“As large as papaya, as small as keranji,
Break a branch and the fruit falls down
A face so lovely with manners so ugly
Is like rain falling murky and brown”
Growing papaya, or betik, from seed is easy enough – sow them on loose soil straight from the fruit and they’ll come up without trouble. The tough part is figuring out if your tree is a boy or a girl…
Tag Archives: pantun
Gurindam 12 Fasal 5
by Raja Ali Haji (1808-1873) [two_first] This is the gurindam of the fifth issue: If you wish to know the people of high birth, in manners and speech are shown their worth. To know the people of happiness, avoid involvement in the meaningless. To know the man of high distinction, look upon his deeds and […]
Daun Inai
Daun inai banyak getahnya, Ambil segenggam pewarna kuku, Wahai adik abang bertanya, Apa obat penawar rindu. Thick with sap run the henna’s leaves Take some in hand your nails for dying O young maiden, your lover asks you What salve is there to heal longing? Gadis ditegus lalu dikenyit Baik perangai pandang tak jemu […]
Batang jati kangkung
Kangkung, Ipomea aquatica, is a crawling vegetable with hollow stems, allowing it to float on the water, from whence it gets the name water spinach. There’s no relation – in fact it is in the Convulvulaceae or morning glory family. It is a mainstay of kampung cuisine, growing freely in the canals and marshy places. […]
Three Pipers: Lada, Sirih, Kaduk
Black pepper is the quintessential spice of the Spice Route, the ancient trade routes across the Indian Ocean that have brought merchants and travelers to the Nusantara since antiquity. Pepper was once as valuable as gold, and even now, it is the world’s most traded spice. Piper nigrum is well suited to cultivation in Sarawak: pepper […]
Gurindam 12 Fasal 4
The 12 Gurindam of Raja Ali Haji ___________________________ This is the Gurindam of the fourth issue: Ini gurindam pasal yang keempat: The heart over the body rules all; if it oppresses, every part falls. Hati kerajaan di dalam tubuh, jikalau zalim segala anggota pun roboh. Whenever jealousy has been sown, shoot forth a multitude of […]
Two Murrayas
Black on black stack mangosteens
Pity the kemuning as its flowers fall
My dark-skinned beauty is sweet to behold
A light-skinned woman is …
Third Coffee
Coffee beans spread upon a tray Jasmine blooms on the ledge do rest I’ve been dreaming till break of day My sweetheart sleeping upon my chest “Buah kopi di atas loyang Kembang melati letak di bangku Saya bermimpi hampirkan siang Jantung hati tidur di pangku” Island South-east Asia produces a lot of coffee. The word Java, now […]