Amir Hamzah (1911-1946), considered the greatest poet of Indonesia's 1930s 'Poedjangga Baroe' ('New Poet') movement, wrote mainly on religious themes. The following poem, which is based on the imagery of the Indonesian shadow play, is illustrative of his literary output.

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Because of You

Amir Hamzah

Flowers burst into bloom,

Loving life because of You:

Love spreading like flowers in my heart

Filled it with the fragrance of blossoms, and their dust.

Life is a dream, something

Played behind a screen, and I,

Now dreamer, now dancer, am pulled

In and out of existence.

So the bright leather puppet shines

His shadow on the screen, bringing us a world

Of emotions. The longing heart follows;

Two souls join, fuse.

I am a puppet, you are a puppet,

To please the puppeteer as he runs through his song;

We glance at each other, out on the open screen,

For as long as the one melody lasts.

Other bright-coloured dolls take their turn;

You and I are laid in our box.

I am a puppet, you are a puppet,

To please the puppeteer running out his rhymes.

Translated by ST Alisjahbana, Sabina Thornton and Burton Raffel

*Third World Resurgence No. 283/284, Mar/Apr 2014, p 72