POEM BY ZURINAH HASSAN IN TRANSLATION

OUR BEST ACTOR

The poem  “Pelakon Terbaik Kami” , Cerita Dalam Cerita, ITBM, 2010:18 was inspired by watching interesting monologues,  including  the one by  Khalid Salleh,  Monolog Jual Ubat . Khalid Salleh has been awarded The Best Actor Award at Asia Pacific Film Festival, 1999 for his role in Jogho directed by U Wei Haji Shaari.

I like watching monologues.  It is one of the most important and interesting medium of social criticism The actors talk loudly on stage about social ills, corrupted leaders, deplorable conditions of the poor people.    Watching Khalid as a medicine man gave me the idea that actors are actually not acting when they are on stage. It is there that they speak their mind out. It is on stage that they exert their voice and become themselves. Once they come down they become quiet and polite. There is so much that they have to hide. They feel that it is outside the stage that they are being watched and observed by larger (and dangerous) audience, so they have to be careful with their words and deeds.

This is what I said in Pelakon Terbaik Kami.  This morning I translated it into English as OUR BEST ACTOR. 

OUR BEST ACTOR

He won the Best Actor award

We did not question

As he was excellent

I remember he played so well

The role of a medicine man

His coarse angry voice trembled

chanting sermons

to drive away evil spirits and demons

 “ hey you seven headed devils

Your name is treachery

Your name is corruption

Get out of the body and soul

Of my people

Whose life you had  strangled

you plagued and tortured my grandchildren

that they ran into the jungle frightened

leaving you and your cronies

free to own the cities.

Once I asked him

Your acting was marvellous

The audience was stunned

You rampaged the stage in rage

Shouting and kicking

This is different

From you that we know as a person

Gentle and soft spoken

He smiled and answered

As usual his words were limited

What you see on the stage was the real me

Screaming at the people in power

Off the stage I became an actor

swallowing my anger

and forced to remain silent

watched by the larger audience

On stage I am the real man

Who need not pretend

 the acting begins.

when the play ends

(original tittle : Pelakon Terbaik Kami)

PELAKON TERBAIK KAMI.

Dia terpilih sebagai Pelakon terbaik 

Dan kami cukup puas hati

 setiap kali dia beraksi.

Antara lain yang paling kukenang

Dia melakonkan watak pawang

Dengan getar suara membaca mantera

Begitu lantang menghalau hantu  jembalang

 “Hey jin kepala tujuh

Jin bernama Jin khianat

Keluarlah kamu dari jasad rakyat

Anak cucuku sudah lama sakit tenat

Sudah lama melarat

Hey hantu segala hantu

Hantu pembelit hantu penipu

Jangan ganggu  anak cucuku

Sehingga mereka lari ketakutan

 Ke  pinggir pinggir hutan

Tinggallah kamu dan para kroni

Menguasai kota ini.

Aku pernah bertanya dia

Sungguh hebat kau berlakon

Semua penonton terpegun

Bagaimana kau menjadi  pawang

Bengis dan garang

Menghentak dan menendang

 sangat berlainan dari dirimu

Yang sopan dan pendiam

Dia hanya tersenyum menjawab

Seperti biasa kata-katanya cukup terhad

yang kau lihat di pentas itu

Sebenarnya adalah  aku

Di luar pentas aku adalah pelakon.

Yang menelan  kemarahan

Menjadi sopan santun

Kerana   di luar pentas

 lebih ramai penonton

Di pentas aku bebas beraksi

Sebagai  diri sendiri.