The way I live

I'm starting a new semester, this could be a major step in my life, as i will be in a state between study life and work life. Being a Literature major is just amazing because the principles and philosophies in its content transcends human differences and beliefs. We could really relate to our life, even though it came from different languages, and different cultures. Therefore, i'm going to start with few books that i have read. I've been wanting to write book reviews for ages. Let's start with this book:



Muhammad Haji Salleh is a nobel laureate from Malaysia who wrote tons of English and Malay poems, prose and literary translations. I got to meet him personally during a Literary Carnival at IIUM by English Major students. This book looks mysterious, personal and at the same time offers more than it looks. Haji Salleh wrote these poems throughout his journey to Japan described through three seasons: Summer, Autumn and Spring.

Written in Malay language, he delivers his stories deliberately together with the beauty of mountains, nature, flowers, and environmental characteristics which we could conclude that this book contains romantic elements similar to Wordsworth work with some Japanese touch in it. There are three Malay philosophies which makes me think for hours to deeply analyze the usage in Japanese culture.

di desa, anak yang di depan
disanjung dengan kata
dan dideretkan sebagai wira

di kota mereka disanjung ketua
dan diberatkan beban pengalaman

These verses describes different challenges faced by people in their respective places. Sons in villages are encouraged through words and crowned as a hero. While in the cities, they are complimented by their boss and bear the burden of heavy experiences.

We could take it as if he is showing how simple and humanistic the life in the villages compared with life in the cities. Haji Salleh loves nature so much and he even once taught students to learn from the forests/jungle because if you learn from them, you could live in tranquility and peace.

bangsa besar dihitung kdnk
pertukaran dolar
dan muatan kapal usaha

negara besar diukur di makmal
di ruang institut penyelidikan
dan pada ilmu yang diragikan pemula

seperti orang jepun
aku perlukan pulau seberang jiwa
untuk mengimbang hiruk-riuh
kacau-ramainya

Big powers impose hegemony through capitalism, dollar exchange, big countries are measured via laboratories in research institute and the one who started knowledge. Like the japanese, Muhammad Haji Salleh needs tranquility, spirituality to balance the chaos and congested environment.

He is explaining the best of both world inside Japan which offers technology at the same time environmental sustenance and vast environmental elements. Immersed by the mountains, flowers and rivers made him keen to understand and think further in appreciating life and its philosophies.

peraturan memperlahankan gerak
suara asal tercekik oleh adat
semuanya harus berada di jalan bangsa

jalan hanya membentang ke depan
jalan hanya landasan kejayaan
renungan falsafah tercicir
di tepi tali air kota

Rules and restrictions have slowed the progress of people's minds. Since culture was created to give a control towards people, it needs to be within the roads of culture. The road is just a guide to success, but along the road, their thoughts and philosophies were left somewhere in the city's sewer.

According to the word restriction, people must think out of the box to progress together with thoughts and philosophies. The world itself can not flow without philosophies and thoughts. Therefore, he is suggesting rules and restrictions as just a guide, not the very core of life principles.

There are more interesting quotes and universal principal of thoughts and philosophies that might leave you thinking and deeply amazed on his core mind. Overall, a masterpiece and highly recommended to those who are very familiar with Japanese culture. It is written without prejudice and bias, only with humanistic approaches.