jiwang malam sabtu
It’s Saturday night. I am not feeling well (long story due to the fucked-upness of my doomed bodily functions). I am at home. I am feeling jiwang. I am listening to Ella’s Sembilu, one of my favourite Malay jiwang songs that to me, captured the essence of Malay 90’s movies. I am also chatting with my housemate, who lives down the stairs from me via MSN.
According to Erna, the sembilu means bamboo shards. If you get scratched by it, you’ll hurt. Bad. The movie of the same title has something to do with Awie and Erra Fazira wearing high school uniforms. I loved Awie. He’s graduated to beating up dudes at the Asian Heritage Row, but that’s Awie for you. His rugged looks and behaviour matches his reputation.
Because I am a loser who stays at home on Saturday nights, I’ll attempt to translate Ella’s Sembilu to English.
Kelam malam sepi melamar kerinduan
(Late at night, loneliness invites … missing you?)
Tak terpadam ingatanku terhadapmu
(my memories of you have not diminished)
Dan pada siapa harus ku adukan
(and to whom should I approach/confront/complain to?)
Resah ini kian menghimpit perasaan
(this anxiety is crowding my emotions)
Dan seandainya kasihmu mekar bagai dulu
(and if your love was to bloom like it did before)
Pasti tidak aku terbelenggu begini
(for sure I wouldn’t be this entangled)
Bukan salah aku retak semua ini
(it’s not my fault that all this [love affair] is shattered)
Berpunca darimu bertikam lidah
([our troubles] began from your sharp words)
Lalu punah
(hence broken)
Tak dapat ku bayangkan
(I could not have imagined)
Tuturmu bagai sembilu
(your words are like bamboo shards)
Mencakar hati ini
(scratching this heart)
Tanpa simpati di hati
(without sympathy in your heart)
Ingin rasanya
(I feel like)
Ku laungkan rasa kecewa
(screaming out my disappointment)
Kekasih lupakan sejarah
(lovers forget their past)
Cinta kita baja dulu
(our love was like fertiliser in the past)
Di manakah kau campakkan
(where have you thrown)
Cintaku yang pernah kau sanjungi
(my love that you once held high)
Oh mengapa
(oh why)
Semua ini berlaku
(is all this happening)
Sedangkan aku sedikit pun tak pernah curang
(when I have never been unfaithful)
Terhadapmu
(towards you)
Hmmmm… quite jiwang right? Especially with the guitars and Ella’s wailing… and the original context of the words… some words in Malay just cannot be translated to English… oh you think you can do better? DO IT.
p/s: maklumlah gua punya penguasaan BM kian merosot…
p/ss: can I get a job writing the subtitles for our esteemed VCD/DVD pirates?
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Most of the translation is OKlah…but actually hor, we don’t need to translate Malay to English exactly. Can be creative (as long as don’t run too far far away from original meaning). Heh. But I love the:
Dan pada siapa harus ku adukan
(and to whom should I approach/confront/complain to?)
Suanie:
thanks to you
LOL what were the subtitles we saw the other day?
damn kau funny.. i had more fun reading the subtitles than watchin the mindless movie…
and boy we should go out instead of u stayin at home translating songs mannnnn. help me translate mandarin lyrics for me can? =P
To enjoy ultimate jiwang, the song with translated lyric should be performed by any bleak rock band.. say Coldplay or Grant Lee Buffalo.
Suanie:
i think i’d actually cry
-_-”
kurang kongkek… tambahkan lagi kekerapan pengongkekan mu
Suanie:
masalahnya kekurangan calon yang sesuai. mungkin encik ooi boleh mencadangkan beberapa calon untuk ditemuduga supaya saya tidak jiwang lagi
‘Because I am a loser who stays at home on Saturday nights’
As opposed to the losers who go out, spend hundred of dollars gettin drunk and come home vomitting and generally feeling seedy for the rest of the week …
Staying home has its advantages!
[Plus, you get to blog more!]
’some words in Malay just cannot be translated to English’
Of course they can … just find the meaning. Might take a few sentences to convey the entire meaning, but the meaning must be there … somewhere … and no, I can’t do better, you know my Malay is restricted to ‘punya kamu besar’ and ‘Saya suka teman gila’.
In other words, saya tidak boleh cakap bahasa Melayu! Pttttth!
Saya Bodoh!!!!
EH U APPEARED IN PAPERS TODAY!!
Suanie:
yeay we have now infiltrated singapore news!!!
Btw Jaime is spelt JaIMe and she doesn’t blog regularly. Bitch.
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2006/5/7/education/14157226
Suanie:
now I remembered someone calling me this morning to tell me that my face was in the papers. cant remember who
That picture’s been used to death when talking about blogs. One day I’d probably find it in Microsoft.com when I’m looking for clip art.
That would be sweet.
Suanie:
yeap… 4 times now I think.
can u also translate this?:))))
layar impian
Jika mimpi masa silam
Bisa kusimpan dalam kaca
Jadi perhiasan
Pasti aku abadikan
Zaman riang kanak-kanak
Pabila hujan mengundang
Suasana bahagia
Dalam hidup yang seindah
Mimpi yang tidak pernah
Melukakan perasaan…
1
Tapi kini bila dewasa
Aku mula sedar betapa mimpi
Hanyalah suatu permainan
Jiwa insan dalam kesepian
Jika mimpi cinta kita
Bisa kuzahirkan
Jadi lukisan yang menarik
Pasti aku sentosakan
Malam pesta bila engkau
Lafazkan janji dan memelukku
Sepanjang tarian
Hingga pipi aku terasa
Basah dalam tangisan
Yang penuh kesyukuran…
Suanie:
okayy mister.. this is high level stuff… if I attempt to do it I’d die.
oi oi…come over, ive got pantuns to boot
Suanie:
*sembah*
pening..
You sembelit or is the misfunction of the bodily function something more sinister? Where is Andre The Giant when you need him.
Suanie:
find me one Pokku!
Hmmm, you think they could have afforded a picture of high school students blogging or something!!
Like, is only one third of those in the photo actually students?
Are they really looking for their guru’s blog???
I don’t think so!
Suanie:
not unless they are looking for ‘gurus are morons’
Oh, yeah…Sembilu. That’s very jiwang indeed. LOL.
- MENJ
Suanie:
eh why stood us up for the blog meet?!?!?
I heard this over the radio long time ago…
English dialogue in the film: “My lips are sealed.”
Translated Malay subtitle: “Bibir saya anjing laut.”
Suanie:
bwahahahhahahahha bwahhahahahahhaha i wonder how they translated March of the Penguins… I can’t remember
Dan pada siapa harus ku adukan
(and to whom should I approach/confront/complain to?)
how abt ‘lament’ for that adu in that context?
Suanie:
good! I didn’t even think of that word, being so literal that I am
by the way…..still have no idea what is jiwang….
Suanie:
emo? melodramatic?
Wow, I haven’t heard this song in years! I loved it when I was in Form 5 and I love it still.
Btw..
Kelam malam sepi melamar kerinduan
(In the dark of night, silence brings longing)
…sounds a libit better, I think.
Suanie:
fuwah.. expert…
geee….do we have the same job? seems that you replied as fast as I did….thanks for the explanation.
Great translation. It’s a song you enjoy until you read the translation in english.
Suanie:
cis… I know lah it was a horrible translation job… why don’t you go do the layar impian one?
Somehow, after I had lunch this afternoon, this song came to my mind. Dont really know why, since I have not heard this song for years. So, I decided to search the lyrics on the Net so that I could sing along, and I then came to this website.. Hey, Good job with the translation. Well, actually I’m kinda bored right now, so I just thought I’d give it a try as well. Hope its ok hehe.. Here goes:
Silent night made me think about you
I couldn’t get rid of thinking about you
And to whom should I turn to
This anxiety is growingly hurting my feeling
And if only your love still bloomed like before
Surely I would not feel trapped like this
It’s not my fault that all of this has ruined
It is because of you
Your sharp words made it end
I cannot imagine
Your words is sharp as bamboo shards
Scratching this heart without any sympathy
I feel like I wanted to shout out this frustration
My love, just forget about our love history that we had built before
Where have you thrown my love that you had once respected
Oh why should all of this happen
when I never ever have been unfaithful to you
Hey… This lyrics should be very difficult to translate, cos me myself dont understand what it means … hehe
Lagu: Ruang Rindu by Letto
Di daun yang ikut mengalir lembut
terbawa sungai ke ujung mata
dan aku mulai takut terbawa cinta
menghirup rindu yang sesakkan dada
Jalanku hampa dan ku sentuh dia
terasa hangat oh didalam hati
ku pegang erat dan ku halangi waktu
tak urung jua ku lihatnya pergi
Tak pernah ku ragu dan selalu ku ingat
kerlingan matamu dan sentuhan hangat
ku saat itu takut mencari makna
tumbuhkan rasa yg sesakkan dada
Kau datang dan pergi oh begitu saja
semua ku terima apa adanya
mata terpejam dan hati menggumam
diruang rindu kita bertemu
Anyone wanna try… I surrender hehe..
Layar impian translation
If I could place my previous dreams in a glass to become an ornament, surely I would cherish my happy childhood days when the rain invited a joyful atmosphere in life which was as wonderful as the dream that never have hurt this feeling.
But now as I grow older, I began to realise how dream is just teasing the emotions of people who are lonely.
If I could display our dream love as a beautiful decoration, surely I would highly value the party night when you stated a promise and hugged me all through the dance until my cheeks felt wet due to a blissful tears
hehehehe…
lagu letto itu memang susah, kind of poetic one. soalnya bapaknya sang penyanyi yang sekaligus pencipta lagu itu adalah a poetry. jadi lagunya gitu dehhhhhhhhh
dan aku mulai takut terbawa cinta.
semua lagu letto itu memang agak susah lyricnya, alias dalem… tapi basically musiknya itu enak dan nancep di hati. hehehe
Di daun yang ikut mengalir lembut
(in the leaf that also flow softly)
terbawa sungai ke ujung mata
(flowing to the river till eye corner)
dan aku mulai takut terbawa cinta
(and I started to be afraid of getting in love)
menghirup rindu yang sesakkan dada
(breathing the missing that bumping this chess)
Jalanku hampa dan ku sentuh dia
(my road is empty and I touch her)
terasa hangat oh didalam hati
(feel so warm in this heart)
ku pegang erat dan ku halangi waktu
(hold it tight and prevent the time)
tak urung jua ku lihatnya pergi
(but never I see it gone)
Tak pernah ku ragu dan selalu ku ingat
(never had I doubted and I always remember)
kerlingan matamu dan sentuhan hangat
(your eye glance and the warm touch)
ku saat itu takut mencari makna
(me that time afraid to find the meaning)
tumbuhkan rasa yg sesakkan dada
(growing the feel that bumping my chess)
Kau datang dan pergi oh begitu saja
(you come and go just like that)
semua ku terima apa adanya
(I accepted as it is)
mata terpejam dan hati menggumam
(eye closed and heart whispering)
diruang rindu kita bertemu
(in ‘miss room) we met)
hayyoh dah ngerti belum sekarang???
intinya sih tentang orang yang jatuh cinta tapi agak-agak susah untuk kesampean, jadinya cuma bisa bertemu di ruang rindu… gitu lho
Ruang Rindu: Place of Longing
Leaves that follow to flow smoothly
Bring along by the stream to the furthest sight
And I began to fear that love will come along
Inhaling the yearn that crushes my heart
My route turns sorrow and I touch her
I feel the warmth inside my heart
I hold tight and I reject time
But I don’t dare to see her go
I never feel suspicious and I always remember
Your curving eyes and your warming touch
That time I was afraid to find the meaning
Causing emotions that crush my heart
You come and go oh just like that
I will accept whatever you do
Eyes shut and heart burns inside
At the place of longing we come to meet
man, you are all pros