Tidings to a Friend

For the upcoming annual dinner the guys are going to sing “Berita Kepada Kawan.” Written by legendary Indonesian songwriter and singer Ebiet G. Ade, it was made popular in Malaysia by M. Nasir who performed a duet with Ebiet and included it in one of his albums.

I think the lyrics are very poetic. I’ve translated them for the benefit of those who don’t know Malay.

Tidings to a Friend

This journey
feels so poignant
’tis a pity you’re not sitting
beside me my friend

So many stories
you must have heard
at the land barren and rocky

My body shudders
battered by the hard road
The heart quivers observing
the dried-up grass

This journey
akin to being witness
Little shepherd
cries inconsolably

My friend, try to listen to the answer
whilst I ask why
His parents have long since passed away
swallowed by this land’s ruin

As I reach the sea
I tell it all
to the corals, to the waves
to the sun

But all are quiet
but all are mute
I am left alone
staring at the sky

Perchance yonder is the answer
why in my land there’s calamity

Maybe God is sick and tired
looking at our antics
always doing wrong and proud
of our sins
Or nature no longer wants
to be friends with us
Let us ask
the swaying grass

11 June 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments