3 Ni Made Purnama Sari English Translations by Norman Erikson Pasaribu

By and | 15 February 2023

My Hands

my hands, have you finished any work today
why do our thoughts keep vanishing, is your grip weakening

stay close to me, we’ll spend our days with books again
please stop writing poems about us going extinct
have a little faith: the three of us are here to stay

think more of the softly moving fingers
of the person we always thought of – that once made you write
those secret letters. be honest to me: did you love her too
love her more than I knew?

go wild now, my dear hands, go write something even wilder
from the fall of an autumn moon, to the mirror that eats our reflections
let your fantasy bring fear into my sleep
toss me around from dream to dream

why worry about the ghost of bad luck
a curse from an old witch we once met in a circus
long, long ago. don’t you feel safe with me around
it’s just a desperate prediction, hands – a consolation
for anyone who wanted to snatch our future together

my hands, look at me, listen to me
if you die now – what should I do
I am not ready to see you go too

Tangan

Tanganku, apa yang selama ini sudah kau buat
Mengapa semua tidak bisa lagi kau ingat?

Mari ke sini, kita baca buku lagi
Berhentilah bikin puisi tentang maut
Percayalah kita akhirnya akan abadi

Kenangkanlah genggam lembut jari kekasih
Yang membuatmu tak henti mengirimkan surat-surat
sajak-sajak dan pesan-pesan. Kau kirimkan padanya
seolah kau lebih cinta padanya. Daripada yang kutahu

Lebih liar, tanganku, bikinlah sesuatu yang lebih liar
Dari bulan gugur di musim gugur. Dari cermin hilang bayang
Buatlah aku takut oleh fantasimu
Mengayun melampaui mimpi demi mimpi

Mengapa kau cemas pada guratan nasib buruk
Nujuman penyihir tua sebuah sirkus waktu silam
Tidakkah kau lebih percaya padaku
Bahwa itu ramalan biasa, pelipur bagi mereka
yang kepingin mencuri masa depan

Tanganku, jangan kau abai dan ingkari aku
Kalau kau mati, aku tak mau
Aku tak siap kehilanganmu 

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