Bidasari: Jewel of Malay Muslim CultureJulian Millie The sly wit and silky eroticism of the verse genre known as romantic syair were staple dishes on the Southeast Asian cultural menu, especially in the Malay, Islamic regional centres. Yet very few examples are available in translation for the many readers interested in the genre, and attempts by academics to account for their powers of attraction are even rarer. This book is the author's effort to convey the seductive qualities of the sexiest of the romantic syair, the 'Poem of Bidasari'. Few Malay works have been loved and disseminated to the extent the Syair Bidasari has. It was translated in other languages of the region like Makassarese and Maranao and adapted for the Malay theatre and cinema. Three tasks are attempted in the book: a transliteration into Roman characters of one of the surviving Malay manuscripts of the poem, a translation of that manuscript into English, and an inquiry into the poem's virtues. The intertexts drawn upon in the analysis reveal the author's conviction that understanding of traditions of kesenian rakyat (popular arts) such as pantun and the Malay theatre provides the background that allows the text to signify most powerfully. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Part | 7 |
Evocation of performance genres | 237 |
Copyright | |
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addressed adinda Ahmad akan Allah anak appears asked ayahanda baginda bangsawan Barang beauty berjalan berkata bersabda beta Bidasari bowed chiefs child cita dalam dayang dengan described di dalam diri duduk duli edition emas example eyes face father feel felt gave hari hati heard heart hendak highness Hoëvell Indera jangan Jikalau kakanda kata kemari kepada king kingdom kita Klinkert ladies lagi laki istri leave Lela looked Malay Mangkubumi manuscript masuk mata menteri menyembah merchant muda negeri noble orang pada palace pantun patik performance pestari plot prince princess pula putri queen Raja Putra rasanya reading replied royal Sambil sangat saudagar segala sekalian sendiri seorang seperti seraya serta servant Setelah Sinapati sister Siti stanza story suatu sudah Sudahlah syair tears tiada Tiadalah translation tuan tuanku wife wish written yang