Three poems
by Felix Nesi
Translated from Indonesian into English by Sebastian Partogi
Di Rumah Seorang Asing yang Tak Henti
Membicarakan Rambut dan Warna Kulit
Siapakah yang diam-diam
menaruh gemunung di dalam
hatimu?
Siapakah yang membentangkan
curiga dari ujung dagu
hingga jendela kamarmu?
Di negeri kami, orang
bercerita tentang tanah yang hilang,
tentang bangsa yang tak punya siapa-siapa selain ibukota.
Bawalah bebanku,
kau berkata,
aku punya tulang yang ganjil
tetapi lihai
memberi cerita
Di perhentian berikut
kita berpandang-pandangan
Tak ada persimpangan
tetapi kita
tak ingin beriringan
Malang, 2015
In a house of a stranger who speaks of the
colour of hair and skin
Who had in such quietness placed
the mountains within your
heart?
Who had outstretched
the suspicion from the tip of your chin
to the foot of your window?
In our country, people
tell stories of vanished lands
of nations who has nothing but a capital city
Carry my burdens,
you tell me,
I have an odd bone,
one that has a skill,
of telling stories
In the next stop,
we gaze towards each other
There are no intersections
but we
do not want to walk together
Malang, 2015
Di Ladang Sabana
Sudah beta patrikan
nama kau
dari barat ke timur
selatan dan tanah janjian
Sudah luruh segala yang ingin
berperang
Yang melingkar
bukan lagi kematian dan
yang mencuri kini telah bersepatu
Pokok yang kokoh:
apakah kekal?
Sumur yang angkuh
di manakah batas keinginan?
Bunga rumput jatuh,
burung puyuh dan kucing hutan
menyebut-nyebut nama
seorang kelana yang
membawa senjata dan bercerita
tentang negara.
Ia yang sejak mula mengendap
kau yang sejak subuh mengerjap.
Musim yang asing. Orang orang yang asing.
Bitauni, 2015
In the the Savannah
I have engraved
your name
from the west to the east,
the south and the promised land.
The desire for war has
faded
That which circles us
is no longer death and
thieves are no longer barefoot
The sturdy tree:
what is eternity?
The arrogant well:
where is the limit of desire?
Flowers, grass, falls,
the quail bird and the forest cat
they speak the name of
a wanderer who
carries a weapon and tells stories
about a country.
They who settled from the beginning
You who opened your eyes from dawn
A strange season. A strange people.
Bitauni, 2015
Sapi di Sabana
Segulung rambutmu mencuri mimpiku
tentang demonstran yang dipukuli polisi
hingga kepalanya berubah menjadi kupu-kupu
Malang, 2013
A cow in the Savannah
A strand of your hair has stolen my dream
of a protester beaten by the police
his head transforming into a butterfly
Malang, 2013
Felix Nesi writes novels, short stories, and poetry. His novel, Orang-Orang Oetimu (2019) has received a literary award from the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture in 2021. His newest book is a collection of poems titled Kita Pernah Saling Mencinta.
Thank you to Sebastian Partogi for translating Felix’s poety.