Abdollah Salleh
Haiku in English
HAIKU
| The beach palm, morning glory, Seagulls and sandpipers, Welcome the voyager home. |
On a visit to the Indonesian Island of Lombok, I sat on the beach with an elderly fisherman talking wistfully about his son who went away and has yet to come back. All along , the beach was lined by clumps of pandanus palms while morning glory creepers covered the sand. Sandpiper birds ran at the water’s edge while gulls were in flight. Its a scene that would not be forgotten.
HAIKU
Sunny afternoon breeze,
Padi leaves rustling,
In clear water, gouramis play.
There are many types of gourami fish. The ones found in the padi field are called dwarf gouramis. Bigger gouramis are called ‘Ikan Kaloi” in Malaysia.
While most people will think of them as aquarium fish, in South East Asia we consume them as food.
HAIKU
“Constant roar of the wind,
Rustling leaves on swaying trees,
Fills the moonlit night”
These Haiku verses surfaced in my mind when I woke up in the middle of the night and sat on the verandah of a chalet at Pasir Belanda, in Kelantan State on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was the season when the wind blew strongly from the sea. The sound made by the wind and the rustle of the palm leaves as the coconut trees sway, broke through the stillness of the night. The sounds came and went as the speed of the wind alternates between that of a storm to that of a breeze. The brightness of the moonlight also waxes and wanes as clouds pass over the full moon.
I am filled with nostalgia, whenever the memory returns.
The atmosphere reminds me of an old song,
sang again by the singer Sudirman Haji Arshad.
The original lyric and my translation of it is as below:
|
VERSI BAHASA Alangkah Indahnya Alam Angin berbunyi Sambil menyanyi Terang benderang Hatiku riang Alangkah indahnya alam |
ENGLISH VERSION How Beautiful is this World The sound of the wind While it sings How resplendent is the light My heart is happy Oh what a beautiful world. |
The Original Song was witten by R. Maroeti and sung by Juwita accompanied by Dendang Kelana Orchestra led by Maroeti.
Puisi Haiku Pantun Lirik 