Letters
by Mrs. Sheela R

The study of Malay literature for students of the Upper Secondary level features a poem by Raja Ali Haji, a scholar and a prominent literary figure of the nineteenth century. Raja Ali Haji was noted for his numerous literary gems such as the “Tuhfat Al-nafis” (The precious gift) and “Syair Kitab al-Nikah” (The book of marriage).

The poem selected for study at the Form four level is an excerpt from his lesser-known literary work entitled “Syair Siti Sianah”. The foreword written in Malay includes an explanation as to whom the poem is intended for and the purported advice it contains. I reproduce this extract below:

“Syair Siti Sianah pula mengandungi nasihat yang tujukan khas kepada golongan wanita supaya mereka sentiasa menjaga maruah diri, etika dan nama baik keluarga serta tidak melanggar ajaran, norma masyarakat dan budaya”.

(Translation: “Syair Siti Sianah” contains advice which is specially directed towards women to always guard their virtue, ethics and uphold their family name whilst not going against the teachings of religion, societal norms and culture”).

Now, to the poem itself. A total of 11 verses have been selected for inclusion in the text. As an example, I reproduce three verses below with a brief/approximate translation:

Verse 7
“Setengah perempuan yang makan angkat,
Memakai gelang bertingkat-tingkat,
Memandang laki-laki matanya lekat
Dengan jantan suka berdekat”
(Some women bedeck themselves with jewellery and seek to entice men with flirtatious looks)

Verse 8
Kaki dan tangan dinaikkan pula,
Pura-pura dikatakan ubat segala,
Hakikatnya diketahui Allah Taala,
Supaya laki-laki berhati gila
(With hands and legs lifted in a lascivious manner they try to seduce men)

Verse 11
Laki-laki perempuan bertindih lutut
Banyak kelakuan yang tidak patut
Sembahyang ibadat sudah bantut
Kerana syaitan duduk di buntut
(Men and women indulge in close proximity, with piety forgotten, for the devil has trapped them, literally in the derriere with lustful behaviour!)

Exactly how is a poem of this genre expected to encourage sixteen year olds not to “stray from the path of virtue”?

While poetic license is a virtue, poetry that denigrates women and at that too in a highly graphic manner cannot be considered appropriate study material for secondary schoolchildren. After all¸ the study of literature is to educate not titillate.