I have just finished my 'Jungle Sprite' mural at Art Lane. I wrote the pantun/poem that goes with it in Malay ( so I hope I got it right!). I found it hard to translate it back into English so the translation is a bit clunky.
I was inspired by a music piece - a rare Baroque Malay song written by Thomas Forrest, with music by Arcangelo Corelli- performed by 'Baroque & Roll' at the recent George Town Festival in Penang. The song was performed for the Sultan of Acheh in 1784. I loved these words 'angin berdingin' & couldn't get them out of my head. They were so evocative to me. When I thought of my sprites & the mural I wanted to do, I thought that that's what the sprites are. They are that lovely sudden cool breeze that touches you sometimes in the jungle. The 'touch' of the sprites. Its something I remember growing up on the plantations, at the edge of the jungle. You'd be standing or walking, & suddenly out of the trees, a cool breeze would blow gently over you. It always left me wondering where it came from when there was no wind rustling the leaves.
If you are in Penang please do go along to Art Lane Penang & check out all the murals by different artists there. 'Jungle Sprites' is on the Victoria Street end of Art Lane.
"Sayang, hati ku berindu
Bumi kita kesian
Hutan telah diperkosa
Roh roh lari dari daun pisang
Angin berdingin dah hilang
Semangat hutan dah lari
Burung burung semuanya telah terbang
Saya rasa bimbang
Pokok dan bunga telah di petik
Kawasan kita terlalu terang
Kerana Orang dah keras hati
Semangat hutan dah mati
Sayang, hati ku berindu
Angin berdingin dah hilang"
"My love, I feel so sad
Our poor Earth
The jungle has been raped
The sprites that live in the banana leaves have run
The cool breeze is lost
The life of the jungle has fled
The birds they have all flown
I feel so distressed
The trees & flowers have been plucked
Our surroundings are all too bright
Because people have become hard hearted
The spirit of the jungle is dead
My love I feel so sad
The cool breeze is lost"