Pantun is not an odd thing in Indonesia foremost people from Sumatera.  Melayu (Malayan) people have been blessed by Allah as extraordinary poets because in daily life, they also make conversations in pantun (poetry).  They question their family and friends with poetry, then, their family and friends also answer it by making pantun and vice versa.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Pantun

Orang kaya banyak berharta
Ke Sumatra setiap tahun
Bismillah saya membuka kata
Berseni sastra membuat pantun

Meanings:

Rich man have many wealths
Go to Sumatera every year
Bismillah I open the word
Have a literature, making pantun

Source http://abu_dillah.tripod.com/abu_dillah/id9.html

If you divide the pantun above, you will see that there are 2 parts of a pantun, there are:

1. 2 lines of Sampiran: These lines contain a short story which only kind of knowledge and doesn’t have any coherency with isi (content) at all.

Orang kaya banyak berharta
Ke Sumatra setiap tahun

2. 2 lines of Isi (content): These lines contain the purpose or the main conversation which the poet wants to share or tell about to the other/others.

Bismillah saya membuka kata
Berseni sastra membuat pantun

This pantun must have a pattern a-b-a-b, don’t ever try to make the other pattern because it will be not called as pantun anymore but ordinary poetry.

This is why pantun is different.

Ok, now I will make a pantun in English language.  Insya Allah!

*

Don’t watch TV too much closer
If you don’t want your eyes are sick
Don’t ever become a loser
If you want a bundle of money which is thick

**

My husband and I went to the zoo
Seeing some monkeys eating banana
Do you hear the sound ,”Cockle doddle doo”
Wake up, then, eat your breakfast with tuna

***

There are many writers in Triond
But HelloSiti is me
Don’t ever stop talking about religion
If in heaven you want to meet me

****

Pantun is from Melayu
Very interesting piece from us to be shown
Don’t say,”I love you”
If you are just acting like a clown

That’s only some examples from me. Now, it’s your turn!