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THE PALACE THAT FELL AT A FLICK
Poem by Pinto Janir
Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina
–
I lie sprawled across an indeterminate body;
the wind rushes hard,
its keen-edged stories slicing through the air.
Undone, I suffer, torn to shreds, unravelling.
I fan the dust, it scatters, billowing into a storm.
The shoreline hurls its curses;
I hold back the fury, though it swells within me.
The mad painter’s brush never quite reaches its end.
Baca juga: MAMAD
I know the ugliness of my own delirium.
My shoulders stoop beneath the burden of longing upon longing.
My tongue falls numb;
not a single letter will come to hand.
Cast down upon an island of stone,
I stand upright,
yet tell myself to sit.
I scoop up a handful of dust;
surely, surely,
I must swallow my breath.
I embrace solitude as a queen embraces her throne.
I took you there
yet brought you nowhere.
Here, we also remain;
why have we not arrived?
Where, then, were you and I meant to be?
Do we not know this world, that a palace can crumble at the slightest touch?
We laugh amid our wounds, while tears continue to fall.
–
Jakarta, Friday, 23rd October 2026
—
/2/
STILL THE STILLNESS
(Original Indonesian Title: “Heningkan Hening”)
Poem by Pinto Janir Translated (Indonesia – English) by Leni Marlina
–
ONE
Because I felt nothing,
it went on, until at last I felt.
At the point where all things meet,
every sensation fell away,
and all that was rightfully mine to return I surrendered to its Owner.
A silence is emptier than emptiness,
a solitude within solitude,
yet all the sounds of the universe roared through that hollow vastness until the heart itself erupted.
Its beating could no longer keep the melody of music.
Blood surged and boiled through the narrow channels of my veins.
Then feeling broke its waters and tears came pouring down.
TWO
Within the I that inhabits the self,
desire tangles upon desire,
layer upon layer,
until it freezes,
until the cold turns hard as stone.
I stand transfixe
but not where you stand.
THREE
The farthest road keeps going without arrival;
the nearest road draws away,
unravelling beneath my feet.
At last, the journey reaches its edge,
yet still, there is no arrival.
You are left in anguish;
I still bear the pain.
FOUR
You mistake suffering for a garden in bloom,
until your steps run counter to the rhythm.
Your song falters,
out of tune,
straining to climb the notes.
Shreds of lyric sheets scatter through the hollow room,
swept by a storm of letters raging across the air.
You drift beyond yourself, suspended in the chambers of your own imagination
and suffer.
FIVE
Tear open the world within your belly
Scatter your skull; reorder your mind
Let me breathe a passing wind through your dust-covered heart
Speak not of longing yet,
not until you know where I am
SIX
You ask me,
Who are you?
I am here so that you may come to know
If time is no longer yours, then all the spaces within me are yours.
Go home.
Go home before I come to bring you back.
SEVEN
If you search and cannot find me, let us meet, come,
be my guest.
If you are busy letting loneliness persuade you,
even the loudest roar of sound must eventually fall silent;
even the strongest runner cannot run on forever.
You will never arrive while the destination remains uncertain and the final inquiry unfinished.
Find a place to sit
to sit as sitting was meant to be.
Sit with your feeling.
Still the stillness.
Quiet the silence.
Follow its rhythm.
Surrender is not defeat.
“Lā ilāha illā Allāh.”
There is no deity but God.
–
Jakarta, October 21th, 2026
—-
Brief Information About the Poet – Pinto Janir
Pinto Janir is a multitalented Indonesian literary figure, artist, journalist, and cultural advocate of Minangkabau heritage, based in Jakarta. In 2024, he was honoured with the Prolific Writer Award by SatuPena West Sumatra. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Indokatanews.com.
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Brief Information About the Translator — 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. In 2025, she was honoured with the Most Outstanding Writer Award by SatuPena West Sumatra. She currently serves as Editor of SAN Group Media included Negerinews.com & Suaraanaknegeri.com
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Indonesian Version
Puisi Dwibahasa Karya Pinto Janir: “ISTANA YANG ROBOH SEJENTIK”
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ISTANA YANG ROBOH SEJENTIK
Puisi: Pinto Janir
–
Melantai di tubuh tak jelas
Deras angin jua
nan tajam berkisai
Sangsai marasai cabik-cabik kuretas
Kukipas, debu berhamburan membadai
Pantai mengata-ngata amuk kutahan membuas
Kuas pelukis gila
tak pernah sampai-sampai
Tahu aku ceracau buruk
Bungkuk bahu menyandang rindu rindu
Kelu lidah
tak satu aksara tersauk
Terpuruk aku di pulau batu
Aku tegak, kataku duduk
Kusanduk segenggam debu
Tentulah tentu napas kudaguk
Kupeluk sepi seperti ratu
Kubawa kau tak ke sana
Kemari jua
mengapa tak tiba
Harusnya aku
dan kau di mana
Apa tak tahu kita dunia
Hingga istana roboh sejentik
Kita tertawa dalam luka
dan air mata !
–
Jakarta, Jumat, 23 Oktober 2026
—
/2/
HENINGKAN HENING
Puisi : Pinto Janir
–
SATU
Karena tak terasa
maka hingga kurasa
Pada titik temu
lenyaplah segala rasa
nan hak kupulangkan kepada pemilik-Nya
lengang selengang lengang sepi di lengang bergemuruh seluruh bunyi
hingga menggaduh jantung hati
debar tak lagi
semerdu musik
menggelagak darah
di nadi sempit
pecah ketuban rasa;
tangis berderai-derai
DUA
Di-aku nan ber-aku berkelibut
berlapis-lapis ingin
membeku;
sampai gigil membatu
aku terpaku;
tapi tidak di tempatmu
TIGA
Sejauh-jauh jalan
sudah jauh tak sampai-sampai
sedekat-dekat jalan
menjauh;
tergurajai
lah tiba di ujung
maka tak sampai
kau sangsai
aku jua nan marasai
EMPAT
Derita kau anggap
taman bunga
Hingga rentak menyongsang irama
Lagumu coyo menggapai tangga nada
Serpihan kertas lirik berhamburan
di ruang hampa
diterjang badai aksara
yang melaut di udara
kau terawang-awang
di bilik angan-angan;
menyiksa !
LIMA
Bongkar dunia
dalam perutmu
Rarak tengkorakmu;
susun otakmu
Biar kuhembuskan angin lalu
di hatimu yang berdebu
jangan dulu bicara rindu
sebelum kau tahu
di mana aku !
ENAM
kau tanya siapa kamu
Ku ada untuk kau tahu
Bila tak ada waktu
Segala ruangku untukmu
Pulanglah pulang
sebelum aku menjemputmu
TUJUH
Bila kau cari tak bertemu
Kita bersua; kau bertamu
Kalau kau sibuk dibujuk sepi
Sekeras-keras lulung bunyi
musik pasti berhenti
sekuat-kuat berlari
kau tak sampai-sampai
karena tujuan
dan kaji akhir tak selesai
carilah tempat duduk
sebenar-benar duduk
duduklah dengan rasa
heningkan hening
sunyikan sunyi
ikuti iramanya;
pasrah bukan kalah
“Laa ilaaha illallah!”
–
Jakarta, 21 Oktober 2026
—–
Sekilas Info Tentang Penyair – Pinto Janir
Pinto Janir merupakan sastrawan, seniman, jurnalis, dan budayawan multitalenta berdarah Minangkabau yang berdomisili di Jakarta. Pada 2024, ia dianugerahi penghargaan Penulis Produktif oleh SatuPena Sumatera Barat. Ia menjabat sebagai Pemimpin Redaksi Indokatanews.com.
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Informasi Singkat tentang Penerjemah — Leni Marlina
Leni Marlina adalah penyair, penulis, penerjemah, dan dosen di Departemen Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia, sejak tahun 2006. Karya kreatif dan akademiknya mencakup puisi, fiksi, esai, kritik sastra, resensi, penerjemahan, serta kajian literasi. Pada tahun 2025, ia dianugerahi Penghargaan Penulis Berprestasi oleh SatuPena Sumatera Barat. Saat ini, ia diamanahkan sebagai editor di SAN Group Media, yang mencakup Negerinews.com dan Suaraanaknegeri.com.
