He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise

They were two pools of lies

Layered with thinnest ice

To her, those wuiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs

Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise

If only she’d been wise

And had listened to the advice

Never to compromise

With pleasure-seeking guys

She’d be free from ‘the hows and whys’

Now here’s a bit of advice

Be sure that nice really nice

Then you’ll never be losing at dice

Though you lose your heart once or twice

SYNOPSIS

In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girl’s feelings for a man. She believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. She is taken in by his quiet eyes. If she had listened to advice about men who seek  pleasure, she would not be in this situation. The poet advises all young girls to be careful and not be betrayed by men.

THEME

• Betrayal of love
• Personal experiences
• Relationships that are meaningful

MORAL VALUES

• Don’t be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart.
• We must be careful when choosing friends.
• Falling in love is normal but one should be careful.
• We must learn from the experience of other people.

TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

• Refelective
• Sad and happy
• Sympathetic

POINT OF VIEW

• Second and third person points of view

LANGUAGE & STYLE

• Simple and easy to understand
• Simple style with rhyming scheme

POETIC DEVICES

• Imagery – e.g. ‘pools of lies’, ‘layered in thinnest ice’
• Symbol – e.g ‘quiet eyes’, ‘dice’
• Alliteration – e.g ‘lies layered’
• Personafication – e.g The eyes were ‘breathing the desolate sighs’ as though he was talking charmingly to her.

Are You Still Playing Flute?

The Original Version of the Poem

Masihkah Kau Bermain Seruling oleh Zurinah Hassan

Masihkah kau bermain seruling
walau waktu telah terlewat untuk kita bercinta
aku semakin terasa bersalah
melayani godaan irama
lagu yang tersimpan pada lorong halus buluh
dikeluarkan oleh nafas seniman
diukir oleh bibir
diatur oleh jari
dilayangkan oleh alun angin
menolak ke dasar rasa.

Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika kampung semakin sunyi
sawah telah uzur
waktu jadi terlalu mahal
untuk memerhatikan hujan turun
merenung jalur senja
mengutip manik embun
menghidu harum bunga.

Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika aku terasa mata bersalah
untuk melayani rasa rindu padamu
di kota yang semakin kusut dan tenat
adik-adikku menganggur dan sakit jiwa
bangsaku dipecahkan oleh politik
saudara diserang bom-bom ganas
dunia sudah terlalu tua dan parah.

Di sinilah berakhirnya percintaan kita
kerana zaman sedang menuntut para seniman
hidup di luar dirinya.

BIODATA OF ZURINAH HASSAN

• Date / Place of birth : 13 June 1949, Alor Setar Kedah.
• Permanent address : No.2, Jalan Pinggir, 8/1L, Seksyen 8, 40000 Shah Alam since 1974.
• Academic Qualifications : B.A.Hons (Universiti Sains Malaysia), M.A. (Universiti Putra Malaysia). Doktor Falsafah, Akademi Pengajian Melayu, Universiti Malaya.
• Awards :
• 1. Anugerah Penulisan Asia Tenggara (S.E.A. Write Award) 2004
  2. Book Category Award
  i- Pujangga Tidak Bernama, Hadiah Sastera Perdana(1994/1995)
• ii- Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi, Hadiah Buku Perpustakaan Negara 2002/2004)
• iii- Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi , Hadiah Sastera Perdana 2002/2003.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? by Zurinah Hassan

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love

I am feeling guilty

To be longing for your song

The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo

Uncovered by the breath of an artist

Composed by his fingers

Blown by the wind

To the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted

Amidst the sick rice fields

While here it has become a luxury

To spend time watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays

Collecting dew drops

Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?

The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you

in the hazard of you

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

SYNOPSIS

The poet is about a lady’s feelings concerning her partner who looks more interested in playing the flute which seems to be his passion. He is seemingly oblivious to what is happening to his family, relatives and friends. The lady feels guilty about imposing on him.

THEMES

• Family commitments
• Priorities in life
• Neglect of one’s duties

MORAL VALUES

• We should be aware of our family commitments and carry them out properly.
• Everyone has priorities in, life and we should know what is important and what is not.
• Following a hobby is good but there is a time for work and a time for play.

POINT OF VIEW

• The poem is the first point of view.
• The person is addressing another person and describing a situation to him.

LANGUAGE AND STLYE

• Rhetorical question
• Descriptive and questioning
• Simple style and no rhyme

TONE, MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE

• Sombre and regretful
• Serious atmosphere

POETIC DEVICES

• Imagery – e.g. ‘blown by the wind’, ‘depth of my heart’
• Alliteration – e.g. ‘fragrance of flowers’
• Symbol – e.g. ‘flute’, ‘song’
• Repetition – e.g. ‘Are you still playing your flute?’
• Figurative Language – Metaphor e.g. ‘The melody concealed in the slime hollow of bamboo – Personification e.g. ‘sick rice field’

In The Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn

and approached the stove

their limbs marked by scratches

their legs full of wounds

but on their brows

there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood

in the water all the time

between bloated carcasses

and tiny chips of tree barks

desperately looking for their son’s

albino buffalo that was never found

They were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint

now they are in the kitchen, making

jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves

SYNOPSIS (OVERALL)

In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke.

SYNOPSIS (ACCORDING TO STANZA)

STANZA 1

They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.

STANZA 2

They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their son’s albino buffalo but were unable to find it.

STANZA 3

They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.

SETTING

The setting of the poem is in the house.

THEMES

• Stoicism in life
• Family love
• Acceptance of way of life

MORAL VALUES

1. We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook.
2. We must attempt to face and solve problems.
3. Failure is part of growing up.
4. Do not despair in the face of failure.

TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

• Understanding and sympathetic
• Dismal
• Acceptance of situation

POINT OF VIEW

• Third person pint of view.

LANGUAGE & STYLE

• Language is simple and easy to understand.
• The style is simple with no rhyming scheme.

POETIC DEVICES

• Imagery – Gives picture of poet’s thoughts e.g ‘soaky clothes torn’ and ‘legs full of wounds’
• Alliteration – e.g. ‘but on their brows’
• Symbols – e.g. ‘horrendous flood’ and ‘bloating carcasses’
• Diction – e.g. ‘stove’ and ‘brows‘