Beside composing poems, I am also translating poetry from Malay to English and vice versa. More often I translated my work but there are also a few of others occasionally. The poem below is one of them.

It is a hard work but it pays off especially when my own translation into English could in turn attract other translaters who bring them to other languages . This is how my poems originally published in dual language Malay/English found their way into Spanish, Russian, French and Japanese. I am especially thankful to Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books (ITBM) for their function and hard work especially in finding publishing partners round the world. 

THE WATER FLOWERS

We should learn a lesson

From the  water garden,

from the flowers that never sink

We should  learn

from the lotus 

how the muddy stems

hold the flower above

Brilliant and lustrous,

We should all learn 

From the water lily

in the water so muddy

keeping white petals  in purity

Our path may be gloomy,

As the  river is sometimes  dirty

Let us learn from the water  plants

To uphold  our integrity.

Zurinah Hassan-Malaysia

Klang River

Klang river is trapped

In garbage stacks

It has lost its track

Under the crowded shacks

The water brushing the floor

A spread on the squatter’s bed

As he lay his tired head

Until they come to shatter his dream

with a campaign to keep the city clean

By the river side

A beggar soaks his suffering

Dropping his coughs

dirt and grieve

Rolling under the bridge

Klang river

Drags on  its burden

At times throwing questions

 “ Man, did you not see yourselves

In my pollution

Did you not see your sin

In the fish that stinks”

BIODATA

Zurinah Hassan is National Literary Laureate of Malaysia. She is the 13th writer and the first female writer to be conferred the tittle of Sasterawan Negara  at a ceremony held on 26th of April 2016. The award is the highest award given to a writer in Malaysia.

Prior to this Zurinah Hassan had received Southeast Asian Writers Award (SEA Write Award in 2004 and Sunthorn Phu Poets Award, 2013.

Name                         :           ZURINAH BINTI HASSAN

Tittles:                        :           Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate), Dato’ Dr.

Date of birth:             :           13 June 1949

Place of birth:            :           Bakar Bata, Alor Setar, Kedah

Postal address:         :           No.2, Jalan Pinggir, 8/1L, Seksyen 8,

                                                40000 Shah Alam, Selangor.

E-mel                          :           zurinahhassan@gmail.com

Blog                            :           zurinahhassan.blogspot Interprestasi (in Bahasa Melayu)

                                                zurinahhassan1306 On Malaysian Literature (in English)

EDUCATION

i.              Primary school (Malay school),  Sekolah Melayu Tikam Batu (1956- 1960)

ii.        Entered English School Sekolah Inggeris Sungai Layar, through an examination, Special Malay Class (1961-1963)

iii.           Secondary School, a Convent School at Sungai Petani (1964-1966)

iv.           Sultanah Asma Secondary School, Alor Setar (1967-1970)

v.            Universiti Pulau Pinang (then renamed  Universiti Sains Malaysia) graduated with Bachelor of Arts 1974 (1971-1974)

vi.           After optional retirement from government service, joined Universiti Putra Malaysia for Master of Arts degree. Graduated with Master of Arts . (1998-2001)

vii.         Continue to pursue a Doctorate degree  at Universiti Malaya. (2003-2008).

CAREER

PUBLICATIONS

1974.  Sesayup Jalan. (The Long Journe) Pulau Pinang: Publication Bureai, USM.

1977.  Di Sini Tiada Perhentian.(No Stopping Here) Kuala Lumpur: Pewarna.

1985   Keberangkatan  (Departure). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

1988   Kuala Lumpur and Other Places,Penerbitan Al-Huda.

1994   Pujangga Tidak Bernama.  (Unknown Poet),  Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

2004   Pesanan dari Gunung Ledang (A Message from Mount Ledang),  Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

2005   Salasilah (Ancestral line).  Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

2014   Cerita dalam Cerita.  (The inside story)Kuala Lumpur: Institut Terjemahan dan Buku Malaysia.

TRANSLATIONS

 The work of  Zurinah Hassan (poetry and short story) have been translated into several languages including English, Tamil, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese and Thai.  Some notable works are:

2010. Facing the Harbour /Menghadap ke Pelabuhan.  Kuala Lumpur:Malaysian  Institute of Translations and Books. ( translations into English by the poet).  

2012 Menghadap ke Pelabuhan/Frente al Puerto.  Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books, (translation into Spanish by Patricia Vazquez Marin)

2012 Menghadap ke Pelabuhan/ Глядя на гавань, Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books, (translation into Russian by Victor Pogadeav)

2015 Menghadap Ke Pelabuhan/En Regardant Le Port, Paris: L’Harmattan and  Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books. (translation into French by Jean Severy).

2016 short story  “Bendang Lahuma” (Lahuma Padi Field) in an anthologyi Miniatures, Nouvwelles de Malaisie, Paris Magellan &CIE and Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books 

1993, short story  “Nenek” (Grandmother) in Antologi Cerpen Penulis Wanita Malaysia, Xiandai Publication, China, (translation into Mandarin)

2014, cerpen “Kerongsang Berlian Wan Tempawan” (Wan Tempawan Diamond Brooch) in  Antologi Cerpen: Malaysia-Taiwan, Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books  and  Taipei Chinese Centre Pen International (translation into Mandarin .

2016 Poetry  “Puisi Cinta yang Lain”, Anthology  in conjunction with India-Malaysia Writers Meet, 2016 (translated into Tamil)

Muhammad Haji Salleh is National Laureate (Sasterawan Negara) of Malaysia, an Emeritus Professor , a well known poet, critic and translator.

Although Malaysian literature does not discriminate against women poets, because of certain attitudes of propriety and   femininity, the really vocal and individual woman poet is a rare person. Zurinah Hassan is a poet who does not shy away from the personal problems in poetry. Unlike traditional poets, her style is direct and she is her own theme. The woman alone, through  Zurinah, has never before been dealt with in such terms or put in her uncompromising reality.

Let us look at a short poem as a start to see how the poet sees herself

Now I am a mad actress on an empty stage

The curtain has fallen 

And the audience have all gone

But I am still acting

uttering my favourite lines

“God, thank you god

O, thank you god

For giving me everything

Except the one I desired most”

I see this poem as a statement of a lonely young woman facing a loveless life- a topic that is shied away from in Malaysia, and discussed done so only very indirectly. Zurinah includes no self  pity or sentiments for effects. On the contrary it is stated in the staccato sounds of the brutal absurdity of her existence, she allows herself to judge objectively. This she does by comparing herself to a mad actress who acts out a life on an empty stage without an audience. In a very intense moments of absurdity. Absurdity in this form is very novel to Malaysia and in its freshness strikes hard at  the old world-views.

Like Latiff Mohidin and Baha Zain, Zurinah Hassan too illustrated these aspects of this new individualism that perhaps come from a university education, a changed environment, new personal and moral values.  Zurinah as a contemporary woman finds that she must hear her own inner voice and a poet must record it as truthfully as possible. Even though times have changed, to be this truthful is to be a courageous woman, both intellectually and morally. She needs freedom in order to be this courageous.

While the air is for one moment light

 at another moment heavy

Space is for one moment laden

And another moment empty

A bird in the mud lifts its trapped wings

Trying to be free.

The poem is called “Dalam Mencari kebebasan (To Be Free). It parallels the predicament of a woman to be herself in a society that is not ready for her.

Interviewers, including students and reporters often asked these questions:

My answer to the first question is, I began with poetry because my introduction to literature and writing was through poetry. As a child I sang children songs (lagu kanak-kanak) or traditional nursery rhymes while playing with friends.  When we have radio in the house, I spent hours listening especially to songs. I picked up the lyrics which in those days were usually beautiful and meaningful. Some tunes used beautiful and romantic pantuns. I came to learn and appreciate the beauty of words and encountered the poetic value in my language. I roamed the gardens, the seas and mountains described in the songs, and picked up beautiful expressions which kindled my imaginations. My love for poetry was nurtured and I began to write.

Looking back my themes can be summarized as below

Crossing the millennium I found myself coming back to society and the social problems .There are so much ills around us that I felt guilty to be indulged in aesthetic .

One such poem is

OUR NEW MOSQUE

As promised before election

Lorries of cements, pebbles and sand

Trampled our land

As promised before election

So began the construction

For days and months

Then a mosque with magnificent dome

sparkles in the sun

And come the big occasion.

We stood in procession

From the foot of the hill

To the edge of the mosque

With flowers and posters

The whole village was there together

to welcome a minister

Beating of kompangs and speeches

Delivering  massages full of  praises

For the new mosque

Speaking of loyalty to god

Loyalty to His messenger

Loyalty to the government in reign

And this loyalty need not be changed

The  minarets  stand tall  to the cloud

The call to prayer clear and loud

But my grandma and friends

Never come near the mosque again

Grandma said often

The new mosque is magnificent

The floor is raised on higher ground

The steps and tiles arrangement

Boost of their creativity all around

But we are already old

Our feet wobbles on sparkling marble

They don’t build this mosque for us to pray

But for a show off

and more of a display.

TO BE ELABORATED AND CONTINUED.