PUstaka puJAngga

Written by Chamim Kohari **)
Translated by Agus B. Harianto

”Penyair-penyair itu diikuti oleh orang-orang yang dungu.
Tidakkah kau lihat mereka menenggelamkan diri dalam sembarang lembah hayalan dan kata,
dan mereka suka mengujarkan apa yang tak mereka kerjakan  kecuali mereka yang beriman,
beramal baik, banyak mengingat dan menyebut Allah dan melakukan pembelaan ketika dizalimi”.
(Terjemahan QS. Asysyu’araa: 224-227)

As for the poets, [only] the perverse follow them.
Have you not noticed that in every valley they rove.
and that they say what they do not do?
Save those who believe and perform righteous deeds and remember God frequently and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged, and those who are wrongdoers will soon know the reversal with which they will meet. (QS. As-Syu’ara, 224-227). (original translation from the link http://www.altafsir.com/ViewTranslations.asp?Display=yes&SoraNo=26&Ayah=227&toAyah=227&Language=2&LanguageID=2&TranslationBook=3)

Read the book written by Nurel Javissyarqi entitle Menggugat Tanggungjawab Kepenyairan Sutardji Calzoum Bachri (Sue Responsibility of Authorship of Sutardji Calzoum Bachri), which is printed in the book by publisher sastraNESIA & Pustaka puJAngga, in 2011, as if flinched and awakened to anyone seriously in the fields of poetry and authorship. Nurel’s enthusiasm is so flared up, it seems that he – I borrowed the term stated by Mr. Maman S. Mahayana – (telah sekian lama menyimpan sejumlah kegelisahan dan gagal menjumpai katup pembukanya) had long kept a number of anxieties and failed to encounter the opener, luckily he is a pious artist, or an artist who is pious, hence what he described are still under control. In the writing, the spirit of Watawaa Shauu bi al-Haqi Watawaa Shauu bi al-Shabri (edify each other to truth and advised each other to patience) was really explicitly performed.

At the first part, Nurel revealed that the standpoint of the book “Sues Responsibility of Authorship of Sutardji Calzoum Bachri”, originated from an essay of Sutardji Calzoum Bachri entitled Sajak dan Pertanggungjawaban Penyair; his culture oration in the event of Pekan Presiden Penyair, published by Republika, at September 9, 2007. In the article Tardji states that Sumpah Pemuda is poetry, which is based on the schools of Ibn Arabi about kun fayakun, then expanded to the following phrases: “Peran penyair menjadi unik, karena—sebagaimana Tuhan tidak bisa dimintakan pertanggunganjawaban atas ciptaannya, atas mimpinya, atas imajinasinya— secara ekstrim boleh dikatakan penyair tidak bisa dimintakan pertanggungjawaban atas ciptaannya, atas puisinya.” (The role of poet becomes unique, because – as the God could not be requested the responsibility of His creation, of His dream, of His imagination – extremely we may say that the poet can not be asked the responsibility of his creation, of his poetry.)”

With those statements, Nurel shocked; his eyes looked angry, his teeth chattered, although he only prays five times a day, he became very ireful when Tardji said that God dreams, imagines, and Tardji treated the same as the poet, which can not be asked his responsibility for his creation, whereas Allah says Faman ya’mal mitsqaala dzaarratin khairan yarahu Waman ya’mal mitsqaala dzaarratin syarran yarahu.

The poet is common human being, and Tardji too, he is not a rasul nor a prophet, his degree is no better than shoe soles, he is a creature (who created) seemed to equate his position with Al-Khaliq (the Creator), so hastily he declared “—sebagaimana Tuhan tidak bisa dimintakan pertanggunganjawaban atas ciptaannya, atas mimpinya, atas imajinasinya— secara ekstrim boleh dikatakan penyair tidak bisa dimintakan pertanggungjawaban atas ciptaannya, atas puisinya.”  (- as the God could not be requested the responsibility of His creation, of His dream, of His imagination – extremely we may say that the poet can not be asked the responsibility of his creation, of his poetry.)”

Allah is Al-Khaliq (the Creator). The word “Khaliq” came from the verb “khalaqa”, which is in the dictionary of Al-Ashri the word ”khalaqa” means “to create”, “create original,” “produces”. It’s different from the word “Ja’ala” which means “to make” even though it could also mean as “to create”, but the word “khalaqa” more refers to the meaning of “to create” of which previously did not exist into existence, while the word “ja’ala” means “to make” from that already existed to be made in another form. While the word “makhluq” includes the noun of object (isim maf’ul) which means “made” or “created.”

In second part, Nurel expressed that “If only Tardji took anywhere of Ibn Arabi’s thought, it is not worth to re-compound and make it into another sense, which is then further stressed on the imagination. Truly, in Ibn Arabi’s work there are no words referring to the imagination, but it’s the emanation. “Ibn Arabi thought that the God is Absolute Essence, it’s impossible to be known or how might possibly He be called as God, if no one considered that He is the God, Ibn Arabi took the basis of Hadith Qudsi which means “I am a hidden treasure, I’d like to be known, so I created the world”.

In third part, Nurel said that how could the credo of Tardji liberate the words from the colonialism of understanding, from the burden of ideas, let the words to define its own, writing poetry for Tardji is to restore the word to the mantra, whereas according to Nurel the mantra is fully meaning, because of its meaning the power of voices can break through anything desired. While on the set of books and working papers of international seminar and numerous essays about Tardji, entitle Raja Mantra Presiden Penyair published by Yayasan Panggung Melayu, 2007, the title seems frightening, wonderful, intoxicating and unmatched, and therefore Nurel became increasingly amused.

In forth part, Nurel revealed the birth process of Sumpah Pemuda (1928), which previously (1920?s) there were Indonesian Renaissance by Indonesian Youth movement, and also elaborated on the human condition of Indonesia until now that is still believe in the symbols, slogans, amulets, the mantra and jampe-jampe. Nurel also described how the writers and the poets who do not afraid of jail, the hunger of his family, and also their bravery which inspires human being around them and their successors such as Mochtar Lubis, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, W.S. Renda and so on. They are responsible for the behavior of fate and their works.

In the fifth part, Nurel expressed how the mantras are expanded, ranging from the values of Islam teachings to adopt until the mantras that have low spiritual power, which has red aura appearance, it’s easy to learn because it serves to the jinn or other forms of falsification of the pure teaching that is deliberately reorganize for the sake of reversal prestige, which usually worn by shamans. So what would be if Sutardji in his mantras turn blindly the language as he likes until the meaning is somersault, has no content, and not magical power. Please pay attention to his poem entitle Shang Hai below:

SHANG                         HAI

ping diatas pong
pong diatas ping
ping ping bilang pong
pong pong bilang ping
mau pong? bilang ping
mau mau bilang pong
mau ping? bilang pong
mau mau bilang ping
ya pong ya ping
ya ping ya pong
tak ya pong tak ya ping
ya tak ping ya tak pong
kutakpunya ping
kutakpunya pong
pinggir ping kumau pong
tak tak bilang ping
pinggir pong kumau ping
tak tak bilang pong
sembilu jarakMu merancap nyaring

(Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, O Amuk Kapak, three anthology of poems, 1973)

In the poem above, it just seemed that he has a game of the words or the language. So, to Nurel, it’s questionable, doesn’t Tardji’s creed make the people into the abyss of Jahily (stupidity)?

At the end of his writings, Nurel affirmed “so far, Tardji is creative to parse the sounds infiltrated into the rhythm of his poetry which is also willing to explore energy of any vocal or even consonants for his poetry to be like the mantra, but up to 30 years, he has not proven successful in transferring the power of mantra into his poem of mantra. He was not sufficiently powerful as Raja Mantra.”

Jerukmacan, May 21, 2011

Art is long
Life is short
Religion is deep

*) Presented at the event Bedah Buku dalam Safari Sastra organized by Sanggar Belajar Bareng Gubug Liat Jombang, at Sunday, May 22, 2011, on the Hall of SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Jombang.
**) Aktifis Komunitas Sastrawan Pesantren Jawa Timur, now living in Pondok Pesantren Darul Falah Jerukmacan, Sawo Jetis, Mojokerto, HP 081 931 091 965. E-mail: www.ppdf @ yahoo.co.id
http://sastra-indonesia.com/2011/05/nurel-javissyarqi-menggugat-sutardji/

Filed under: Essay