Soldiers on guard at night

This poem by the major Indonesian poet Chairil Anwar (1922-1949) was probably written late in 1948. It shows Anwar's commitment to the ideal of 'kemerdekaan', the full independence of Indonesia, as well as his characteristic enthusiasm for a life lived with great intensity, despite the ever-present possibility of death.

Prajurit jaga malam

Waktu jalan. Aku tidak tahu apa nasib waktu?

Pemuda-pemuda yang lincah yang tua-tua keras, bermata tajam,

Mimpinya kemerdekaan bintang-bintangnya kepastian

ada di sisiku selama menjaga daerah yang mati ini

Aku suka pada mereka yang berani hidup

Aku suka pada mereka yang masuk menemu malam

Malam yang berwangi mimpi, terlucut debu ...

Waktu jalan. Aku tidak tahu apa nasib waktu!

Soldiers on guard at night

Time passes. I do not know what fate awaits time.

Agile young warriors, strong old men, with sharp eyes,

Dreaming of freedom, as certain as the stars in the sky,

stand beside me, on guard over this dead region

I love those who dare to live

I love those willing to enter the night

The night fragrant with dreams, stripped of dust ...

Time passes. I do not know what fate awaits time.

1948

Merdeka

belum

Freedom!

no, not yet ...

20th May 1998

This poem, written by the contemporary dramatist Ikranegara (born 1943) was dated the night before Suharto resigned as the president of Indonesia. It shows that struggle to realise the dream of national independence has been a long hard one. Conventionally, when a politician shouted 'Merdeka!' at his listeners, the audience would return the cry with great vigour. The refusal to accept the proposition that Indonesia was yet truly liberated was extremely subversive - and a source of great humour for the audience. Ikra and his audiences could play with these two words for a considerable time.

This poem is by Taufiq Ismail (born 1937), a student writer and activist in 1966.

Kita adalah pemilik syah republik ini

Tidak ada pilihan lain. Kita harus

Berjalan terus

Karena berhenti atau mundur

Berarti hancur

Apakah akan kita jual keyakinan kita

Dalam pengabdian tanpa harga

Atau maukah kita duduk satu meja

Dengan para pembunuh tahun yang lalu

Dalam setiap kalimat yang berakhiran

'Duli Tuanku'?

Tidak ada pilihan lain. Kita harus

Berjalan terus

Kita adalah manusia bermata sayu, yang di tepi jalan

Mengacungkan tangan untuk oplet dan bus yang penuh

Kita adalah berpuluh juta yang bertahun hidup sengsara

Dipukul banjir, gunung api, kutuk dan hama

Dan bertanya-tanya diam inikah yang namanya merdeka

Kita yang tak punya kepentingan dengan seribu slogan

Dan seribu pengeras suara yang hampa suara

Tidak ada pilihan lain. Kita harus

Berjalan terus

The republic is ours

There is no other choice. We must

Go on

Because to stop or withdraw

Would mean destruction

Should we sell our certainty

For meaningless slavery,

Or sit at a table

With last year's murderers

Who end each sentence

'As Your Majesty wishes'?

There is no other choice. We must

Go on.

We are the people with sad eyes, at the edge of the road

Waving at vans and crowded buses.

We are the tens of millions who live in misery

Beaten about by flood, volcano, curses and pestilence,

Who silently ask for freedom

But are ignored in a thousand slogans

And meaningless loud-speaker voices.

There is no other choice. We must

Go on.

The poems were selected by Harry Aveling (H.Aveling@latrobe.edu.au), who teaches at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He has translated numerous volumes of Indonesian poetry into English. The last two poems and their translations can be found in Harry Aveling (translator), 'Secrets need words: Indonesian poetry 1966-1998' (Ohio University Press, 2001 - see Bookshop).