English VS Indonesian Poetry

Three questions about Poetry (October 3rd, 2020)

What is poetry? Based on your opinion
What are genres of English Poetry? give an example of each genres
What are genres of Indonesian Poetry? give an example of each genres

Three answers about Poetry (October 5th, 2020)

Poetry is a literary work that has several sentences in which there are expressions, feelings, and ideas using a style and a unique rhythm.
English poetry can be divided into at least three main genres: lyric, narrative, and dramatic.

Lyric poetry :

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem "How Do I Love Thee" is another example of a lyric poem. The themes of Love, hate, fear, and death comprise many poems and stories. They're the most moving emotions humans can experience. So, while Keats addressed dying above, Browning approaches the equally large topic of love.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How Do I Love Thee"

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith
I love thee with a love I seem to love
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Explanation: ‘Sonnet 43’, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a simple sonnet proclaiming her undying love for her husband-to-be. The poem expresses her emotions and feelings towards him. Thus it has immense imagery without a story or characters and is written in first person. She uses the ABBAABBACDCDCD rhyme scheme with an Iambic pentameter.

Narrative poetry :

Edna St. Vincent Millay's "The Ballad of the Harp Weaver" is another example of a narrative poem. Again, you'll notice an element of emotion - sadness - but, in the end, this poem is telling a very specific story. Here are the first three stanzas.

Edna St. Vincent Millay's "The Ballad of the Harp Weaver"

"Son," said my mother,
When I was knee-high,
"you've need of clothes to cover you,
and not a rag have I.
There's nothing in the house
To make a boy breeches,
Nor shears to cut a cloth with,
Nor thread to take stitches.
There's nothing in the house
But a loaf-end of rye,
And a harp with a woman's head
Nobody will buy,"
And she began to cry.

Dramatic Poetry :

Following is an excerpt from a dramatic poem titled "The Dream Called Life" by Pedro Calderon de la Barca. The scene is immediately set with one word - dream. After that, we enter into a swirl of emotion as the writer tells us a story.

"The Dream Called Life" by Pedro Calderon de la Barca

DREAM it was in which I found myself.
And you that hail me now, then hailed me king,
In a brave palace that was all my own,
Within, and all without it, mine; until,
Drunk with excess of majesty and pride,
Methought I towered so big and swelled so wide
That of myself I burst the glittering bubble
Which my ambition had about me blown
And all again was darkness. Such a dream
As this, in which I may be walking now,
Dispensing solemn justice to you shadows,
Who make believe to listen; but anon
Kings, princes, captains, warriors, plume and steel,
Ay, even with all your airy theater,
May flit into the air you seem to rend

3. In general, poetry in Bahasa Indonesia is classified into three which are old poem, modern poem, and contemporary poem.

Old poem (around 1920s) :

The old poem can be found in various forms such as mantra, gurindam (poe), syair (bardic), pantun, bidal, pepatah (aphorism), and many more. One example is gurindam. Gurindam is a literary work that contains advice, reminders, or advice, which is stated on two lines in one verse.

Example of Gurindam:

Banyak harta sudah biasa
Banyak sedekah lebih luar biasa

Takut miskin saat sedekah
Buat hidup takkan pernah indah

Jangan takut ikut bersedekah
Takutlah jika menjadi serakah

Banyak harta bukan tujuan hidup
Karena tak dibawa saat mata tertutup

Barang siapa tinggalkan sholat
Maka menuntun ke perbuatan maksiat

Barang siapa melakukan perbuatan maksiat
Pasti akan mendapatkan siksa di akhirat

Jika bekerja tidak berhati lurus
Pikiran akan terus menjadi tergerus

Jika pikiran selalu tergerus
Pikiran tak karuan tubuh menjadi kurus

Modern poem (from 1920s to present) :

The modern poem is identified from the amount of line in every couplet. It does not use the same rules as the old poem, but more importantly the amount of the line. modern poem is divided into more specific categories such as balada (balad), ode, himne (hymn), romansa (romance), elegi (elegy). Epigram, distikon, satir (satire), sonata, and more. Most modern poem includes the name of the poet and it mostly speaks of general life.

Example of Balada :

Waktu Dalam Diri Sendiri

Waktu dan aku
Dering yang sama terus berputar
Tetapi waktu tidak pernah berakhir
Sampai saya berpikir
Mengapa saya harus khawatir tentang semuanya
Di dalam saya
Naiki tangga
Ribuan tangga
Ke Tangga Abadi - Waktu
Saya dan waktu
Berada di ruangan yang sama
Tampaknya nyata
Ketika itu gagal

Contemporary poem :

The contemporary poem does no longer speak of how great the language of the poet. But it stresses more on the typography structure, the use of foreign words, and sometimes even harsh words. This type of poem is not bounded to the rules of old and modern poems but it has its own characteristic to differentiate from the rest of literature works. The characteristic includes selective choice of diction which caters deep meaning, portrayal, and symbolism. Below are some famous Indonesian poems examples:

Aku Ingin (Sapardi Djoko Damono)

Aku ingin mencintaimu dengan sederhana
Dengan kata yang tak sempat diucapkan kayu
Kepada api yang menjadikannya abu.
Aku ingin mencintaimu dengan sederhana
Dengan isyarat yang tak sempat disampaikan awan
Kepada hujan yang menjadikannya tiada