By Wong Kah Wei
Continuing on my journey of discovering more about the Peranakan culture through NUS Libraries collections, I was intrigued by a talk given by Dr Azhar Ibrahim on “Peranakan Chinese and Knowledge Production in Nusantara” which was part of the “Yeap Chor Ee Private Papers and Painting of Oei Tiong Ham Presentation Ceremony” held on 29 July 2024.
Dr Azhar, an academic from NUS’ Malay Studies Department, brought to live the syairs composed by Chinese Peranakans in the Straits Settlements. I was amazed at the wide range and volume of syairs the Chinese Peranakans produced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These were not just beautiful poems but were windows into the Peranakan culture and the Malay world, inspiring me to find out more.
When Dr Azhar, a great supporter of NUS Libraries, offered to conduct two more talks I was not surprised and eagerly agreed.
So, NUS Libraries will be organizing two talks, both by Dr Azhar Ibrahim:
- Syair of the Peranakans: Narrating the Social and Cultural Worlds, 16 Oct 2024, 2-4pm.
- The Archipelagic Nexus: Peranakans as Cultural Brokers, 7 Nov 2024, 3-5pm
In anticipation of the fun things I would learn from Dr Azhar, I thought I would start reading up on Chinese Peranakan pantuns and syairs and share what I found from NUS Libraries’ books and scholarly materials.
What is pantun and what is syair? What about dondang sayang? Isn’t that like a song?
I particularly like Tan Chee Beng’s (2003) definitions:
Pantun is a popular kind of Malay poem; the most common ones have four lines where the distinctive feature is that the last syllable of each line rhymes in an “a-b-a-b” pattern. Syair, on the other hand, is a long poem that narrates a theme (eg. a story) and is usually made up of four lines in each stanza that is rhymed in an “a-a-a-a” pattern. Dondang sayang involves the singing and exchange of pantun between two persons to the accompaniment of a small orchestra using Malay drums, a violin and a gong.
[Emphasis are mine]
The first mention of pantun of the Babas in our collection of Rare Books is found in J.D. Vaughan’s The manners and customs of the Chinese of the Straits Settlements (1879). Vaughan referred to the “exceedingly musical” Malacca Babas who were “very clever in extemporizing words in their tunes… singing their pantuns, and lagus, accompanied by fiddles and tomtoms”.
In his book Pantun Peranakan Baba, Ding Choo Ming stated that about 60% of the pantuns are syairs. About 15,600 stanzas of pantun, syair and dondang sayang were composed between 1890s and 1940s in British Malaya. Two-thirds of these were published in books while the rest were published in Baba newspapers such as Kabar Slalu, Bintang Timor, Bintang Pranakan and so on.
Baba pantuns are generally written in Baba Malay. Some Baba pantuns contain Hokkien loan-words, for example sin-neo (bride); homia (fortunate), thia (living room). Some Baba Malay words have a slight change in the last syllable of the word. For example, the Malay word “kalau” (if) is written as “kalo” or “pantai” (beach) as “pantay”. Some words were changed and may not be so identifiable if we are unfamiliar with Baba Malay – for example, “sobat” instead of “sahabat” (friend); “lemo” instead “limau” (lime). The phrases are also written in a pasar or colloquial way – “itu bunga” instead of “bunga itu”.
Pantun themes reflect love, kindness, joy, sadness, praise and philosophy. Pantuns became a medium for the Peranakans to express life views, opinions on social and cultural issues and also to give advice and instruction (Ding, 2008). In some book introductions, we read that compilers of pantuns express their wish to “hiborkan hati” (to entertain). Pantuns employ descriptions of flora, fauna, exotic places or the beauty of landscapes to bring out the intended message.
Pantuns and syairs provide a window into the Peranakan and Malay customs. A “Pantun Pengaten” (wedding poem) was published in the Peranakan newspaper, Bintang Timor, 12 July 1894. The pantun which is actually a syair describes a Baba wedding. It invokes our imagination with the color, noise and the teasing as the Babas and Nyonyas celebrate a wedding. However, the pantun is written with the Baba in mind. Those who are unfamiliar with a Baba wedding will require some help in understanding the details. Help comes in a journal article in Jurnal Sejarah Melaka, No.7, 1982 where Tan Chee Beng explains each stanza, providing us details of various Baba wedding rituals.
Pantuns were also inserted in Chrita Dulu Kala stories, some of which are in our Rare Book collection. Interestingly, pantuns were also used in advertisements to promote products such as coffee. In Penghiboran Hati (see PDF pages 129-132), the music score and the lyrics for the milk powder Lactogen and “susu Chap Prompuan” (could this be Milkmaid condensed milk?) are included. These are milk products I am familiar with and to think these could be popular products in the 1920s is intriguing.
Another syair which is particularly absorbing is Shaer almarhoem beginda Sultan Abu Bakar di Negri Johor (1896) composed by Na Tian Piet (with the nom de plume of Kalam Langit). The syair is incredibly long with about 1,400 stanzas (Noriah, 2001) but it is a delight to read. Na begins his syair with a description of himself and his life. Na’s high regard of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and his close relationship with the Sultan provided him with the opportunity to write about various royal customs, the sultan’s lifestyle and the political, social and economic issues during the Sultan’s reign.
Syairs were also another form to record real-life events such as accidents. An example is Syair Sri Hong Ann which is published in the book Cherita Rampay-rampay dan Dondang Sayang (1916). Sri Hong Ann was a ship that sank in its voyage from Singapore to Malacca in 1897 and the incident was reported in the newspapers.
Gunong Sayang Association, founded in 1910, was the first permanent association supporting the singing of dondang sayang, bringing dondang sayang from the home to the public space (Thomas, 1986). Baba Koh Hoon Teck, a founder of the Association, known for his passion for dondang sayang, compiled and published collections of pantuns under Koh & Company. The most popular collection was “Panton Dondang Sayang Baba Baba Pranakan” which was published in five volumes from 1911-1916 (Thomas, 1986). An example of these pantuns is in Volume 5 from this collection. Relying on Tan (2003) for more details about this collection of pantuns, I discovered that the pantuns were published at the request of “Baba Baba pranakans”. Volume 1 which sold very well was reprinted at least twice, with the third edition published in 1920. But not all these pantuns were originals or composed by Babas. Tan (2003) reasons that “in dondang sayang, a singer always adapt an existing pantun to portray the meaning that he or she wants” and therefore, these pantuns are really “poems of the [Baba] community”.
Ding (2008), citing Clammer (1979), concludes that the main reason why there was a decrease in the composition and publication of Baba pantuns after World World 2 was the loss of the Chinese Peranakans’ socio-economic position. But these Baba pantuns, the “mutiara gemilang” (glorious pearls – borrowing a phrase from Ding’s book title) are still accessible for us to enjoy and learn from. They are found in treasure troves of pantun portals and library collections built by academics and librarians who are as passionate as the Baba community in preserving their culture and heritage.
Here is a select list of books, journal articles and collection of pantuns from NUS Libraries and other academic institutions for you to enjoy. Books are in English and Malay language.
Getting to know Peranakan pantuns
Amend, J. M. (1998). Negotiation of identity as theme and variation: The musical art of dondang sayang in Melaka, Malaysia. Florida State University [Thesis]
This is a scholarly work submitted as a PhD thesis to FSU’s School of Music. So it is packed with details about the musical aspect of dondang sayang in Melaka and not specifically of the Peranakans. I particularly enjoyed the transcripts of interviews with various people including Baba William Tan, who is well-known for his dondang sayang singing and for promoting it.
Clammer, J. (1979). The Ambiguity of identity: Ethnicity maintenance and change among the Straits Chinese community of Malaysia and Singapore. ISEAS.
Clammer does not specifically refer to pantuns. But he gives an overview of the Chinese Peranakans as a community which helps in understanding their literary works.
Ding, C.M. (2004). The Malaysian Baba Pantun Database. In Sari (22), 159-165.
Ding gives a brief introduction to Baba pantuns and syairs as a background to how ATMA’s Pantun Baba database of pantuns and syairs was developed. I would start with this article to get a quick overview of the history, the pantun and syair composers, pantun books and publications and the influence of Malay pantuns. In developing the database, Ding also gives the sources he relied on and the scholars in Baba pantuns.
Ding, C.M. (2008). Pantun Peranakan Baba: Mutiara gemilang negeri-negeri Selat. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
This book is excellent in giving an overview of the pantuns of the Chinese Peranakans. It covers the Baba Malay language used, the influences on pantuns, the publishing of pantuns and the decline of Baba literary works. Ding also lists pantuns in ATMA’s Pantun Baba portal. These include pantuns in various publications including pantuns published in newspapers such as Bintang Pranakan, Kabar Uchapan Baru and so on.
Salmon, C. (2013a). Malay translations of Chinese fiction in Indonesia. In Literary migrations: Traditional Chinese fiction in Asia (17th-20th centuries). ISEAS-Yusoff Ishak Institute.
In section 5 of her book chapter, Salmon writes about syairs adapted from Chinese novels. Peranakan writers used to write stories based on a true occurrence in prose and afterwards rewrite them in syair form. An example is the story of Oey Se (1903) which was so popular that the author, Thio Tjien Boe, wrote it in syair form three years later.
Salmon, C. (2013b). Writings in romanized Malay by the Chinese of Malaya. In Literary migrations: Traditional Chinese fiction in Asia (17th-20th centuries). ISEAS-Yusoff Ishak Institute.
In this book chapter, Salmon has a section on the Peranakan publishers and writers of Baba literary texts. She provides some details of Lim Hock Chee and his Sahyir Burong which has some themes from the Malay pantun “Syair Burung Nuri”. A list of literary texts including pantun books are given as well.
Tan, C.B. (2003). Baba Malay poetry publications and Babas’ contribution to the Malay World studies. In Chinese studies of the Malay World: A comparative approach. Eastern Universities Press.
Tan’s book chapter is packed with many pantuns and syairs and how they provide a glimpse into the Baba and Malay world. He categorizes pantuns by pantuns which are familiar to the Babas and pantuns of Malay words for a wider audience. I enjoyed reading his explanations of pantuns because they vividly illustrate the composer’s thoughts and imagination.
Thomas, P.L. (1986). Like tigers around a piece of meat: the Baba style of dondang sayang. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Thomas provides a brief history of dondang sayang before explaining the “tajuk system” using examples of some dondang sayang songs and the “fillers”. He also goes into the structure, mechanics and the aesthetics. After reading this slim book, I truly appreciate the skill and knowledge required for the “buying” and “selling” during a dondang sayang performance.
Collections of Peranakan pantuns and syairs
ATMA, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Pantun Baba.
ATMA’s (Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu) Baba pantuns portal is a huge collection of pantuns and syairs digitized from books and newspapers published in Straits Settlements between 1889 and 1940s. Use ATMA’s portal to find the pantuns in its original text. Searching for specific pantuns may be a bit laborious though. The appendices in Ding’s book lists titles of pantun books which may help in searching.
Batu Gantong. (1908). Pantun champor-bawor. Batu-Gantong Press.
This compilation of pantuns includes a list of Baba Malay words (used in the pantuns in the book) and the English definitions. Pantuns are not categorized. The last page contains a music score and lyrics for “Pantun Trak Tak Tak”.
Cherita rampay rampay; dan, panton dondang sayang (1916). Koh & Company.
NUS Libraries’ copy shows the name “Koh Hoon Teck” written on the cover page. I wonder if the copy belongs to Baba Koh Hoon Teck, the granduncle of Baba William Gwee Thian Hock, and who established Koh & Company (see pages 19-20 of The Peranakan, Jul-Sep 2007). The compilation includes Shair Sri Hong Ann which is about a ship, Sri Hong Ann, that sunk on the way to Singapore in 1897.
H.S.L. (1924). Penghiboran hati. Criterion Press.
This is such an interesting book because it has a mix of music scores of kronchongs, syairs and pantuns and advertisements. Some pantuns refer to the kronchongs as well. In between, there are music scores for two milk products along with the lyrics. To appreciate this book further, refer to Tan Sooi Beng’s journal article.
ISEAS. Ding Choo Ming Pantun Collection.
Another large collection of pantuns and syairs collected by Ding Choo Ming and housed in ISEAS. These pantuns are from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Southern Philippines and Pattani in Thailand. Each original pantun is paired with the adapted Malay version.
Lim, H. S. (1929). Malay pantun book. Malaya Press.
Categorized into Puji-Pujian, Rendahkan Diri Dengan Dagang, Budi Dengan Kaseh, Ingatan Darihal Dunia and Pantun Sindiran. T.T. Wee, presumably the publisher, urges his readers to “ketawa gelak (banyak)” (laugh a lot) when reading the pantuns. Indeed, I did when I read the pantun sindiran which light-heartedly pokes fun at lovers and ourselves.
Na, T.P. (1896). Shaer almarhoem beginda Sultan AbuBakar di negri Johor. [microfilm].
As the syair is in microfilm format, I prefer reading Na’s syair as edited by Noriah Mohamed in a hard copy format. Na Tian Piet’s long syair provides a view of the life of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and of the lives of Johor royalty and their customs. Also includes personal details of Na and how he came to Singapore to reside. I especially enjoy reading about the opulence of the Sultan’s lifestyle described with Na’s exuberance.
Peranakan newspapers that have pantuns and syairs
Bintang Pranakan (11 Oct 1930 – 13 Jun 1931)
Bintang Timor (2 Jul – 31 Dec 1894)
Kabar Slalu (24 Jan – 16 May 1924)
Khabar Uchapan Baru (4 Feb 1926 – 15 Jan 1931)
Explanations of some pantuns or syairs
Na, T.P. (2001). Syair almarhum baginda Sultan Abu Bakar di negeri Johor; diselenggarakan oleh Noriah Mohamed. Yayasan Warisan Johor.
Noriah Mohamed provides an edited version of the 1,400 stanzas of this syair as well its original version. The Introduction provides details of Na Tian Piet, a short history of Sultan Abu Bakar and his reign and an analysis of the language and writing techniques. This helps in giving a background to the descriptions of Sultan Abu Bakar and royal nobles.
Tan, C.B. (1982). Megenai sebuah pantun Baba dan perkahwinan dulu-kala orang Cina (On a Baba poem and Chinese traditional weddings). In Jurnal Sejarah Melaka, No. 7, pp. 42-53.
Tan gives a more detailed explanation of Pantun Pengaten which reveal Baba wedding customs and rituals now lost in time.
Tan, S. B. (2016). Cosmopolitan identities: Evolving musical cultures of the Straits-born Chinese of pre-World War II Malaya. Ethnomusicology Forum, 25(1), 35–57
Analyzing newspaper articles, advertisements, pantuns from “Penghiboran hati” and recordings of dondang sayang, Tan writes about the Peranakan identity. In a particular section on “hybrid kronchong songs”, Tan explains the Baba Malay verses and kronchong melodies in “Penghiboran hati”.
