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Poetry by Herman Kamra

"Optimism"

Dreams and love will bear fruit,
Between one age and the next
As we consider the future.

Oh my fellow patriots
Arise and struggle

Wherever you wander
May you be happy
May you be victorious
In your struggle to establish truth.

"Optimis"

Citra dan cinta bakal bersemi,
Diantara masa dan zaman
Menatap kemasa yang bakal datang.

Wahai patriot bangsa
Bangun dan bergeraklah,

Kemana dirimu akan berkelana
Menuju sentosa kemenangan,
Dalam menegakkan kebenaran.


"Ballad of the Moon"
Part of the moon hides behind a cloud,
another part dares to show its face.
A drop water falls to earth-
the night is stifling hot-
and a drop of dew
gives its life
to a tired old tree.


When the moon shows its face,
we see truth.
When the moon vanishes
truth turns to rock.


When a drop of water
falls to earth,
righteousness is possible.
When a drop of dew dies
righteousness never returns.


In dark dawn, the moon slides to the west,
and is wrapped in the blankets of passing clouds.
As he slides to the horizon, the moon
touches a fairy, and suddenly realises
that there is more than one world...


The wind scampers from the east to the west
soars from the south to the north.
Despite the smiles and laughter,
the wind discovers
that dishonesty is King...


Despite the tears and grief, the wind
bears the suffering of the masses wherever it goes.
The moon vanishes, swallowed by the day,
Soon we shall see your face again,
we will wait for you, our beloved moon.

"Ballada sebuah Rembulan"

Secercah rembulan hilang di balik awan,
dan secercah rembulan menampakkan wajahnya.
Setetes air jatuh ke bumi karena kegerahan panas,
dan setetes embun menambakan hidupnya pada sebatang pohon yang layu.
Di antara rembulan menampakkan wajahnya,
Di sanalah kebenaran yang berlaku,
Di antara rembulan yang hilang,
Di situlah kebenaran terasa beku.

Dimana setetes air jatuh ke bumi,
Di sanalah keadilan yang dituju,
Di mana setetes embun mendambakan hidupnya,
Di situlah keadilan dibawa lalu.

Menjelang pagi buta, rembulan tergelicir ke ufuk barat,
ketika itu rembulan terslimut oleh arakan awan-awan.
Dikala dia menjamah seorang bidadari yang turun dari khayangan, teringatlah padanya bahwa dunia tiada satu...

Angin berembus dari timur ke barat,
menjulang dari selatan ke utara.
Di antara senyum dan ketawa, terdapatlah padanya
kenistaan yang meraja lela,
Di antara tangis dan duka, terbawalah kepedihan bagi si rakyat jelata.

Kini rembulan hilang ditelan kesiangan,
kau akan kembali menampakkan wajahmu,
dan di sana kutunggu dikau wahai rembulan.


"The Meaning of Independence"

Merdeka! Freedom!
The word which offered us liberty
Arose from the desire of the whole Indonesian people
To be released from the chains of colonialism.

Merdeka! Freedom!
For three hundred and fifty years
My people were oppressed,
Tortured, overwhelmed by huge waves,
Exploited by colonial blood sucking fiends.
We felt unequel, and unable to save ourselves.

Merdeka! Freedom!
We have been an independent nation for fifty six years
And I ask my fellow citizens:
What have we achieved?
Are we free? Do we know justice?
Are people better off? Are they more prosperous?

Merdeka! Freedom!
The word which offered us liberty:
It has a beginning,
But no middle, and no end.

Merdeka! Freedom!
We Indonesians must strive,
We must work, to make our freedom meaningful.
"There is no other choice. We must go on.
Because to stop or retreat
will mean our destruction..."

August 2001

Arti Sebuah Kemerdekaan

Merdeka!!!!!!!!!!!
Suatu untaian kata kebebasan,
Dari kemauan seluruh rakyat Indonesia,
Yang ingin terlepas dari belenggu kaum penjajah.

Merdeka!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tiga ratus lima puluh tahun bangsa ku tertindas,
tersiksa, terhempas oleh gelombang
penghisapan sipenjajah.
Tiada tara, dan tiada daya yang dapat dirasakan.

Merdeka,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kini, 56 tahun setelah kemerdekaan itu berlalu,
Aku bertanya pada bangsaku;
Apa yang telah engkau capai di alam kemerdekaan itu?
Apakah itu kebebasan, keadilan, kesejahteraan ataupun kemakmuran.

Merdeka!!!!!!!!!!!!
Suatu untaian kata kebebasan
Yang tak berujung dan berantara.

Merdeka,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kita bangsa Indonesia, harus berupaya,
berjuang untuk mengisi kemerdekaan itu.
Tiada pilihan lain, kita harus berjalan terus.
Berhenti atau mundur berarti kita hancur.


"In Memory of Bung Karno"

At a turning point in history,
As one age gave way to another.
He lives in our memories,
A true nationalist
Born on Indonesia`s beautiful soil.

"Bung Karno", "Bung Karno", we called you,
You were the father of our republic,
You taught us the holy five principles.

While you were still young, you fought,
You fought to free your people
From tyranny and oppression.

Bung Karno, you sacrificed yourself,
Body and soul, in one prison after another,
To support the people in their struggle
For a free independent Indonesia.

As we remember the centenary of your birth,
Our nation has come to the crossroads again,
And we know that you must be sad, so very sad,
We know that your soul weeps for us.

June 2001

Seuntai mengenang BUNG KARNO

Disaat silangnya zaman,
Tiba dan pergi silih berganti.
Hidup dalam kenangan cita-cita,
Sosok seorang anak bangsa,
telah lahir di bumi persada Indonesia.

Bung Karno, Bung Karno itulah panggilan namanya,
Engkau adalah bapak pendiri republik ini,
Engkaulah penggali falsafah Panca sila.

Dikala muda mu, engkau telah berjuang,
Berjuang untuk membebaskan bangsa dan rakyat mu
dari para penjajah, dan dari kaum penindas.

Bung Karno, kau telah korbankan jiwa raga mu
Selama bertahun-tahun masuk keluar penjara,
hanya demi perjuangan rakyat jelata,
Dalam mewujudkan Indonesia merdeka.

Kini dalam kenangan 100 tahun umur mu,
Bangsa mu berada dipersimpangan jalan,
Engkau pasti sedih, sedih...dan arwah mu menangis dialam sana.

Bung Karno;
Tiada kata dan tiada basa yang dapat mengiringi kesedihan ini, semoga Tuhan memberkati kita
dalam menyelesaikan
masalah bangsa Indonesia.



Left to right: Herman Kamra, Tjintana Matahari, Thomas Kennealy and Rose Sumanti at the Community Relations Commission. Forum Dinner at Darling Harbour, Sydney

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