REGIONALISM ON THE DHARMADI’S POEMS IN JEJAK SAJAK (2008)

REGIONALISM ON THE DHARMADI’S POEMS
IN JEJAK SAJAK (2008)
Cunong N. Suraja
ABSTRACT
Regionalism in the literature refers to the expression that has related to ethnic such as characters, dialects, customs, history, and topography. It can be found in any kind of the literature works in the form of expression or description. In Dharmadi’ poetry book it can be found as a single word, an expression and in using the setting of the event that happens in the poem. Regionalism or local colour functions as the metaphors or Javanese philosophy expression. This is the poetical power of the poetry that is compiled by Dharmadi.
In literature, regionalism or local color fiction refers to fiction or poetry that focuses on specific features – including characters, dialects, customs, history, and topography – of a particular region. Since the region may be a recreation or reflection of the author's own, there is often nostalgia and sentimentality in the writing. (Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_color_%28literature%29 ) Through forty-two poem Dharmadi expresses his spiritual journey as his poem “Dalam Senja”. His living is nearly by the twilight time as the sun goes down. It is clearly stated on the line by line of his.
DALAM SENJA (p. 230) di lima puluh sembilan tahun;
meresapi angin senja di beranda
sekuntum bunga kamboja jatuh di
genangan hujan;
selembut suara bunda
serasa ada yang berkabar,
“sebentar lagi seranting usiamu tanggal”.
jantungnya sesaat bergetar
2007
The “kamboja” flower is only the sign in Javanese about the end of life. This flower is easily found in any cemetery or graveyard in Java. People will stop deathly end in the point of the returning in the tomb in the cemetery. The sound his mother is also as the news or signal of the death and usually through a dream. Daniel Chandler (2007) in The Basics notes that semiotics can help us to realize that such notions are created and
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maintained by our engagement with sign systems: our sense of identity is established through signs.
Another point of views about life the poet notes on the party as expressing in PENARI BAR (p. 7):
bagai ular geliat tubuhmu dalam mainan cahaya
dan patukan-patukanmu mengucurkan darah
yang menggelegak dari orang-orang yang
melupakan realitas dunia
aku tenggelam di jok korsi
lupa segelas minuman di meja
dj memainkan irama yang berlocatan
menyihir suasana, (h)ingar dalam kekosongan
gairahmu terasa hampa; dan bola matamu, penari
mengalirkan sepi jiwa di lantai bar.
sehabis menari tubuhmu mengedar
tak ada hangat darah pada jemari ketika
kupegang taganmu kulihat sembilu di wajah
menyayat-nyayat perempuanmu, kubaca perih di
rekah merah bibirmu
jemari seakan berlomba
menyelitkan angka-angka di balik kutangmu
sambil membayangkan ranumnya buah kenikmatan Hawa
yang dicecap Adam.
1996
The words “mengedar” and “menyelitkan” is obviously taken from the Javanese diction. This is not really the current formally Indonesian. The life in the party is not Javenese orientation, but the poet tries to talk about it with the strange expresion in:
“aku tenggelam di jok korsi
lupa segelas minuman di meja”
This is really showing his knowledgeness what the party world in the bar or caffe at night. There is a positive point of this poem showing about the poet’s intellgent life in the opening but it becomes a falsy life in relation to the real experience about the party world
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in the caffe or bar. The poet goes quickly to conclude about life as the early life of the human being (but it seems as his reference to the Holy Book!).
“jemari seakan berlomba
menyelitkan angka-angka di balik kutangmu
sambil membayangkan ranumnya buah kenikmatan Hawa
yang dicecap Adam.”
This type of the falsy conclusion is also shown in:
“pakaian luruh perlahan raga telanjang
gairah terbakar menyala di puncaknya
kau dan aku saling memberi isyarat
persetubuhan dimulai di istana cinta
yang abadi”
(BERMAIN DALAM KELINCAHAN BOLA MATA, p. 5)
“tinggal leleh sepi di ranjang
pengantin; mata jiwa terpejam
gugusan impian leleh perlahan
tinggal badan bagai pohon pisang tumbang;”
(MALAM PERTAMA, p. 10)
“disebabkan percaya pada awal yang akhir
ia masih menjalani laku dari malam ke malam
(DALAM BARAPRASANGKA, p. 13)
In his shortest poems he is more successfully to introduce the Javanese orientation such as in Di Lahan Jati Diri, Kesejatian, Rindu bening Telaga Matamu, Langit, and Meditasi. On the contarry, the longest poem in the end of this anthology the poet loses control and alway restates what he has in the previous poems.
He says “ia kemali pulang ke langit merapat ke bayang.”. This expression is very specific and only who are born or live in the Java area would understand what it means.
References:
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Daniel Chandler .2007. The Basics. New York: Routledge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_color.literature