Poems by Kriapur # The Party Of The Nights

The Party Of The Nights

from the land of 24, 

I went up the stairs –up to the sky, 

carving up the corpses

in the silence of the moon

pus river flows.

no clouds, 

nor rainbows. 

silent graves drowns.

my soul in pain

in the valley of the sky.

ghost drags corpses. purple winds snorted 

and dreams flew.

those no butterfly, 

nor rose wings – O, mother, 

how delicious! 

a fresh baby flesh!

           Solo, 1980

*translated from poem “pesta para malam”

The Gone Voyage

blurred dreams. the ground caught it 

in the shadows of a black bird. 

I exhaled the way of the seas, in the south of autumn tree, 

through my heart that nowhere

and at night my soul stands as a towering black post.

talking to the sky 

then burn by the moonlight. Firmness collapsed

from distant voices clinging to the mud.

where were those quiet islands and fortresses?

wind in the dark cavities helps.

Got no idea, neither drizzles

nor foul odor sliced down my face

like a bloodless moon

but as children of the night, those trees and the music, 

blowing grief and throwing away the sea ways. 

my boat laden with dreams 

of the sails far through the walls 

and thrugh out somewhere

           Solo, 1981

*tranlasted from poem “pelayaran tiada”

 I Grave My Corpse On The Water

I carved my corpse in water. 

me names flowed 

on the river stone,

which I gave to me face 

that pale and frozen

there is dirt everywhere,

bloods,

my eyes walk through the middle

finding my own corpse

which were flows

and then my name arrived on the shore

waves brought my name

the sea keeps my name

and everything is underwater

           Solo, 1981

* tranlasted from poem “Kupahat Mayatku di Air”

Between The Tides

I seek my story of life between a strange tides

that rumble and slams always

but you never know

in that pertically way

between the tides

sometimes I wouldn’t say any word to you

stands in the edges

or you’ll see the birds fly in the air

with their wings,

are in pain

           Solo, 1982

* tranlasted from poem “Di Antara Gelombang”

Flower Watchers

walking through the night 

and 

there 

was a silence of pain. 

the flower laid like a bird’s spirit. 

strange grass which is split in here.

burning the sun who’s gloomy

           Solo, 1984

* tranlasted from poem “Pengamat Bunga”

Sun Tales For Korrie

sheets of light blocks the heaven

then I’ll run away 

on the time that been expected

when the graves are lined up

but the sky was too shoal

I gave you a rope from a dark sign

then the forest went dark, like swelled

in the colorless pictures

           Solo, 1985

* tranlasted from poem “Kisah Matahari Untuk Korrie”

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—These poems are translated by Rafqi Sadikin from poem book “Tiang Hitam Belukar Malam” by Kriapur (Kristianto Agus Purnomo), printed in 1996 by Forum Sastra Bandung with Afrizal Malna as editor

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Kriapur or Kristianto Agus Purnomo, born in Solo, August 6, 1959. A poet that has been claimed as one of the most talented poets died young in the age of 28. He was dead in a car crash in Batang, February 17, 1987. His writings have been published in a lot of media. Horison has published his profile and poems in December 2004, some years after his death. To remember him, these poems were taken from manuscript compilation published by Dewan Kesenian Jakarta and also from Horison.