominence of its highly allusive character.  The major theme is love but later in its development it has also included other themes.

In the past many Indonesians created Pantun but now its popularity is in sharp decline. It is now one of my goals to revive the eloquent literary tradition and introduce it into an international audience. Through this Blog, I strive to do so. For those of you who have been here for a while, you may have read my previous attempts with Pantun: “In My Heart Your Name is Beautifully Crafted” and “A Hug From My Heart“. But for those of you who haven’t read them, I highly recommend you read them. :-)

Below is a modern version of Pantun that I have recently written, entitled, “Your Heart is My Favorite Playground”. In making this post, I collaborated with my dear little sister, Sylvia Hasie, http://kofegeek.wordpress.com/ and  http://kofeart.wordpress.com/. I wrote the Pantun and she drew the sketch. For those of you who have no idea who Hasie is, let me tell you that this Harvard  graduate student paints too well and makes awesome-sketches. Surely her blog is worth visiting, and following-if you like. :-)

Hasie and I are actually thinking of making our Pantun collaboration a mid-term project in which in the end we could publish a Pantun Anthology. Yes, in English! So wish us luck! :-)

And the Pantun? Here goes:

*

*

The path is long and the earth is round

The dripping rain makes a perfect sound

To the magic of your love I am happily bound

And I’ve made your heart my favorite playground!

*

*

71 thoughts on “Pantun-Your Heart is My Favorite Playground”

    • Hi Ranu, thank you so much for your kind words. I surely do want to write some pantun for my upcoming posts. But I was just wondering whether it is appropriate at this time of my life. While the inspiration for creating poetical work relevant to romantic pursuit comes to my head all the time, often it hits my head when I don’t know to whom I should send these hundreds of romantic poems. Isn’t it paradoxical when you can write thousands of love poems without knowing where to send them to? What do you think? I would love to hear your advice.

      Reply

  3. Pingback: The Combine Beautiful Sunshine Award | Carol J Forrester - Writing and Works

  4. Pingback: Thank You, Beautiful Stranger! :-) « Subhan Zein

  5. Delightful to learn about a new form of poetry, called Pantun! The project between you and your sister is an admirable one … her drawings are delightful, colorful and looks like I could reach out and touch!! Thank you for sharing, and for your recent visit. :D Blessings~~

    Reply

  8. This is so adorable! And too right young men should use poetry to search for love, tis the only way! (well one of the most romantic at least, taking in account they can actually write poetry.)

    Reply

    • Thank you for your lovely comment, Sharifah. I hope you have a joyful ride in each of your visits in my blog. Have a lovely day, my friend! :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  11. Pingback: Pantun – A Great Delight « Subhan Zein

    • Hi Cik,

      I knew you must be familiar with Pantun! :-) Yes, it’s a dying art, and it’s a hard task to revive it, I guess. But we take it as the challenge, so wish us luck! :-)

      Have a wonderful weekend, Cik! :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  15. Great job Pak, I am glad you and your sister are going to promote pantun.

    Coming from Singapore, I am somwhat familiar with this style and we used make up and sing these in praise/tease of gilrs – around campfires – but in English mixed with Malay. But you are right – it is a dying art.

    Let me try with your pantun:

    The path is long and the earth is round
    The dripping rain makes a perfect sound
    To the magic of your love I am happily bound
    And I’ve made your heart my favorite playground!
    My favourite ground, oh my favourite ground,
    You are my favourite playground :-)

    Reply

  20. Hello my dear Sub Hanzein,
    I feel very sad that you are in a difficult time
    with your family in Indonesia and your studies.
    Do not worry about the emails, please!
    Forgive me for not having published the post about the award
    and I appreciate your good will with me,
    then I’ll explain to you also, my dear.
    Many prayers for you and your family.
    Thank you very much
    hugs from my heart~~Jussara

    Reply

    • Thank you, Jussara. Please pray for me, dear. It’s been difficult, especially with my father and my mother, no to mention with my studies.

      I will get back to you once everything returns to normal, I promise. Hope it won’t be too long.

      Have a lovely weekend, love! :-)

      Hugs from my heart,

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

      • My dear friend Subhan Zein
        Thank you for your words.
        I’m very sad that your father and mother are
        at a difficult time.
        Many prayers for your parents and you.
        My heart is broken
        Peace and light in your way.
        Come back soon, my friend.

  21. This is lovely, Subhan. Thanks also for the lesson in writing Pantun, and your sister’s image is delightful…I wish you all the best in your project together!

    Reply

  23. Pingback: Pantun Anthology: Illustration Challenge « kofegeek

    • Thank you, Ronnie! Thank you for the positive thoughts for our project. Both Hasie and I are very happy! :-)

      I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! Have a lovely day, my friend! :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  26. Hi Subhan,
    Now I know what a Pantun is :) Thanks for sharing. The drawing and your Pantun are both beautiful! It is great to see that you & your sister have come to collaborate on a creative project. It’s going to be great! I look forward to reading more of your Pantuns.
    God bless xox

    Reply

    • Great! Thanks, Maryanne! I’m so happy that you enjoyed my Pantun. Take a look at the other poems, hope you will enjoy them too! :-)

      God Bless you, my lovely friend! :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  30. Subhan, what a wonderful idea!! I certainly think a Pantun Anthology is a lovely idea =) Wish you and your sister the best of luck in your project =)

    The title itself is so sweet Subhan =) Altogether a beautiful little gift of words!

    Take care, Que

    Reply

    • Oh, aren’t you a lovely person, Que? Thank you very much for having the faith on us! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the Pantun. Take a look at my other pantuns as well. Hope you enjoy them as well. :-)

      Have a wonderful weekend, my lovely friend! :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  31. Awesome! I’ve never heard of a pantun before so thank you very much for your blog today. Your’s is quite lovely (as well as the perfect picture to go with!)

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for stopping by and enjoying the beauty of our literature. I’m so happy! Please take a look at my other Pantun as well. :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

  36. Subhan, what a wonderful goal and collaboration to pursue with your sister! Your writing is so good, and her art is awesome! May all your dreams come true! xoxox

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your strong support and encouragement, Jeannie! I really appreciate it! May God bless you forever and for always… :-)

      Subhan Zein

      Reply

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