A Bilingual Poetry Collection by Wulandari – Translated by Leni Marlina: “THE LITTLE BOAT”

Minggu, 18 Oktober 2026
35

English Version

A Bilingual (Indonesia – English) Poetry Collection by Wulandari – Translated by Leni Marlina: “THE LITTLE BOAT”

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THE LITTLE BOAT

Poem by Wulandari

Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina

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Sailing through the heart of a storm,
I have journey from one wave to the next.
My little boat, battered by the tempest,
bears fractures along its fragile frame.

There are wounds that sear
with pain,
memories that cut like blades.

My little boat groans in anguish, no longer strong enough to cleave the sea.

Will it endure, I wonder, or yield to the relentless tide?

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Pecalungan, Central Java, Indonesia, September 26th, 2026

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MOTHER

Poem by Wulandari

Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina

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Without you, I could not live. Your sincerity is a light illuminating every path I take. You gave me a half your soul.

You cradled me when I was an infant,
You gave your tender hands as I stepped into adulthood.
Without your presence,
my life would sink into darkness.

Mother,
you are my everything.
Your love never fades;
it abides through every changing season.

You are the one who whispers my name in every prayer. Without you,
what would become of me?

–

Pecalungan, Central Java, Indonesia, September 23th, 2026

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CHASING FANTASIES

Poem by Wulandari

Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina

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You dance endlessly through my mind,
yet seldom take the shape of truth. Seasonal dreams lull me into longing

I reach to gather the scattered stars,
only to fall back into life’s hard reality.
It hurts, indeed,
yet I am not so easily deterred. For one fleeting second,
I stumble;
a moment later, I wake up again.

You, soaring somewhere beyond the clouds,
remain so far beyond my reach.

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Pecalungan, Central Java, Indonesia, September 24th, 2026

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THE SHADOW LOVER

Poem by Wulandari

Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina

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I love you with every fibre of my being,
though you refuse to acknowledge that my love exists.

You seek me only when loneliness veils the night,
then vanish again as though you had never been.

I remain silent, waiting for you at hope’s farthest edge.
Yet this reality cuts too deeply

Leaving me to wonder whether, in your eyes,
I am no more than a lover made of shadows.

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Pecalungan, Central Java, Indonesia, September 25th, 2026

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A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

Poem by Wulandari

Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina

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I feel your presence without ever seeing you.
Your face dances through my thoughts, alighting in every corner of the room.

Whenever you arrive,
the wind accompanies you, humming a melody soft enough to whisper,
sharp enough to wound.

You call my name, yet reveal no bodily form.

You touch me, yet leave no touch upon my skin.

We belong to different worlds, yet still, I hold you dear.
The fragrance of jasmine is the sign that tells me you are here.

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Pecalungan, Central Java, Indonesia, September 4th, 2026

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Brief Information about Wulandari

SMP Negeri 1 Pecalungan, in Batang Regency, Central Java, quietly nurtures a wealth of literary talent. Following the emergence of Selaras and Putri Ulva Ananta, Wulandari now steps into the world of writing, seeking to follow in the footsteps of her two fellow students. Aged fifteen and studying in Class IX-B, Wulandari writes concise yet meaningful poetry. Her poems capture the unfiltered movements of the heart through simple, direct language, allowing emotion to emerge without elaborate diction.

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Brief Information about Leni Marlina

Leni Marlina is an Indonesian poet, writer, translator, and lecturer in the English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, at Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia since 2006. Her creative and scholarly work spans poetry, fiction, essays, literary criticism, review, translation, and literacy studies.

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Kumpulan Puisi Dwibahsa (Indonesia – English) Karya Wulandari: “PERAHU KECIL”

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PERAHU KECIL
Puisi: Wulandari

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Berlayar di tengah badai
Menyusuri ombak demi ombak
Perahu kecilku rapuh dihempas prahara

Retak di sekujur badan
Ada luka yang memerihkan
Tersayat kenangan

Perahu kecilku merintih
Tak lagi sanggup membelah lautan

Akankah tetap bertahan?

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Pecalungan, Jateng,, 26 September 2026

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IBU

Puisi: Wulandari

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Tanpamu aku tak bisa hidup
Ketulusanmu bagaikan cahaya yang menyinari seluruh jalanku
Separuh jiwamu telah kau berikan kepadaku

Engkau menimang saat aku bayi
Engkau membelai disaat aku mulai beranjak dewasa
Hidupku terlalu gelap tanpa hadirmu

Ibu
Engkau adalah segalanya
Kasihmu tak pernah padam
Selalu ada di setiap suasana

Engkau
Selalu mengucap namaku dalam do’a

Tanpamu
Apalah jadinya aku

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Pecalungan, Jateng,, 23 September 2026

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BERKHAYAL
Pusi: Wulandari

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Selalu menari di pikiran
Tapi tak selalu menjadi kenyataan
Impian semusim yang melenakan

Ingin menggapai bintang gemintang
Berakhir jatuh pada relita kehidupan
Menyakitkan memang
Tapi tak membuatku jera
Sedetik tertatih
Sejenak kemudian kembali mengulang

Kau yang terbang di awang-awang
Terlalu sulit untuk kudapatkan

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Pecalungan, Jateng, 24 September 2026

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KEKASIH BAYANGAN
Puisi: Wulandari

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Aku mencintaimu
Dengan segenap jiwa raga
Meski kau tak menganggapnya ada

Kau
Hanya membutuhkan saat sepi menyelimuti malam
Dan setelahnya kembali menghilang

Aku memang diam
Menunggu hadirmu di ujung harapan
Tapi kenyataan ini terlalu menyakitkan

Seolah
Aku hanya kau anggap sebagai kekasih bayangan

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Pecalungan, Jateng, 25 September 2026

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KISAH CINTA DUA DUNIA
Puisi: Wulandari

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Aku merasakan kehadiranmu
Tanpa melihat
Raut wajahmu menari
Hinggap di setiap sudut ruang

Setiap kali datang
Ada angin mengiringi
bersenandung
Lirih menyayat

Kau memanggil
tapi tak menampakkan wujud raga

Kau membelai
tapi tak menyentuhkan rasa

Kita beda
Tapi aku tetap menyayangimu
Harum melati
Penanda kau ada di sini

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Pecalungan, Jateng, 4 September 2026

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Tentang Penulis – Wulandari

SMP Negeri 1 Pecalungan Kabupaten Batang Jawa Tengah diam-diam menyimpan segudang prestasi sastra. Setelah Selaras dan Putri Ulva Ananta melejit, sekarang hadir Wulandari yang mencoba ikut terjun di dunia tulis menulis mengikuti kesuksesan dua rekannya. Ciri khas puisi remaja 15 tahun yang duduk di bangku kelas IX-B ini pendek tapi bernas. Menggambarkan suasana hati yang apa adanya tanpa banyak diksi.