Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Jentayu..what a noble bird



Here is another song that resonate so well with my soul. It has a tinge of traditional Indonesian music whic I love so much..with the elegant sounds of the gamelan, and that certain kind of haunting melody..difficult to describe. I think it is a blood thing. I know that my maternal ancestry runs far into the Javanese Kratons..something my mother never really like to harp on because implicitly she seems to say, no matter how blue your blood is, it doesn't mean a thing. You have to be noble in your own right. Earn your own respect.

This is a story of perseverance and nobility.. values I grew up with only to be thwarted in my early twenties through the connections I made in life..but no regrets. Those were lessons I needed to learn.

Anyways, this melody makes me restful. For those who have meditated, I think they would know what I mean. How you are able to enter your heart core and just submerge yourself and rest and be surrounded by familiar and warm protective energy and just remain in complete bliss

A little background on the song:
This song was inspired by a poem written by our local legendary poet the late Usman Awang. You can have a glimpse of who he is and his contributions here.

Jentayu is a bird in an epic Legend of Merong Mahawangsa. and you can get some background information on this legendary bird and its role in the legend here
Here goes the translation of the lyrics:
Di paruhmu kemilauan sinar (Your beak luminous with radiance)
Menyepuhi sejuta rasa (glazing a million emotions)
Kemulian di hatimu (Your sublime heart
Bening budi terdampar di jagat raya (Still and tranquil, marooned on this mortal earth)

Di sayap taufan kau jelajahi (on the wings of the storm you roam)
Awan gemawan membawa rindu (Billowing clouds bring yearning)
Kasihmu menentangi kezaliman (of your love, battling vilainy)
Ketidakadilan (injustice)

Jentayu
Patah sayap bertongkat paruh (When wings fail, lean on your beak)
Jentayu
Patah paruh bertongkat siku (When beak breaks, your elbow waits)
Jentayu
Patah siku bertongkat dagu (Elbow crushed, lean on your chin)
Jentayu
Patah dagu bertongkat kuku (when chin fails..rise on your claws)

Pinjamkanlah hatimu (Lend your (magnanimous) heart)
Untuk semua (To all)

Pinjamkanlah syahdumu (Lend us you magnicifent tranquility)

You can also watch the video here.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

..patah hati bertongkat kalbu..:)...salam ummi..just hopped in..and enjoying your blog..