Perchance - Amir Hamzah

Thou who slumber’st inside my heart

Vault of heaven yet filament fine

Wrapped large within the earth’s embrace

Sheltered small beneath an eyebrow’s span

I bear thee aloft, my head bowed low

I sing thy praise on the tip of my tongue

I cradle thee in the arms of my song

I rock thee to sleep in my lullaby’s lilt

Arise my Beloved

Open thine eyes of pearl

Touch the heavenly lyre

With thy fingers delicately tapering

Let the goddess of song be roused

Summon love’s dancer, supple and strong

A flickering flame softly illuming

Holy fragrance in smoke-laden air

Come let us dance, young maiden of love

Let the golden voices be heard

Perchance to be free from the call of time past

Pounding like waves on the shores of my heart.

---

Amir Hamzah (1911 - 1946) Indonesia

Translated by Keith Foulcher

Source: “Translation of Amir Hamzah’s ‘Barangkali’.” Keith Foulcher. The

AALITRA Review: A Journal of Literary Translation 14 (December 2019):

194-196.