Literary giant Salleh Ben Joned Salleh Ben Joned passed away a few months ago. His taste in pantuns favored the more … spicy. His short essay “Salacious Pleasures of ‘Pantuns'” on four classic pantuns from the book Kumpulan Pantun Melayu (published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia) features his loose translations into English and some thoughts about their significance to the Malay Psyche. I was surprised to find I had already translated three of them on separate occasions. Here are all four of Salleh Ben Joned’s Salacious Pantuns, followed by my translation and then his translation.
Salacious Pantun #1: TELUK DAN SIAM
Ke Teluk sudah, ke Siam sudah
Ke Mekah saja aku yang belum
Berpeluk sudah, bercium sudah
Bernikah saja aku yang belum.
My translation:
Teluk and Siam are done, off my list,
but I haven’t yet reached the Holiest City;
I’ve shared an embrace and also a kiss,
But I haven’t yet tried holy matrimony.
Salleh Ben Joned’s translation:
I’ve been to Thailand, to the Gulf too,
Only to Mecca I haven’t been;
Kissed them I have, and known them too,
Without going through the wedding scene.
Salacious Pantun #2: KUANG BERTELUR
Di mana kuang bertelur?
Di atas lata, di celah batu,
Di mana sayang nak tidur?
Di atas dada, di celah susu.
My translation:
“Where does the pheasant lay eggs?” it is said,
Above the falls, ‘tween boulders they rest;
Where shall my true love lay down his head,
Within these arms, between my two breasts.
Salleh Ben Joned’s translation:
Where does the dove lay its eggs
In the rapids between the rocks
Where may I lay my head, my love
On the chest between the breasts.
Salacious Pantun #3: KERENGGA DALAM BULUH
Kerengga di dalam buluh,
Serahi berisi air mawar,
Sampai hasrat di dalam tubuh,
Tuan seorang jadi penawar.
My Translation:
Vials filled with rosewater treat
fire ants within the bamboo;
When my body fills with need
The only remedy is you.
Salleh Ben Joned’s Translation:
Red ants crawling in bamboo shaft
Vessel brimming with rose water
When my body’s possessed by lust
Only you can be the appeaser.
Salacious Pantun #4, a quite randy pantun indeed: BUKIT JERAM
Tanam padi di Bukit Jeram
Tanam keduduk atas batu
Macam mana hati tak geram
Menengok tetek menolak baju
My Translation:
Plant your rice in Jeram Hill dust,
Senduduk in the rocky dirt;
How could my heart not fill with lust,
To see her breasts push up her shirt.
Salleh Ben Joned’s Translation:
Plant the padi with a thrust
Stroke the seedlings with dew
It drives you crazy with lust
To see the tits tilting the baju (blouse)
His thoughts on the significance of these pantuns in understanding the Malay Psyche are linked here. Me, I just translate ’em.
