''Njanji Soenji'' (
Republican Spelling: ''Njanji Sunji'';
Perfected Spelling: ''Nyanyi Sunyi''; Indonesian for "Songs of Solitude" or "Songs of Silence") is a 1937
poetry collection
A poetry collection is often a compilation of several Poetry, poems by one poet to be published in a single Volume (bibliography), volume or chapbook. A collection can include any number of poems, ranging from a few (e.g. the four long poems in ...
by
Amir Hamzah
Tengku Amir Hamzah (February 1911 – 20 March 1946) was an Indonesian poet and National Hero of Indonesia. Born into a Malay aristocratic family in the Sultanate of Langkat in North Sumatra, he was educated in both Sumatra and Java. Whi ...
. Written some time after the poet was forced to marry the daughter of the
Sultan of Langkat instead of his chosen love in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, this collection consists of 24 titled
poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
s and pieces of
lyrical prose, none of which are dated. First published in the magazine ''
Poedjangga Baroe
''Poedjangga Baroe'' (pronounced ; Perfected spelling: ''Pujangga Baru'', also known by the intermediate spelling ''Pudjangga Baru'') was an Indonesian ''avant-garde'' literary magazine published from July 1933 to February 1942. It was founded ...
'', the collection has been republished as a stand-alone book several times.
Analysis of ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' has focused on the theme of God and His relationship to humanity, as well as of aspects of human existence: fate, dissatisfaction, and escape. Literary critics
H.B. Jassin and
Zuber Usman
Zuber Usman (12 December 1916 – 25 July 1976) was an Indonesian teacher and writer, known as an early pioneer of Indonesian literary criticism. Born in Padang, West Sumatra, he was educated in Islamic schools until 1937, after which he bec ...
view the collection as an attempt to address Amir’s worldly problems. The collection has been noted as difficult to read owing to its usage of rarely used Malay and Javanese terms and basis in Islamic culture and Malay history. Despite this, ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' has been described as freer in its form than traditional Malay poetry, with what poet
Chairil Anwar
Chairil Anwar (26 July 1922 – 28 April 1949) was an Indonesian poet and member of the " 1945 Generation" of writers. He is estimated to have written 96 works, including 70 individual poems.
Anwar was born and raised in Medan, North Sumatr ...
termed "compactly violent, sharp, and yet short" sentences which brought a new style to the Indonesian language.
Background
Amir Hamzah
Tengku Amir Hamzah (February 1911 – 20 March 1946) was an Indonesian poet and National Hero of Indonesia. Born into a Malay aristocratic family in the Sultanate of Langkat in North Sumatra, he was educated in both Sumatra and Java. Whi ...
(1911–1946) was a Dutch-educated
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
writer of noble descent and devout Muslim. He was well-oriented in traditional
Malay literature, with favourites including historical texts such as ''
Hikayat Hang Tuah
''Hikayat Hang Tuah'' ( Jawi: حکاية هڠ تواه) is a Malay work of literature that tells the tale of the legendary Malay fiction warrior, Hang Tuah and his four warrior friends - Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu - w ...
'', ''
Syair Siti Zubaidah'', and ''
Hikayat Panca Tanderan''. Amir likewise read works of
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, and
Hindu literature
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
. As a result, he had an extensive vocabulary.
Poet Laurens Koster Bohang considers the poems included in ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' as having been written between 1933 and 1937, while Dutch scholar of Indonesian literature
A. Teeuw
Andries Teeuw (12 August 1921 – 18 May 2012), better known as A. Teeuw in scholarly circles and Hans Teeuw to his friends, was a Dutch critic of Indonesian literature.
Biography
Teeuw was born in Gorinchem, Netherlands, on 12 August 192 ...
dates the poems to 1936 and 1937. The time was one of great emotional turmoil for Hamzah, who was required to marry the daughter of the
Sultan of Langkat, who had funded his studies in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
. At the time Amir had reportedly fallen in love with a
Javanese woman while studying, and was forced to leave her.
Contents
''Njanji Sunji'' consists of twenty-four titled pieces and an untitled
quatrain
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Greec ...
. Indonesian literary documentarian
H.B. Jassin classifies eight of the works as
lyrical prose, with the remaining thirteen as poems. None of the works in ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' (and indeed none of Amir's other works) are dated. At the end of the book is a couplet, reading "", which American poet and translator
Burton Raffel
Burton Nathan Raffel (April 27, 1928 – September 29, 2015) was an American writer, translator, poet and professor. He is best known for his vigorous translation of ''Beowulf'', still widely used in universities, colleges and high schools. Oth ...
translates as "A flower floating in a loose knot of hair / Gave birth to my sorrowful poems".
The poems within the collection are:
Untitled poems
#Untitled quatrain ("Sunyi Itu Duka"; "Silence is Sorrow")
Titled poems
#"
Padamu Jua
"Padamoe Djoea" ( Republican Spelling: "Padamu Djua"; Perfected Spelling: "Padamu Jua"; Indonesian for "To You Alone") is a 28-line poem by Amir Hamzah which was included in his 1937 collection '' Nyanyi Sunyi''. Hamzah's best-praised work, readin ...
" ("For You Too")
#"Barangkali" ("Perhaps")
#"Hanya Satu" ("Only One")
#"Permainanmu" ("Your Games")
#"Tetapi Aku" ("But I")
#"Karena Kasihmu" ("Because of Your Love")
#"Sebab Dikau" ("Because of You")
#"Doa" ("Prayer")
#"Hanyut Aku" ("I Float")
#"Taman Dunia" ("World Park")
#"Terbuka Bunga" ("Open Flowers")
#"Mengawan" ("Climb to the Sky")
#"Panji Dihadapanku" ("Banners in My Sight")
#"Memuji Dikau" ("Praising You")
#"Kurnia" ("Gift")
#"Doa Poyangku" ("Prayer of My Ancestors")
#"Turun Kembali" ("Descend Again")
#"Batu Belah" ("Split Stone")
#"Didalam Kelam" ("In Darkness")
#"Ibuku Dehulu" ("My Mother, Before")
#"Insyaf" ("Aware")
#"Subuh" ("Morning Prayers")
#"Hari Menuai" ("Harvest Day")
#"Astana Rela" ("Palace of Resignation")
Form
The poems in ''Nyanyi Sunyi'', unlike much of Amir's earlier work, generally did not follow the traditional ''
pantun
''Pantun'' ( Jawi: ) is a Malay oral poetic form used to express intricate ideas and emotions. It is generally consists of even-numbered lines and based on ABAB rhyming schemes. The shortest consists of two lines better known as the in Malay, ...
'' and ''
syair
Syair ( Jawi: شعير) is a form of traditional Malay (also subsequently modern Indonesian and Malaysian) poetry that is made up of four-line stanzas or quatrains. The syair can be a narrative poem, a didactic poem, a poem used to convey ideas on ...
'' format of four lines of four words. Teeuw notes that some, such "Batu Belah", followed traditional European forms such as the
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
. Others were more free-form, leaning towards prose poetry.
Amir's
diction
Diction ( la, dictionem (nom. ), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story.Crannell (1997) ''Glossary'', p. 406 In its common meanin ...
depends heavily on old
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
terms which saw little contemporary use. He also borrows heavily from other Indonesian languages, particularly
Javanese and
Sundanes. The choice of words was influenced by the need for
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
and
metre
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...
, as well as
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
ism related to particular terms. Ultimately, however, Amir is freer in his language use than traditional poets. Indonesian critic
Bakri Siregar
Bakri Siregar (14 December 1922 – 19 June 1994) was an Indonesian socialist literary critic and writer.
Biography
Siregar was born in Langsa, Aceh, Dutch East Indies, on 14 December 1922. He was active writing by the Japanese occupation i ...
writes that the result is "a beautiful wordplay".
Translator John M. Echols writes that the poems are "difficult reading even for Indonesians", while poet
Chairil Anwar
Chairil Anwar (26 July 1922 – 28 April 1949) was an Indonesian poet and member of the " 1945 Generation" of writers. He is estimated to have written 96 works, including 70 individual poems.
Anwar was born and raised in Medan, North Sumatr ...
described the works as "obscure poetry" which could not be understood by persons without an understanding of Islam and Malay history. Indonesian literary scholar
Muhammad Balfas
Muhammad Salim Balfas (25 December 1922 – 5 June 1975), better known as M. Balfas, was an Indonesian writer and literary critic.
Biography
Balfas was born in Krukut, Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, on 25 December 1922. He came ...
notes that the work also has many
allusion
Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...
s to religious texts, both Islamic and Christian.
Anwar opined that Amir, through ''Nyanyi Sunyi'', brought a new style to the Indonesian language, with its "compactly violent, sharp, and yet short" sentences. In a 1945 article he wrote (translation by Raffel), "Before Amir (Hamzah) one could call the old poetry a destructive force; but what a bright light he shone on the new language".
Themes
Religion and God are omnipresent throughout the collection, as evidenced from the first poem, "Padamu Jua". Amir often uses the word "Tuhan" ("God"). However, unlike his earlier poems which used it in a similar manner to "Dewa" ("Deity"), in ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' the word is used as understood in
Abrahamic religions
The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.
Jewish tradition ...
, such as Amir's own
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
; Amir shows influences from
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
. In some cases, writes Teeuw, Amir treats God almost as a lover, using familiar terms such as "engkau" ("you") to address Him. However, Amir recognises that he cannot be one with God. Jassin writes that Amir seems aware of his own smallness before God, acting as a puppet for God's will; Teeuw notes that Amir recognises that he would not exist if God did not.
This is not to say that Amir accepts his lower position in relation to God; in several cases, Jassin writes, Amir shows a feeling of dissatisfaction over his own lack of power and protests God's absoluteness. Teeuw likewise notes a sense of dissatisfaction throughout the poems, writing that Amir seems to treat God as an entity that "only toys with humans, allowing them to be pushed aside and erased". Elsewhere Teeuw writes that Amir questions fate and the need for him to separate from his love.
Aside from themes of God and religion, Amir also shows an awareness of his own humanity, recognising his own instincts and drives. Jassin writes that "Amir's song is the song of a man's soul", showing sadness and joy which do not acknowledge class or creed. Teeuw notes a sense of distrust, a feeling that – having once lost his love – there is no reason Amir will not lose his next lover. Indonesian critic
Zuber Usman
Zuber Usman (12 December 1916 – 25 July 1976) was an Indonesian teacher and writer, known as an early pioneer of Indonesian literary criticism. Born in Padang, West Sumatra, he was educated in Islamic schools until 1937, after which he bec ...
, meanwhile, discusses the theme of love lost in relation to religion, writing that the loss of his Javanese lover led Amir closer to God.
Jassin writes that Amir uses "sunyi" ("silence") as a way to address his worldly problems: regarding time, his own identity, God, and love. According to Jassin, by the end of the compilation physical love has drifted towards a spiritual one, with the answers supplied originating from the supernatural. Ultimately, however, Jassin concludes that Amir's soul has not reached maturity; he considers the collection's last poem, "Astana Rela", as but a temporary escape. Jassin finds that the theme of religion is likewise meant as an escape from Amir's worldly sorrows, an opinion echoed by Usman.
Publication
''Nyanyi Sunyi'' was first published in the November 1937 issue of ''
Poedjangga Baroe
''Poedjangga Baroe'' (pronounced ; Perfected spelling: ''Pujangga Baru'', also known by the intermediate spelling ''Pudjangga Baru'') was an Indonesian ''avant-garde'' literary magazine published from July 1933 to February 1942. It was founded ...
'', a literary magazine which Amir had helped establish. It was later published as a standalone book, and by 1949 it had seen its third printing.
In 1941 Amir published another collection of poems, entitled ''
Buah Rindu
''Boeah Rindoe'' ( Perfected Spelling: ''Buah Rindu'', Indonesian for ''Fruits of Longing'') is a 1941 poetry collection by Amir Hamzah. The poems date to Amir's first years in Java, between 1928 and 1935. According to Anthony Johns of Australia ...
'' ("Fruits of Longing"), which consisted mostly of his earlier works. Jassin notes that the works in ''Nyanyi Sunyi'' appear more developed and mature than those in the later collection. Teeuw notes that the later collection was more explicitly about romantic love, rather than the religious love of ''Nyanyi Sunyi''.
References
Explanatory notes
Footnotes
Works cited
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Further reading
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{{Good article
1937 poetry books
Poetry collections
Amir Hamzah
Indonesian poetry