Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Rendition: "Pariaman Panjang" 07/21/2016

Song: "Pariaman Panjang"
Performance: Recording Session 
Place:  Padang Datar, a neighborhood of Payokumbuah.   
Date: July 21, 2016
People: Recording: This recording was unusual in that it wasn't at a live performance, but a recording session expressly for the purpose of documenting key songs part of the repertoire. There is only one padendang, rather than a couple trading off verses and sections. Moreover, there is external sound--some kind of rock band--bleeding into the recording. 



Analysis of song structure: In the recording, the song's constituent parts have been documented. The identification and naming of these parts took place through an ethnographic listening session with Pak Ketua, a saluang aficionado. He helped identify when something was happening and what it was called. The terminology used, therefore, is local. 

It is important to remember that "Pariaman Panjang" has a flexible song structure, including two melodic sections which both take a full pantun: the induak (mother) and anak (child). The length of the pantun is not fixed for either, so you will see variable length pantun below for both the induak and the anak. The # by text lines in the Minangkabau version count the line of the text in each half of the pantun. 


Lyrics: 

Induak 1 

Batang

Minangkabau: 
  1. Manih tabunyo rang Piaman                                        
  2. Dikilang sadiang mandaki                                            
  3. Urek di lingkah layang-layang                                      
  4. Daunnyo banyak nan patah                                         
  5. Patah dek ribuik pagi hari                                            
  6. Sado nan patah lareh juo                           
Indonesian: 
Manis tebunya urang Pariaman
Dikilang sedang mendaki
Urat tebu diduduki oleh layang-layang
Daunnya banyak yang patah
Patah karena banyak angina
Semua yang patah laras juga

English: 
The sugar cane of the Pariaman people is sweet
It’s squeezed while walking
The roots are sat on by swallows
The leaves have many that are broken
Broken by strong wind in the morning
All that are broken fall off
 

Isi

Minangkabau: 
  1. Manangih Gunuang Pasaman                                      
  2. Tambah hanguih Gunuang Marapi                    
  3. Taisak Gunuang Singgalang                                         
  4. Managun aia di lurah                                                     
  5. Cando baniaik kok dak jadi                                            
  6. Ka tau utang awak di namo  

Indonesian: 
Menangis Gunung Pasaman 
Tambah hangus Gunung Merapi
Terisak Gunung Singgalang
Tertegun air di lurah
Seperti berniat tidak jadi
Ke tahu utang kita di nama

English: 
Mt. Pasaman is crying
Mt. Merapi is often smoldering
Mt. Singgalang sobs
The water in streams has stopped flowing
It is like the interest doesn’t come. 
We already have a name. 
 

Interpretation of Induak 1

Batang: The batang is relatively descriptive about the place and nature. It talks about the sweetness of sugar cane grown in Pariaman, a way of establishing connection to the place, Pariaman, but also about sugarcane, wind, and birds.
Isi: Pak Ketua explained that on the surface this is a pantun parasaian but in reality it is a pantun muda-mudi. The mountains here are metaphor for people: the father is crying, the mother is crying, the whole family and surrounding community is sobbing, hence the connection with parasaian. It is muda-mudi because the pantun functions as a metaphor for an individual who is romantically interested in someone but the other party does not reciprocate the interest. So at this level, the pantun is about dating: we are the jilted lover, the relationship ended by the other person. The implication is that everyone in the village knows about the relationship and the end of it. 

Anak 1

Batang

Minangkabau
  1. Kudo pacuaan rang Piaman
  2. Di kuduak baling mambakeh 
  3. Kaki nan rancak ka ampeknyo 
Indonesian
Kuda pacuaan urang Pariaman
Di kuduk baling membekas
Kaki yang bagus keempatnya

English
Horse racing of the people from Pariaman
Nape of neck leaves a trace (These are horses that are one color predominantly but have a patch of another color on the back of their necks)
All four of their hooves are good

Isi

Minangakabau
  1. Dek hati kurang baiman
  2. Luko di kaniang tampek bakeh 
  3. Kanai di hati luluah sajo 
Indonesian
Dek hati kurang sabar 
Luka di kening tempat bekas
Kena di hati luluh sajo 

English
By a heart that is less than patient
A wound on the forehead shows
A wound in the heart breaks one
 

Interpretation of Anak 1

Batang: The pantun is a description of an activity--horseracing--that takes place in Pariaman. 
Isi: This pantun tells of the suffering in love, of a broken heart. 


Induak 2

Batang

Minangkabau:
  1. Ka balai mambali kain  
  2. Mambali sitin ba karatan 
  3. Di Payokumbuah hari akad 
  4. Lah dapek kain saukuran 
  5. Baguntiang bajaik balun
  6. Dek tuan tolong manyudahkan 
  7. Talatak apo kagunonyo 
Indonesian:
Ke pasar membeli kain. 
Membeli kain satu potong
di pasar Payakumbuah hari minggu
sudah dapat kain satu ukuran
sudah bergunting belum dijahit
dek tuan tolong menyudahkan
terletak apa ke gunanya 

English:
Going to the market to buy cloth
To buy a length of cloth
At the Payokumbuah market on Sunday
I got one measure of cloth
It was already cut but not yet sewn
Sir, please help me finish it
To be put into place the use for it. 

Isi

Minangkabau:
  1. Kami mandapek kaba angin 
  2. Lah kambang si bungo intan 
  3. Pamenan allah jo Mohamad
  4. Biarlahnyo bungo larangan
  5. Kumbang baniak nak ka kiyun
  6. Tagak dek balun dapek jalan
  7. Kini mamadang jauah sajo
Indonesian:
Saya mendapat berita. 
Sudah kembang si bunga intan
Hadiah Allah dengan Muhammad
Walaupun itu bunga larangan
Kumbang berniat ke sana
Tapi karena belum dapat dijalan
Sekarang memadang dari jauh saja. 

English:
I’ve received some news
The bungo intan (jewel of a flower) is already flowering
It's a gift from God
However, it's a forbidden flower. 
The bee is interested in searching there
But because he has not yet received any (nectar) in his journey. 
He’s forced to look from afar.

Note

This is a pantun baku. It is also found in the following renditions of songs:

Interpretation of Induak 2

Batang: This verse is largely descriptive, about buying cloth at the market for a project, and the padendang suggesting the person listening should define a need for it. It also makes mention of a specific place, the market of Payokumbuah. 
Isi: This verse could be read on many levels. On one, it can be taken quite literally: a bee looking for nectar in a flower. On another, it could taken metaphorically to mean a man looking for a woman. The use of this pantun in this context was different than the performance in Suayan in 2015, where it was a deliberate jab at Pak Ketua. The use of the one pantun to function differently in different contexts speaks to the semantic fluidity and polysemousness of song texts. 

Anak 2

Batang

Minangkabau
  1. Badarak badarun-darun
  2. Lah runtuah tabiang jo ngarai 
  3. Musibah paliang marusuah
  4. Untuang indak taulang lai
Indonesian
Berderak berderum-derum
Sudah runtuh tebing dengan ngarai 
Musibah paling marusuah 
Untung tidak terulang lagi 

English
To creak, to rumble and roar
Steep banks and gorges have collapsed
Disasters make the greatest disturbance
Fortunately they (disasters) are not easily repeated. 
 

Isi

Minangkabau:
  1. Baibo hati urang punyo kabun 
  2. Bungo lah layuah tiok tangkai
  3. Kumbang nan malah ka dituduah
  4. Sabab lah banyak mainggoki
Indonesian
Beriba hati urang punya kebun 
Bunga sudah layuh setiap tangkai
Kumbang yang malah ke dituduh
Sebab sudah banyak menghinggapi

English
For people who have gardens, the heart is bitterly weeping 
Every stem of the flowers is already weak 
The bumblebees who were present are suspected
Because already lots have alighted on [the flower].
 

Interpretation of Anak 2

Batang: This pantun is descriptive for disasters, probably an earthquake. 
Isi: Like many metaphorical, one might interpret this literally, but it should be read metaphorically. The garden is a metaphor for a mother and father, or by extension a community. A "bungo layuah" (wilted flower) is a metaphor for a young woman who is no longer a virgin. The bumblebee is a metaphor for a man so the third and fourth lines are about suspecting the men who have alighted on the wilted flower. It is a pantun nasehat. It is also a pantun baku. 

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