'Fables of Dawn' is the title of the selected poems by Latiff Mohidin (translated by Salleh Ben Joned). The above picture depicts the Mekong River taken at Luang Prabang, some 425 km north of Vientiane, the city which Latiff wrote his immortal poem on 1st Feb 1966. The only time I met Latiff in person was many years ago. He was having tea with a senior NST columnist and I was with an editor of a weekly tabloid. And as for the record, the book 'Fables of Dawn' was given to me as a gift from a friend whom in the course of our friendship had introduced me to such books as 'The Little Prince' and 'Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha'.
River Mekong
I
River Mekong
I choose your name
because i feel so alone
I'll bury my heart
in your murky depths
my right leg
in the direction of the moon
my left, the sun
I'll let my heart
be carried by your current
my name to the open sea
my voice to the mountains
II
River Mekong
your breath is so calm
your winding flow is so relaxed
on your bank
a mother weeps
calling out to her lost son
and when she merges
her face with your face
you could smile
your unperturbed smile
III
River Mekong
Let not your shimmering ripples
dazzle me
on your silt bed I can see
many blooms of blood
and stones with open wounds
as night approaches
a storm will come from the north
your banks will collapse
and your current will be stronger
than the falls of Niagara
13 comments:
i used to have paddy clarke ha ha ha, my favourite i must say. then i lent it to someone who didn't bother to return it. * sigh * and the legend of spud murphy too.
shirzad,
u r so lucky... i wish that i'd met him... fables of dawn.. :)given to me by my dearest sis... miz u nana
dipthong
ha ha ha. some people r bad. I know that. no more paddy. but if u wanna read about padi, i wrote it in the print edition.
heya moeha
i guess i was. he is one artist i always admire. :)
Salam Shirzad,
I love this poem so much.
Dulu baca dalam versi BM.
....and I love cats too. LOL
Hi Shirzad
My my.. you're an artistic person aren't you. I used to write poems but I think I have 'lost' it by now..
Nevertheless, an interesting subject to ponder..
Slam Shirzad,
Latiff Mohidin is an icon in the art scene but yet he is a very simple man in dressing and living. His last exhibition at Petronas Gallery it was a sold out with paintings worth more the RM 4 Million.
I could only afford to view and appreciate his works but not collecting it. Lucky to have some small conversation with him regarding his Voyage exhibition and bought a book on it. I wish more successful people are like him humble and excellence.
Salam bro,
Latiff Mohidin. That is a name I have not heard for a very long time. Though I am nor familiar with his works, I have read about him, and vaguely remember his looks from a newspaper print way back.
Its a pity though, I think the poem would be better in its original language. The thing about translation is that the beauty or flair of the language is lost in between.
dear waterlily
i think what makes the poem River Mekong stands out is the fact that it is solemn, eerie yet truly artistic. Of course only someone as gifted as Latiff Mohidin could write something like that.
dear ydiana
my late father used to advance the notion "arts for the artsake". i was then too young to understand what he was trying to convey to his circle of friends or to the general reading public of his time. But, in retrospect, i think he was probably right. as such i tend to perceive things from that perspective. But of course I dont write poems. (tak ada bakat).
salam dato' jaflam
Indeed, in-spite of the sometimes glamorous world of our local arts scene, Latiff Mohidin is a truly simple person. Maybe this is his idiosyncracy. If Degas painted subjects as how he saw them, or Dali painted dreams, then Latiff painted the pent-up emotions as how he felt them.
You are right, sir. The works of our artists do not come cheap anymore. Certainly this is a recognition for their talent. The time will come when most of us could only afford their studio prints like those of de Koonings or Wyeths.
brother cakapje
yes brother. his name has not been heard for a while. I think probably because he isnt a politician. :) I would have thought the same about presenting the poem in its original language, but since salleh ben joned himself is a poet and someone who studied poetry, i think the english translation retains most of the poems intended textures and message.
i think you look like salleh ben joned. hahah!
that's for paddy!
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