Three Translations of the Poet Chairil Anwar
My Friend and I
Kawanku Dan Aku
To L.K. Bohang
We walk late together
Piercing the fog
Rain drenching bodies
Close-packed boats in the harbour
My blood’s thick-clotting. I’m filling up solid
Who has words?
My friend’s just a skeleton
Because his power has been flayed
He asks, What’s the time?
It’s gotten so late
All nuances are drowned
And movements have no meaning
Kawanku Dan Aku
kepada L.K. Bohang
Kami jalan sama. Sudah larut
Menembus kabut
Hujan mengucur badan
Berkakuan kapal-kapal di pelabuhan.
Darahku mengental-pekat. Aku tumpat-pedat.
Siapa berkata?
Kawanku hanya rangka saja
Karena dera mengelucak tenaga.
Dia bertanya jam berapa!
Sudah larut sekali
Hingga hilang segala makna
Dan gerak tak punya arti
5 Juni 1943
Affandi’s “Girl”
“Betina”-nya Affandi
Girl, if in the west later
it gets dark
joining to drown completely
as those that lurk,
in your face there still plays Life and Death.
Your eyes oppose--wait a minute!
You are not intimidated, you touch life, you kiss it,
now the dusk is burnt, only ashes...
In your slender body still playing catch-up
Women and Men
“Betina”-nya Affandi
Betina, jika di barat nanti
menjadi gelap
turut tenggelam sama sekali
juga yang mengendap,
di mukamu tinggal bermain Hidup dan Mati.
Matamu menentang – sebentar dulu! –
Kau tidak gamang, hidup kau sintuh, kau cumbu,
sekarang senja gosong, tinggal abu...
Dalam tubuhmu ramping masih berkejaran
Perempuan dan Laki
1946
Poem for Basuki Resobowo
Sajak buat Basuki Resobowo
Will this be a long journey?
There’s only a bit of time to spare! -- If only we had more!
Then how?
Into the falling leaves I ask myself,
And the same song softens, turning into melody
What remains as a keepsake?
Look at her no longer glancing up
nor dull-eyed; the stars have vanished!
How long have we been walking?
it might have been a century... oh, or just a flicker!
What is the trip for?
Ask the mute house of origins!
My descendants are frozen there!
Are there any who will take?
Are there any who are lost?
Ah! I answer myself -- I am always homeless
Sajak Buat Basuki Resobowo
Adakah jauh perjalanan ini?
Cuma selenggang!—Coba kalau bisa lebih!
Lantas bagaimana?
Pada daun gugur Tanya sendiri,
Dan sama lagu melembut jadi melodi!
Apa tinggal jadi tanda mata?
Lihat pada betina tidak lagi menengadah
Atau bayu sayu, bintang menghilang!
Lagi jalan ini berapa lama?
Boleh seabad...aduh sekerdip saja!
Perjalanan karna apa?
Tanya rumah asal yang bisu!
Keturunanku yang beku di situ!
Ada yang menggamit?
Ada yang kehilangan?
Ah! jawab sendiri—Aku terus gelandangan...
28 Februari 1947
Chairil Anwar (1922-1949) has been called “Indonesia’s greatest literary figure.” Born in Medan, North Sumatra, he moved to Jakarta at the age of 19 where he mixed with the literary circles that would come to be known as the “Generation of ‘45.” From 1942 until his death in 1949 he wrote seventy-odd poems, along with some prose pieces, radio scripts, and translations. The anniversary of his death is celebrated in Indonesia as National Literature Day.
Harper Campbell lives in Vancouver. His writings have appeared in Salish Seas: An Anthology of Text + Image (2011), The Salt Chuck City Review (2019), Atlas and Alice (2022), and the British Columbia Review (2020-2022). He was recently a finalist in the Vancouver City Poem Contest. He has a degree in philosophy and Asian studies from the University of British Columbia.
Christoffer Dharma, born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, is a PhD student at the University of Toronto. He has published nearly 20 scientific articles in the field of epidemiology; his current research interests are in social isolation, sexuality, and mental health. Over the years, he has published a few Indonesian-language poems on his experiences growing up in Indonesia as well as some translations of Chairil Anwar in the Columbia Journal (2021) and Lunch Ticket (2021).