Pinkpau (Su Ann) recently wrote about the A. Samad Said poem The Dead Crow in her blog. It's a poem we learnt for English, in Form 1, for the PMR. Interesting thing, this: she says that while we were taught that the Dead Crow was about pollution and getting our politicians to save the planet for us, Su Ann says the original version has a different message:
makes you wonder why they told us in our syllabus that the themes of the poem are worsening pollution in the country, and that the politicians of our country are the ones who should plan how we may live our lives with dignity “now and always”.
But I, err, can't really understand the original version. Anyone here know what she's talking about?
GAGAK PARIT
Dilihatnya gagak yang lara
kini kejang di parit
antara pejabat pos dan pangsapuri.
Disaksinya cungapan sorang
pesara, sawan seorang bayi
di klinik sesak sepagi,
semakin kurang dimengerti
inti kemakmuran jasmani.Kerana di sini hanya kawasan
bersih bagi kehidupan cicitnya,
dituntutnya usah
dungu mencemari rimba
yang tak akan dapat lagi
subur menyegari buminya
tanpa sedia bermaruah,
beratus tahun, merancangnya.
(The English version goes like this:)
He saw a dead crow
in a drain
near the post office.
He saw an old man
gasping for air
and a baby barely able to breathe
in a crowded morning clinic.This land is so rich.
Why should we suffer like this?I want clean air
for my grandchildren.
I want the damned fools
to leave the forest alone.
I want the trees to grow,
the rivers run free,
and the earth covered with grass.
Let the politicians plan how we may live with dignity,
now and always.
But I don't really see the difference! =(
