of poetry or literature, and yet they are the only
description of composition which can justly be
considered national or original among the Malays.
It is in the light only of amusing trifles that the
Malays themselves, indeed, consider them ; and they
are scarcely of higher dignity in their estimation
than the nonsensical rhymes which we call crambo
are in our own. A few of the best are committed
to memory, and we often hear them repeated. The
following are favourable specimens :
Marak anggok-anggok
Mârak de-atas kota *
Bârgrak ujung Sanggul
Naik sri muka.
The peacock nods his head ;
The peacock that sits on" the castle,
When the loose pud of her braided hair trembles,
New beauties rise in her countenance.
Trang bulan ar&m tatnaram
Hantu barjalan lakki bini.
Jangan tuan tararam aram
Saya tiada datang ka-sini.
By the dim light of the moon,
Wander spectres of both sexes.
Chide me not again, my love,
For I will riot come hither.
Jika tiada karna bulan
Musakân bintang timur tinggi.
Jika tiada karana tuan
Masakan abang datang kamari,
But for the moon,
Would the eastern star be so high ?
But for you, my love,
Would your elder brother (lover) come hither?
The Sayar, correctly written Shaiar, is, as its
name imports, of Arabic origin. It is a measure of
rhyming couplets, of from eight to twelve syllables
to a line, resembling the rhyming metre of the
modern languages of Europe. Poems of this description
are of considerable length, and their subject
is either an avowed romance, or a scrap of
history treated as if it were one. They may truly
be said jto be poetry only to the eye and the ear,
for they are wholly wanting in the essentials of
poetry, fancy, and passion. The following is a
favourable specimen of the Sayar as rendered into
English by Dr Leyden :
“ When my mistress looks forth from her window,
her eye sparkling like a star, its brilliant rays
glancing and glittering, her elder brother cannot
support its lustre. Like the red mango is the
hue of her cheek, becoming her tapering neck,
traversed with shadows whenever she swallows.
Her features like those of a shadow or scenic figure;
—her forehead like the new moon in its first day ;
—her eyebrows curved so fair I could devour her.
Long has she been chosen to be my mistress,—
wearing a ring set with gems of Sailan,—her long
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