Dear Douglas Campbell,The following is a poem by Chairil Anwar, paraphrasing it into English:
Me
When my time comes
No one's going to cry for me
And you won't, either
The hell with all those tears!
I'm a wild beast
Driven out of the herd
Bullets may pierce my skin
But I'll keep coming,
Carrying forward my wounds and my pain
Attacking
Until suffering disappears
And I won't give a damn
I want to live another thousand years
By Chairil Anwar, March 1943
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(Original poem in Indonesian Language):
Aku
Kalau sampai waktuku
'Ku mau tak seorang kan merayu
Tidak juga kau
Tak perlu sedu sedan itu
Aku ini binatang jalang
Dari kumpulannya terbuang
Biar peluru menembus kulitku
Aku tetap meradang menerjang
Luka dan bisa kubawa berlari
Berlari
Hingga hilang pedih peri
Dan aku akan lebih tidak perduli
Aku mau hidup seribu tahun lagi
Chairil Anwar, March 1943
Chairil Anwar was born in Medan, Sumatra in July 22,1922 and was probably one of the most famous Indonesian poets. He died in April 28,1949 at the young age of 27. His works convey a powerful, vitalistic individualism. "Aku" is a cry for freedom and life, and was interpreted as a call to arms during Indonesian Revolution against Dutch occupation in 1945-1950.
During my High School, our Indonesian Language teacher at drama lesson, asked students to perform in front of the class on some of Indonesian selected poems. A few of us including me selected "Aku" by Chairil Anwar. Trying to remember the lines was easy, but dramatizing them was the tricky part, because it was very subjective and depended on our imagination. I did not have a chance to perform, but I was captivated by the performance of a fellow female student. She started "Aku" with a normal voice, progressing to yelling and screaming which included raising fist and stomping of the ground, then concluded with a voice of determination.
Many students giggled and smiled watching at her performance. But I was very impressed. I was preparing to similar line of interpretation, without the raising fist and stomping bits, although it certainly added some drama to the rebellious tone described in the poem.
